Middle East War > Hamas headquarters shifts from Qatar to Turkey

 

Hamas leadership reportedly relocates to Turkey after being expelled from Qatar

Nov 18, 2024 9:00 am By Christine Douglass-Williams

The Biden administration indicated that Qatar bowed to the US request to expel the Hamas from its country, but other US officials contradict that claim, saying that Qatar decided on its own to expel Hamas over frustrations in hostage negotiations with the US, Israel and Hamas. Whatever happened, now Hamas has apparently relocated to Turkey. 

Hamas leadership reportedly relocates to Turkey amid Qatar’s ban

by Sam Halpern, Jerusalem Post, November 17, 2024:

Senior members of Hamas’s leadership outside of Gaza have been in Turkey in recent days, Israeli state broadcaster KAN reported on Sunday.

This latest report comes after an American source confirmed to the news outlet earlier this month that Qatar had agreed to remove Hamas from its territory…..

Further, Turkey has expressed sympathy for Hamas throughout the war.

In early August, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared a day of mourning after the elimination of Hamas political bureau leader Ismail Haniyeh. The Turkish embassy in Tel Aviv lowered its flag to half-mast to mark the occasion.

Earlier, in March, Erdogan stated that Ankara “firmly backs” Hamas, the Saudi outlet Arab News reported.

“No one can make us qualify Hamas as a terrorist organization,” he reportedly said during a speech in Istanbul…

The reason for Qatar’s expulsion of Hamas isn’t clear beyond its alleged “frustration” over politics. What is striking, however, is the timing: Hamas is losing miserably in a war that President-elect Donald Trump has requested that Israel wrap up quickly. Already shifts are being noted in the Middle East, which will be discussed further on.

One certainty is that Qatar will not operate in the interests of Israel, but only in its own. A new report by the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy (ISGAP) “alleges financial and political involvement by Iran and Qatar in South Africa’s December 2023 case at the International Criminal Court” accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza. 

According to the Washington Post, since the American elections, Iran has been put on notice:

“To Tehran, the message from many of Trump’s surrogates has taken the form of a broad warning. Gone, they say, is the Democrats’ ‘weak’ policy of appeasement. Prepare to be squeezed into submission.”

Both Iran and Qatar aim to destroy Israel, despite Qatar’s sudden move to expel Hamas. There is nothing to indicate that Qatar has suddenly disavowed the Muslim Brotherhood, of which Hamas is an offshoot. Iran, however, is more brazen about its intentions, while Qatar is unpredictable and deceptive. Dr. Einat Wilf, a political scientist and former Member of the Knesset, states with regard to Israel: “Qatar is not our friend. Qatar and Hamas are one and the same.” Dr Wilf also said that Qatar “provided the terrorist group with the economic, material, and moral means to build the army that invaded Israel on October 7 and committed the massacre, all the while maintaining the group in power in Gaza.”

Trump’s victory is already causing a shift in Middle East dynamics, but it’s far too early to gauge the direction and motivation of Islamic leaders. As chameleon-like Qatar expels Hamas, it has also just “taken part in the Generations for a Competitive Future conference held in Budapest, Hungary.” Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has long been a big supporter of Trump, and vice versa. Ironically, leftists have accused both leaders of being “Islamophobic” and “racist” for opposing  mass migration from Muslim countries. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, meanwhile, has invited Trump to visit Turkey, “eyeing a reset in ties.”

Trump is known for his strength, in contrast to Biden and his administration, which appeased and emboldened America’s enemies while pursuing policies that have been destructive to the American economy. A global rebalancing of powers is now inevitable. Uncertainty and unpredictability characterize the period of America’s transition from Biden to Trump. Qatar’s ousting of Hamas, and Turkey’s welcoming of Hamas leaders, while Erdogan also reached out to Trump in a friendly gesture, will prove to be only the beginning of a double game in the Muslim world in the coming months.

It would be prudent to remember going forward that a leopard doesn’t change its spots. Muhammad stated that “war is deceit” (Bukhari 4.52.268).

Is Qatar spooked by Trump? I wouldn't be surprised. Erdogan, on the other hand, may well be looking for an opportunity to get involved in the Middle East war, perhaps thinking his destiny is to be the new Ottoman Emporer.