Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will make an historic visit to Israel and Palestine starting on Sunday.
During his two-day visit, Erdogan is scheduled to meet with Israeli President Moshe Katsav, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Deputy Prime Minister Shimon Peres, and main opposition party Shinui leader Yosef Lapid on the first day. He's expected to meet with Jews of Turkish origin living in the country as well.
On the second day of the visit, the prime minister will go to the Palestinian territories. In addition to meetings with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei, Erdogan is also expected to lay a wreath at Yasser Arafat's grave in Ramallah.
Erdogan will participate in the opening ceremony of the Turkish Cooperation and Development Agency (TIKA) Ramallah bureau.
Erdogan's Israel visit has been described as important due to tension last year between Erdogan and Israeli officials. It started when Erdogan made a series of anti-Israeli comments last spring and summer. These statements included a remark, after the killing of Hamas leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, that Israel was engaging in "state terrorism." He also made a comparison of Israel's treatment of the Palestinians to the way Jews were treated during the Spanish Inquisition. Another comment that "recent Israeli actions have given rise to anti-Semitism in the world" was also made by the prime minister.
Added to statements from Israeli officials to mollify the atmosphere, even U.S. President George W. Bush tried to build bridges between Erdogan and Israel. Since a request from Bush, Erdogan has significantly toned down his rhetoric.
The way for Erdogan's visit was paved by a visit of his top aides to Israel last August, and Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul's trip there in January.
In line with Erdogan's visit, Turkey will host a three-way Israeli-Palestinian-Turkish economic roundtable on Wednesday meant to demonstrate the constructive role Turkey can play in the Middle East. The Israeli delegation will be headed by Alon Liel, a former Foreign Ministry director-general and charge d'affaires in Ankara, who now has business ties with Turkey, and Israel Manufacturers Association President Shraga Brosh. The Palestinian and Turkish delegations will include members of manufacturers' associations.