The Hamas terrorist organization has found a new best friend in the government of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and has decided to move its international headquarters from war-torn Damascus to Istanbul.
Israel has expressed a certain degree of shock that a NATO-member like Turkey will now host and facilitate a recognized terrorist organization. But all appeals from Jerusalem have been ignored by Erdogan.
Already, the Turkish government’s decision is having a negative impact on the region. Israeli security forces this week arrested 30 Hamas-linked terrorists who were planning a series of large-scale attacks on Jerusalem. The cell received its instructions and funding from Hamas offices in Turkey.
In communications with NATO headquarters in Brussels, Israel said that it was incomprehensible for a member of the international military alliance to not only maintain ties to a group like Hamas, but to actually facilitate its activities. But Erdogan is a long-time friend of Hamas’ parent movement, the Muslim Brotherhood.
Once close ties between Israel and Turkey took a nosedive in mid–2010 when Israeli commandoes raided a Turkish-led flotilla attempting to break the maritime blockade of the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. While commandeering the lead ship, the Mavi Marmara, Israeli troops were attacked, leading to a battle that left nine Turkish nationals dead.
Erdogan accused Israel of piracy, and diplomatic relations between the two nations were drastically reduced.