by Khaled Abu Toameh
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his government have served as some of Hamas’s most loyal supporters and protectors, and spent years defending Hamas, legitimizing it, funding Hamas-related activities, and providing it with diplomatic and political cover. Why would anyone seriously believe that they will now help dismantle the very organization they have nurtured? Pictured: Erdogan meets with Hamas Leadership in Istanbul, April 20, 2024. Screengrab via Youtube
- As the Trump Administration seeks to stabilize the Gaza Strip through its “Board of Peace” initiative, one participant stands out as particularly ill-suited for the role of mediator: Turkey.
- According to Israeli authorities, Hamas’s so-called “West Bank Headquarters” operates from Turkey, where it recruits terrorists, transfers weapons and money, and directs attacks against Israel.
- These are not the actions of a neutral mediator. They are the actions of a patron.
- More troubling are reports that Hamas has exploited Turkey’s financial system to facilitate massive transfers of money. According to Israeli military and intelligence officials, Hamas operatives in Turkey managed a secret money-exchange network that transferred hundreds of millions of dollars from Iran to Hamas leaders.
- At a time when the United States and its allies are attempting to curb Iranian influence throughout the Middle East, Turkey has become a critical conduit for Iran’s support of Hamas.
- Meanwhile, Turkey’s rhetoric toward Israel has grown increasingly extreme.
- Turkish Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci recently declared that Jerusalem would one day again come under Turkish rule. “Just as in the past, those places will again be ours,” he said. “They will again, God willing, come under our rule and authority.”
- Turkey’s outspoken intentions… are what make the notion that Turkey can help disarm Hamas is so cringeworthy. Expecting Erdogan’s government to pressure Hamas into surrendering its weapons is like expecting Iran to dismantle Hezbollah.
- Turkey’s leaders have spent years defending Hamas, legitimizing Hamas, funding Hamas-related activities, and providing Hamas with diplomatic and political cover. Why would anyone seriously believe that they will now help dismantle the very organization they have nurtured?
- The United States can longer afford to ignore Turkey’s unreliability.
- Washington needs to seriously reassess its policy toward Turkey and stop viewing Erdogan’s government as a neutral actor capable of advancing peace. A regime that openly embraces Hamas, hosts its operatives, tolerates its financial networks, and echoes its rhetoric is not being an honest broker.
- Turkey seems increasingly to be not part of the solution, but part of the problem.
As the Trump Administration seeks to stabilize the Gaza Strip through its “Board of Peace” initiative, one participant stands out as particularly ill-suited for the role of mediator: Turkey.
The inclusion of Turkey in any effort to disarm Hamas or promote peace in the Middle East would be laughable if the stakes were not so high. For years, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his government have served as some of Hamas’s most loyal supporters and protectors.
While Western officials continue to speak of Turkey as a valuable NATO ally and potential regional peacemaker, Hamas has transformed Turkish territory into one of its most important overseas operational bases.
The evidence is overwhelming.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.