Erdogan rejects US demand to distance himself from Hamas
During a visit to Turkey this week, Brian Nelson, the Secretary of State responsible for the fight against terrorist financing at the US Treasury Department, expressed Washington's "deep" concern about Ankara's previous relations with Hamas.
Since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas eight weeks ago, no money flows to Hamas via Turkey have been identified. In the past, however, Ankara had helped the Palestinian organization with access to funds. Nelson called on Turkey to legally prevent possible future money transfers.
Erdogan forbade the USA from interfering. "We shape our foreign policy in Ankara and only base it on the interests of Turkey and the expectations of our people," explained the Turkish president. He was convinced "that our interlocutors appreciate Turkey's consistent and balanced foreign policy steps in such humanitarian crises and conflicts".
Erdogan had recently caused outrage on several occasions with his statements on the Middle East war. For example, he described Israel as a "war criminal" and "terrorist state" due to its military operation against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. He branded Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the "butcher of Gaza". In contrast, Erdogan called the radical Islamic Palestinian organization, which committed atrocities mainly against civilians and killed around 1,200 people during its attack on Israel on 7 October, a "liberation group".
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- In response to the US demand, Erdogan firmly stated that Turkey makes its foreign policy decisions in Ankara, guided solely by Turkey's interests and its people's expectations.
- The treasury department of the united states expressed concern over Turkey's past relations with Hamas, specifically Ankara's assistance in providing Hamas with access to funds.
- Following the war between Israel and Hamas, no direct financial transactions from Turkey to Hamas have been detected by the authorities.
- Brian Nelson, the US representative for combating terrorist financing, urged Turkey to take legal measures to prevent potential future financial support to Hamas.
- Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the president of Turkey, refused the US request to distance himself from Hamas, emphasizing Turkey's consistent and balanced foreign policy in humanitarian crises and conflicts.
- From his perspective, Erdogan views Hamas as a "liberation group" contrasting the "war criminal" and "terrorist state" label he assigned to Israel due to its military operations in the Gaza Strip.
- The treasury department's request for Turkey to break ties with Hamas occurs amidst criticism from Erdogan about Israel's actions during the conflict, including labeling Israel as a terrorist state and Netanyahu as the "butcher of Gaza".
- Whether Turkey will comply with the US request and legally prevent funding to Hamas remains to be seen, as this situation continues to evolve in relation to the ongoing Middle East conflict.
Source: www.stern.de
