Turkish parliament to host Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will visit Türkiye on August 14-15, Turkish Communications Director Fahrettin Altun has announced.

"Mr. Abbas, who will meet with our President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on August 14, will address the General Assembly of our Grand National Assembly on August 15," Altun said in a statement on X on Wednesday.

Earlier in the day, Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmus also announced the visit by Abbas.

"If there are no setbacks in the coming days, we will invite Mr. Abbas to the General Assembly of the Turkish Grand National Assembly, where he will present the Palestinian cause before the members of parliament," Kurtulmus said.

Extraordinary meeting

Kurtulmus also called for an extraordinary meeting of the parliament on August 15 for Abbas's address.

"I call the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye for an extraordinary meeting in order to show our strong support for the Palestinian people and their cause and to ensure that the voice of the oppressed Palestinian people is heard around the world," Kurtulmus said.

The visit comes in the backdrop of Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh's assassination earlier in the day in an air strike in Tehran, heightening the risk of regional conflagration.

In Gaza, Israel has killed more than 39,000 Palestinians since October 7.

Earlier this month, the International Court of Justice in an advisory opinion said Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories is unlawful and should end.