"I place a lot of significance on this visit in terms of peace in the Middle East," Erdogan said at a rainy Rose Garden news conference with U.S. President Barack Obama, adding that he also plans to visit the West Bank on that trip.
In April, Secretary of State John Kerry urged Erdogan to delay visiting the Palestinian enclave to avoid endangering U.S. efforts to revive Turkey's ties with Israel and to advance Middle East peace talks.