Turkey foreign minister starts trip to occupied Palestinian territories and Israel

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu started a two-day trip to the occupied Palestinian territories and Israel on Tuesday, the first such visit by a senior Turkish official in more than a decade.

Cavusoglu was scheduled to meet his Palestinian counterpart Riyad al-Maliki and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday. He was also expected to see Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid and Tourism Minister Yoel Razvozov.

Cavusoglu had planned to visit Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem during his trip.

The holy mosque has been the site of a number of Israeli attacks on Palestinians, many of which took place during Ramadan. Dozens of Palestinians were injured in the assaults. 

Israel and Turkey have been working to mend their long-strained ties with energy emerging as a key area for potential cooperation.

The two countries expelled ambassadors in 2018 and have often traded barbs over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. 

In 2010, Israeli commandos attacked a peace flotilla killing nine Turkish activists.