US urges Erdogan to delay trip to Gaza The US has called on Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey's prime minister, to delay a planned trip to the Gaza Strip, in a sign of Washington's continuing nervousness about the course of Turkish-Israeli reconciliation. Rounding off a 24-hour-long trip to Istanbul, John Kerry, US secretary of state, argued that Mr Erdogan's visit to the territory would be an unwelcome "distraction." His comments highlight US efforts to shepherd Turkey and Israel closer together in a relationship that could involve co-operation on Syria and significant energy ties, despite continuing mutual suspicion between the two neighbours. The Turkish prime minister has set out plans to go to Gaza soon after he travels to Washington to see President Barack Obama on May 16 - a meeting at which Mr Erdogan hopes to receive US backing for Turkish regional policy. But while Turkish officials depict Mr Erdogan's Gaza plans as part of a sequence of events leading to an exchange of ambassadors with Israel after a three-year rift, US, Israeli and Palestinian officials are far from convinced. "We have expressed to the prime minister that we really think it would be better delayed and it shouldn't take place at this point in time," Mr Kerry said. The timing of it is really critical with respect to the [Israeli-Palestinian] process that we are trying to get off the ground . . . with as little outside distraction as possible. Mr Kerry added that the Turkish prime minister had been "very thoughtful and sensitive" in listening to US reservations and was "deeply committed" to a deal brokered by Mr Obama last month to heal the Turkish-Israeli-rift. But both Turkish and Israeli diplomats say there is little prospect of bilateral ties returning to the warmth they enjoyed in the 1990s. Under the preliminary deal, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli prime minister, apologised to Mr Erdogan for a 2010 incident in which nine Turkish activists seeking to break the blockade of Gaza were killed by Israeli forces at sea. But Ankara says that, for diplomatic ties to be fully restored, Israel will have to pay compensation - an issue set to be discussed by an Israeli delegation this week - and restrictions on civilian goods entering Gaza will have to be lifted. While Israel says such restrictions have already been "substantially" removed, Mr Erdogan would like to use his visit to highlight that more goods are entering the territory. But such a trip could be seen as a show of support for Hamas, which controls the territory. Officials say Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the rival Palestinian Authority, wants Mr Erdogan to delay his Gaza visit, at least until a government of national unity is established. Mr Abbas also met Mr Kerry and Mr Erdogan at the weekend and some Turkish officials suggest the Turkish prime minister, who has delayed previous planned trips to Gaza, may be sympathetic to the Mr Abbas's arguments. Mr Kerry added that Mr Erdogan had been "enormously constructive" over the Israeli-Palestinian process, which he described as "an issue Turkey not only understands well but also has a stake in."