Erdogan says Trump asked Turkey to ‘persuade Hamas’ on Gaza peace

NN ONLINE:

US President Donald Trump asked Turkey to “persuade” Hamas to accept his plan for ending the Gaza war, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a transcript shared by his office Wednesday.

His remarks came as negotiators from Israel and Hamas were due to hold a third day of indirect negotiations in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm El-Sheikh aimed at halting the two-year Gaza war, alongside senior officials from Qatar, Turkey and the US.

“Both during our visit to the United States and in our most recent phone call, we explained to Mr. Trump how a solution could be achieved in Palestine. He specifically requested that we meet with Hamas and persuade them,” Erdogan told Turkish journalists late Tuesday on board a plane returning from Azerbaijan.

A vocal advocate of the Palestinian cause, the Turkish leader, who has close ties with Hamas, has often accused Israel of “genocide” in Gaza — a charge repeatedly denied by Israel. The indirect negotiations are based on a 20-point plan proposed by Trump last month, with a Turkish delegation led by intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin to join the talks on Wednesday.

“Hamas responded by telling us that it is ready for peace and negotiations. In other words, it did not take a contrary stance. I consider this a very valuable step. Hamas is ahead of Israel,” Erdogan added.

“Our colleagues are in Sharm El-Sheikh right now,” he said late Tuesday. “We have always been in contact with Hamas throughout this process. We are still in contact now. “We are explaining what the most reasonable path is and what needs to be done for Palestine to move forward with confidence into the future,” he added.