The Hamas prime minister of Gaza Ismail Haniya has made his first official foreign trip since Hamas won control of the Gaza strip in 2007.
After visiting Sudan and Egypt, Mr Haniya has now arrived in Turkey, in the hope of strengthening ties with Muslim countries in the face of uprisings in the region.
Turkey’s diplomatic relations with Israel have declined to an all time low since the attack by Israeli forces on a Turkish aid flotilla in 2010, which left 9 turkish activists dead.
Mr. Haniya visited the Mavi Marmara, the largest ship of the flotilla, on Monday and said, “The blood of Mavi Marmara martyrs and that of Palestinian martyrs is joined for a hopeful future.”
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan met Haniya in Ankara, where he was thanked by Mr Haniya for Turkey’s continuing support for the lifting of Israel’s embargo on Gaza.
Omar Celik, a senior official of the ruling party, called the Palestinian conflict Turkey’s national issue and asked Israel to recognise Hamas as a legitimate organisation.
“If Israel is sincere about the peace process,” Mr. Celik said on NTV, standing next to Mr. Haniya, “it should quit declaring organiations like Hamas that support the peace process illegal, and stop building settlements.”
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