The United States of America manifests discomfort over Turkish support of Hamas, as sources have stated the intention of the Iranian backed organization is to move its headquarters form Qatar to Turkey. The main political issues generated are in strict link with Turkeys NATO Membership. U.S. officials have stated that terrorist leaders should not find safe havens in any allied countries.
For the moment Turkey has denied that Hamas leaders are being relocated into their country. A statement from the Turkish Foreign Ministry insisted that “Allegations that he Hamas political bureau moved to Turkey do not reflect the truth“.
Speculation over a Hamas move form Qatar to Turkey intensified after a Qatari foreign ministry spokesman said that the absence of a mediation process between Hamas and Israel meant that the Hamas office in Doha created for the negotiations process is no longer has any function.
If Hamas were to leave Qatar entirely, its formal relocation to Turkey would be a logical next step given its warm relationship with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan`s regime. Hamas has been domiciled in Turkey since 2011, with active offices in Istanbul and Ankara. The organisation enjoys the active support of Turkey`s government and uses its presence in the country to recruit operatives, fundraise, plan terrorist attacks inside Israel, and ship weapons and materials to terrorists in Gaza. Erdogan openly refuses to recognize Hamas as a terrorist organization.
Within hours of the State Department`s warning to Turkey, the U.S. Treasury sanctioned six leaders of Hamas – Abd al-Rahman Ismail abd al-Rahman Ghanimat, Basem Naim, Mohammad Nazzal, Ghazi Hamad, Salama Mari, and Musa Daud Muhammad al-Akari.
Outgoing Biden administration officials must work closely with the incoming Trump transition team and brief them on the substantive support that Turkey offers to Hamas. Turkey`s political support infrastructure for Hamas remains wholly intact and is championed by President Erdogan. Hence, the Trump administration should compel Turkey to outlaw Hamas, dismantle its offices, and extradite Hamas officials to Israel. If Turkey does not cooperate, the Trump administration should sanction Turkish government officials who collude with the organization.
NATO allies of Turkey must also take a stronger stance and forcefully condemn Ankara`s open and unrestricted support for Hamas. NATO members should emphasize that while there are countries within the alliance that are critical of Israel`s policies in Gaza and Lebanon, none would go so far as to advocate for and materially support a terrorist organization.
Source: Foundation for Defence of Democracies.
