Istanbul: The Gaza Strip's Hamas premier is in
Turkey for meetings with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan and the head of an Islamic aid group whose Gaza-bound
vessel was the target of a deadly raid by Israeli troops in
2010.
Ismail Haniyeh is on an official tour of the Muslim world,
his first trip outside the blockaded territory since the
Islamist group overran Gaza in 2007.
Turkey's ties with Israel, a former ally, deteriorated sharply over the flotilla
raid that killed nine activists on the Turkish boat, and
Erdogan has demanded that Israel lift all restrictions on the
Palestinian territory.
Haniyeh is scheduled to meet Erdogan at his Istanbul
residence. Tomorrow, he will meet officials of the Islamic aid
group IHH.
PTI
First Published: Sunday, January 01, 2012, 21:39