Turkey's Culture and Tourism Minister Nabi Avcı on Tuesday made first Turkish ministerial visit to Israel since the renewal of diplomatic relations in 2016, state-run Anadolu news agency reported. The visit came after Israeli strikes on Gaza Strip injure three Palestinians on Monday. Israel's parliament also passed on Monday a contentious law meant to retroactively legalise thousands of West Bank settlement homes built unlawfully on Palestinian land.
Nabi Avcı met his Israeli counterpart Yariv Levin in Tel Aviv amid a dispute over a new law legalising dozens of West Bank illegal outposts, but the two men downplayed the issue at a news conference.
"I think the bilateral relationship between Israel and Turkey is a crucial component to the stability of the region and an essential component to boost economic growth," Levin said.
Avcı hailed Israeli tourists to Turkey, saying it was his country's duty "to host tourists coming from Israel in the best possible way."
"We discussed strengthening relations between the two countries ... We are exerting efforts and we are doing everything we can and we hope that our relations with Israel will contribute in making peace," Avcı was quoted as saying by the news outlet.
NEW ISRAELI SETTLEMENT LAW
Israel's parliament on Monday passed a contentious law meant to retroactively legalise thousands of West Bank settlement homes built unlawfully on Palestinian land. The law is the latest in a series of pro-settler steps taken by Israel's government since the election of Donald Trump as U.S. president.
The Israel's step triggered international outrage. Turkish Foreign Ministry also condemned the new Israeli law legalising dozens of Jewish settlements built on Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank, as Nabi Avcı visiting Tel Aviv in the first such trip in seven years.
Asked about the law, Nabi Avcı said he hoped Israel's Supreme Court would strike it down. "I think, I hope, that on this issue, the high court will make the right decision, a decision in accordance with international law, a decision in accordance with United Nations decisions," he said.
Israeli forces also demolished structures owned by Palestinians in the village of Kardala in the northeastern part of the West Bank on Tuesday, after announcing them illegal, local media reported.
TURKISH ENERGY OFFICIALS ARRIVED IN THE GAZA STRIP
One day before Nabi Avcı's visit, a delegation of four Turkish energy officials arrived in the Gaza Strip to discuss the ongoing energy crisis, Ghazi Hamad, Hamas foreign ministry undersecretary, told the Anadolu news agency.
“The delegation will discuss solutions and necessary mechanisms for fulfilling Gaza’s energy needs,” he said.
The Israeli army has attacked a number of Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip, wounding at least three people on Monday. Israel's military claimed the strikes were in response to a rocket that was launched from the Palestine into Israel earlier on Monday, causing no injuries.
