Presidential Spokesperson Ibrahim Kalın and Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Önal will visit Israel and Palestine on Feb. 16-17.
The two officials will meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and discuss the visit of Israeli President Issac Herzog to Turkey.
The visit to Ramallah comes as Turkey is on a path toward normalizing ties with Israel and after Ankara had stated it may mediate between Israel and Palestine.
Meanwhile, Israeli President Isaac Herzog is expected to visit Turkey on March 9-10, while the country’s foreign minister is expected to attend the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, sources said.
Ties between Turkey and Israel froze after the death of 10 civilians in an Israeli raid on a Turkish flotilla carrying aid to the Gaza Strip in 2010.
In recent months, however, the two countries have been working on a rapprochement, with Erdoğan, a vocal supporter of the Palestinian cause, holding telephone talks with his counterpart Isaac Herzog and other Israeli leaders.
Despite the recent rapprochement, Turkish officials continue to criticize Israel’s policies targeting Palestinians, including the illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, and the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
Known for its unbreakable solidarity with the Palestinians, Turkey has been voicing support for the Palestinian cause in the international realm for decades. Turkish authorities emphasize that the only way to achieve lasting peace and stability in the Middle East is through a fair and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian issue within the framework of international law and United Nations resolutions.
