US urges Turkey to press Hamas

The U.S. on Tuesday encouraged Turkey to work with Hamas to "reduce tensions" between Palestinians and Israelis following a recent visit to Turkey by Hamas leader Khaled Mashal.

"We have urged the government of Turkey to press Hamas to reduce tensions and prevent violence," State Department spokesman Jeff Rathke said, "We raise this at senior levels with our Turkish counterparts."

"We continue to raise our concerns about the relationship between Hamas and Turkey with senior Turkish officials, including after learning of Khaled Mashal's recent visit there," he said

Mashal paid a surprise visit to attend Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party's (AK Party) fifth annual assembly in the central Anatolian city of Konya, the birth place of Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu.

Mashal spoke to thousands of visitors during the meeting where he equated strength in Turkey to strength in Palestine. "A strong Konya means strong Turkey, which equals a strong Jerusalem and Palestine," he said.

Mashal praised Turkey as a "source of power" for all Muslims in gratitude to Turkey's leaders for supporting the Palestinian cause. "A democratic, stable and developed Turkey empowers all Muslims," Mashal said. "We will hopefully save Palestine and Jerusalem in the future just as your people protected Jerusalem, Al-Aqsa and Palestine for ages in the past."

Davutoğlu underlined that Turkey will continue to be the voice of the innocent in the world in his speech, saying: "God as witness … We will make this red flag a symbol of the innocent. This red flag will fly side by side with the flags of Palestine, free Syria and all other innocents' flags anywhere in the world." Davutoğlu added that Turkey regards the Palestinian cause as its own and Palestine's land is as holy as Turkish land.
According to sources, busy diplomatic traffic between Turkey and Palestine is expected to continue as Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas reportedly plans an official visit to Turkey in January.