Erdogan puts his Hamas connection back in the limelight
This week kicked off with Turkish President Erdogan stating that 1000 Hamas members were being treated in Turkey, a comment that Turkish officials tried to walk back, saw The Times report that Hamas may have been planning to establish a base in Turkey, and culminated with the Turkish leader suggesting that Israel would “set its sights” on Turkey if it defeated Hamas in Gaza. Expert Sinan Ciddi joins Thanos Davelis to look into Erdogan’s latest comments on Hamas, the recent report in The Times, and the questions this raises about the Erdogan-Hamas connection.
Sinan Ciddi is a non-resident senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), where he contributes to FDD’s Turkey Program and Center on Military and Political Power (CMPP). He is also an Associate Professor of Security Studies at the Command and Staff College-Marine Corps University and Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service.
You can read the articles we discuss on our podcast here:
Secret Document Discovered in Gaza Reveals Hamas Plan to Establish Base in Turkey
Erdogan defends Hamas, says members are being treated in Turkish hospitals
Secret papers reveal Hamas plan to set up base in Turkey
Turkey dials up Gaza diplomacy as cease-fire talks hit 'impasse'