Hamas leaders traveled to Ankara amid a new phase of support for Hamas in the region, which could have major ramifications for the Gaza conflict.
SETH J. FRANTZMAN APRIL 21, 2024 12:02
Updated: APRIL 21, 2024 12:22
(photo credit: Murat Cetinmuhurdar/Turkish Presidential Press Office/Handout via REUTERS)
Turkey’s president hosted Hamas leaders over the weekend in highly symbolic and important meetings that reflect Hamas’s increased influence and power in the region after the October 7 attack on Israel.
In the wake of the Hamas massacre of more than 1,000 people and the kidnapping of 250, the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, Hamas has found that it has more clout in Tehran, Moscow, Beijing, Ankara, Doha, and other places. Instead of being isolated after its historic crimes against humanity, Hamas has been embraced. Hamas leaders traveled to Ankara amid a new phase of support for Hamas in the region, which could have major ramifications for the Gaza conflict.
A symbol of this embrace occurred in Istanbul on April 20. Hamas leaders were seated in chairs opposite Turkey’s top officials, getting a red carpet style reception with the Turkish leader. Ankara was proud of this meeting, distributing a handout about it and posting about it. Turkish media had wall-to-wall coverage. The handout about the meeting shows the Hamas leadership, facing their Turkish counterparts, with Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the middle. Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was hosted at the Dolmabahce Presidential working office in Istanbul.
Ankara has paid lip service to supporting Palestinian unity, but it does not roll out the red carpet like this for the Palestinian Authority. Instead, it sidelines the PA and Mahmoud Abbas. “It is vital that Palestinians act with unity in this process. The strongest response to Israel and the path to victory lie in unity and integrity,” Turkey’s leader said. However, Ankara could have hosted both Hamas and the PA leadership. It chooses to boost Hamas with this meeting, which is highly symbolic.
The meeting, and others like it in Moscow, Iran, and Doha, have shown that Hamas has received increased support and influence for massacring 1,000 people. No other group in history has massacred 1,000 people, many of them civilians, taken 250 hostages, and then received so many high-level meetings in such a short period of time, including by two US allies in the region. Hamas is hosted by Doha, a major non-NATO ally of the US, and Turkey is a NATO ally. Hamas, therefore, is unique in history as a group that massacred hundreds of civilians and is hosted by Western allies. Hamas still holds 133 hostages.
Hamas reportedly compares its attack to Turkish war of Independence
During the meeting with Hamas, the Turkish leader compared their attacks on Israel to Turkey’s war of independence, Turkey’s Daily Sabah said. “We are well aware of the cost of saying this but the world must know the truth,” Turkey leader said. The report also said that Turkey’s foreign minister recently met Haniyeh in Doha. Turkey’s foreign minister also met with is Iranian counterpart on April 19, according to Turkish media. They discussed the region. Turkey and Iran often coordinate in the region. They both back Hamas and both oppose the US presence in Syria.
Turkey’s media has wall-to-wall coverage of Gaza and numerous articles bashing Israel. This is clearly a message of discipline amidst the Hamas meetings. For instance, Turkey’s foreign ministry also slammed Israel over the weekend for “massacring 35,000 Palestinians.” According to the foreign ministry spokesman in Ankara, “It is the Israeli authorities who should be ashamed. They have massacred nearly 35,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children.” Turkey has also said that the conflict in Gaza is the main reason for instability in the region and has warned of spillover from the war. Hamas started the war, and it is likely that countries that back Hamas, such as Turkey, could have prevented October 7 by telling Hamas to moderate. However, the message from Turkey is to blame Israel for a conflict that Hamas started.
Ankara has also said that it wants to “bring the massacre in Gaza to an end,” according to Turkey’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Oncu Keceli. The messaging from Ankara during the Hamas visit is intended to increase public support for Hamas more than six months after the war. This is likely coordinated with Iran. Turkey has also spoken to Egypt and other countries in recent days. Turkey also says it wants to boost aid to Gaza. The right-wing populist newspaper Yeni Safak in Turkey also ran an article about Hamas this week, calling for increased tensions in the West Bank. This was in response to a multi-day raid in Tulkarm by Israeli forces. Clearly, Hamas wants to inflame the West Bank. Ankara may view this as in its interests.
At the same time, a new Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) is pushing for a flotilla to set sail from Turkey and head to Gaza. Supporters include the Turkish NGO Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH), which played a role in the last flotilla in 2010. Another half dozen NGOs are listed as part of the new flotilla initiative. Some reports said it may set sail as soon as the eve of Passover, a symbolic date. Last Passover, Hezbollah enabled terrorist groups in Lebanon to fire rockets at northern Israel near the community of Shlomi.
The high-level delegation of Hamas to Turkey is not the first time Turkey has hosted Hamas. In 2019-2020, Turkey increased its number of public high-level visits by Hamas. This was during the Trump administration and in the wake of the US embassy move to Jerusalem. However, between 2021 and 2022, there was apparent reconciliation between Israel and Turkey.
Some experts suggested Israel should reduce its burgeoning ties with Greece and Cyprus and redirect more trade to Turkey so that Israel would be dependent on Ankara for energy needs and other trade. It was clear at the time that Ankara was trying to make Israel dependent so that when Hamas was operationalized to attack, and there was a war in Gaza, Turkey would have more leverage over Israel.
Turkey and Qatar are close allies, and Doha hosts Hamas. Ankara and Doha both have close ties to Tehran. This concept of leverage over Israel in 2021-2022 was clearly an initiative that led Israel to think that funding flowing to Hamas would deter Hamas from further actions. In 2023, this all came together to produce the sense of security that led to October 7. Hamas’ visit to Turkey on April 20 is the culmination now of this process, which appears to be entering a new phase. It remains to be seen if Ankara’s backing of Hamas will lead to increased tensions in the West Bank and new initiatives in the region.
Content retrieved from: https://www.jpost.com/israel-hamas-war/article-798101.