Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu announced on Wednesday that he will visit Israel on May 24 amid efforts by both countries to mend broken relations as Turkey repeats that fixing ties with Israel will not be at the cost of its determination to protect the Palestinian cause.
Speaking to broadcaster CNN Türk, Çavuşoğlu said he will travel to Israel and Palestine with Energy Minister Fatih Dönmez on May 24 and would discuss the appointment of ambassadors with his Israeli counterpart during the visit.
Turkey and Israel have in recent weeks been working to mend their long-strained ties, and energy has emerged as a potential area of cooperation.
President Tayyip Erdoğan said last month he was "very, very hopeful" for energy cooperation with Israel, and he hoped to discuss the issue with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.
On Tuesday, Erdoğan said he told his Israeli counterpart, Isaac Herzog, that he was "very upset" by Palestinians injured or killed in the West Bank and Al-Aqsa Mosque during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The Foreign Ministry and Turkish officials also condemned the violent raids on the Muslim holy site.
Hundreds of Jewish settlers stormed into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem, a Palestinian agency reported earlier.
Nearly 560 settlers stormed the flashpoint site under heavy police protection, the Islamic Endowment Department that oversees the mosque compound said in a statement.
The settlers toured the complex for about three and a half hours before leaving the site, the statement added.
Ahead of the settler incursion, Israeli police forced Muslim worshipers to evacuate the mosque’s courtyards, according to eyewitnesses.
Tension has mounted across the Palestinian territories since Israeli forces raided the Al-Aqsa Mosque courtyard on Friday amid clashes with worshippers, injuring hundreds. On Sunday, more than 700 Israeli settlers forced their way into the complex to celebrate the weeklong Jewish Passover holiday.
Al-Aqsa Mosque is the world's third-holiest site for Muslims. Jews call the area "Temple Mount," claiming it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.
The two countries expelled ambassadors in 2018 and have often traded barbs over the Palestinian conflict, Turkish support of the Hamas militant group, which runs Gaza, and other issues.
