Turkey 'will not remain silent' about Israel's atrocities in Palestine

Turkey will continue to speak out against Israeli oppression of Palestinians and peace will not be possible unless justice is served, the Turkish presidency said.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Mahmoud Abbas that Ankara will continue to support the Palestinians during a closed-door meeting at the Vahdettin Pavilion in Istanbul on Saturday. 

The two presidents discussed regional developments and steps to strengthen bilateral ties, according to Turkey's Communications Directorate.

During the meeting, Erdogan stressed that peace and stability in the region will not be possible as long as the Israeli occupation remains.

They had a private meeting that lasted for an hour and 15 minutes, followed by another meeting, which was accompanied by delegations for over an hour, according to Anadolu news agency.

The second meeting was attended by Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, Communications Director Fahrettin Altun, Presidential spokesperson Ibrahim Kalin, and head of National Intelligence Organization Hakan Fidan.

This comes as Israel is expanding its occupation in the West Bank, especially in East Jerusalem neighbourhoods such as Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan where Palestinains are at risk of demolitions and illegal settlement expansion.

In May, Israel launched an offensive on Gaza that killed at least 260 Palestinians, including 67 children. The flare-up in violence saw occupying warplanes decimate residential and commercial buildings, including those housing global media networks.

The besieged enclave is still dealing with the aftermath of the attack.