On West Bank visit, Turkey FM says Israel normalisation won't affect Palestine policy

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu vowed on Tuesday that Turkey's policy on Palestine will not change, despite the country's attempts to normalise ties with Israel.

Turkey will continue to support the creation of an independent Palestinian state, the Turkish FM said during a press conference with Palestinian counterpart Riyad al-Maliki in the occupied West Bank.

"Our support for the Palestinian cause is completely independent of our ties with Israel, but I would like to say that our Palestine policy cannot be changed," Cavusoglu said.

In a video recapping his one-day visit to Palestine, the Turkish FM said: "The establishment of a Palestinian state on the basis of the accepted international parameters and the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital is essential. The Palestinian issue can only be resolved this way."

Cavusoglu also met on Tuesday with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, discussing Israeli raids on Al-Aqsa Mosque and settlement construction on occupied Palestinian land, the Palestinian Authority's WAFA news agency.

Cavusoglu on Wednesday headed to Israel to meet with officials including Israeli counterpart Yair Lapid.

The visit to Israel - the first by a senior Turkish official in more than a decade - comes amid a diplomatic push by Israel and Turkey to improve ties.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog travelled to Turkey in March, sparking protests among the Turkish public.

Turkey had previously been an outspoken critic of Israel, particularly regarding its policies on Palestine and Palestinians.

Ankara has been looking to improve ties with a number of other nations with which it has had a rocky relationship in recent years, including Egypt and Saudi Arabia.