Does Turkey Support Hamas? An In-Depth Look at Their Complex Relationship

Turkey’s stance on the Israel-Palestine conflict has evolved dramatically over the past few decades. Under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s rule, Turkey has become a vocal supporter of Palestinian rights and a staunch backer of the militant group Hamas. However, Turkey’s position is nuanced and its ties with Hamas complex. This article examines the nature of Turkey’s support for Hamas and the reasoning behind it.

An Overview of Turkish Support for Hamas

Turkey has cultivated close ties with Hamas since Erdogan’s Islamist-rooted AK Party came to power in 2002 High-level meetings between Turkish and Hamas officials are frequent
Turkey provides political, financial and media support to Hamas. It hosts Hamas members and allows them to operate on Turkish soil.
Turkey strongly defends Hamas against charges of terrorism Erdogan has called its members “resistance fighters” and rejects labeling it as a terrorist group.
Turkey condemned Israel’s designation of six Turkish charities as terror groups for channeling funds to Hamas. It views Hamas as a legitimate political entity.
During Israel-Hamas conflicts, Turkey intensifies its rhetoric against Israel and support for Hamas. This played out prominently during the 2022 war.

A Brief History of Turkey-Hamas Relations

Pre-2002, Turkey had friendly ties with Israel and no relations with Hamas. This shifted after the AK Party assumed power.
In 2006, Turkey welcomed Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal after their election win. This was the first high-level meeting between Turkey and Hamas.
In 2010, Erdogan described Hamas as resistance fighters, not terrorists. Ties strengthened despite criticism from Israel and the West.
The 2010 Gaza flotilla raid ruptured Turkey-Israel ties. Turkey vocally criticized Israel’s handling of the incident.
In 2012, Erdogan welcomed Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh to Turkey. More visits followed, along with increased rhetorical and material support.

Why Does Turkey Support Hamas?

Turkey’s stance on Hamas stems from several domestic and international factors:

Ideological Kinship: Erdogan’s Islamist ideology and Hamas’ Muslim Brotherhood roots foster an affinity between them.
Domestic Politics: The Palestinian cause resonates deeply with Erdogan’s voter base. Support for Hamas earns him domestic legitimacy.
Regional Influence: Backing Hamas boosts Turkey’s image as a champion of Muslims and expands its regional clout.
Rupture with Israel: Support for Hamas accompanied worsening ties with former ally Israel under Erdogan’s rule.
Mediation Aspirations: Turkey aims to leverage ties with Hamas to emerge as a mediator between Palestinian factions and Israel.

Forms of Turkish Support for Hamas

Turkey assists Hamas through political, financial and media channels:

Political Backing: Turkey provides Hamas leaders a platform to operate, meet officials, and conduct international relations from Istanbul.
Financial Aid: Though disputed by Turkey, Israel argues Turkish charities channel funds to Hamas. Independent monitoring corroborates this.
Turkish Media: Hamas spokespersons frequently appear on Turkish news channels. Turkish state media provides sympathetic coverage to Hamas.
Safe Haven: Turkey allows Hamas members wanted by Israel, like Salah al-Arouri, to reside in Turkey.
Passports: Israel accused Turkey of providing Hamas operatives Turkish documents to facilitate travel in 2020. Turkey denied this.
Weapons: Israel alleges Turkey enables smuggling of weapons components into Gaza that end up with Hamas. Extent unconfirmed.

Counterarguments Against Turkish Ties with Hamas

Critics make several arguments against Turkey’s close association with Hamas:

Ties with Hamas undermine Turkey’s role as neutral broker between Israel and Palestinians.
Hosting Hamas members wanted by Israel like al-Arouri harms Turkey’s international standing.
Allowing Hamas fundraising and operations from Turkish soil contravenes UN resolutions against financing terror.
Backing for Hamas reinforces perceptions of Turkey as leaning towards extremism under Erdogan’s leadership.
Unconditional support provides Hamas little incentive to moderate its positions on Israel.

In conclusion, Turkey under Erdogan has become a staunch political, financial and diplomatic supporter of Hamas. This results from ideological affinities, domestic politics, and regional ambitions. However, Turkey’s ties with Hamas have detrimental effects, harming its international credibility and mediator credentials in the Israel-Palestine conflict. Its support for Hamas seems unlikely to diminish under Erdogan, despite criticism of this controversial relationship.

does turkey support hamas

Turkish elite vs. societal opinion

KEVIN HUGGARD: To what extent is the Turkish political response to this crisis driven by bottom-up societal demands as opposed to the top-down needs of its political leaders?

ASLI AYDINTAŞBAŞ: No doubt the public is very sensitive to this issue — and in full sympathy with Palestinians. For the ordinary citizen, there is nonstop coverage of the suffering in Gaza and rolling commentary that Israel is able to do this because the United States allows it.

Public criticism of Hamas in the early days after the October 7 carnage is long gone. The picture that emerges in the public conversation is black and white, of the oppressor and the oppressed, with no nuance and barely a memory of what happened on October 7. There is also growing anti-Americanism for what is perceived as the United States’ blank check for Israel.

Erdoğan amplifies those sentiments and brings in an element of legitimization for Hamas by making the case that Hamas is not a terrorist organization. In doing this, he has been able to mold the public’s outlook on the issue: According to polling data from Metropoll, only 30% of respondents believe that Hamas is a terrorist organization.

This conflict has also allowed Erdoğan to make a case about a civilizational rift with the West. He calls it “crusader vs crescent” and of course, Turkey is on the side of the crescent. I worry that more and more people in Turkey are now buying this civilizational argument and think of Turkey as separate from the liberal order — which is described as immoral, bigoted, and hypocritical. I believe that the conflict in Gaza has just pushed Turkish society a few more inches towards the idea of a non-aligned Turkey.

Turkey’s response to the crisis

KEVIN HUGGARD: How has Turkey responded to the present crisis? In your policy paper, you write that the evidence suggests that “the Turkish establishment views this as an inflection point, not a passing flare-up of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.” Given this, has the Turkish policy response thus far represented a departure from its traditional posture toward Israel-Palestine?

ASLI AYDINTAŞBAŞ: Erdoğan is known for his pragmatism and his skillful use of geopolitics to expand Turkey’s interests. When it suits his interests, he is willing to drop principles, reverse course, straddle between the West and Russia, reconcile with enemies, and so on. But not on the Palestinian issue. There is no pragmatism there. Erdoğan sees it as his calling to take a position against what Israel is doing, even if the price is isolation. It is clearly personal, ideological, and near and dear to his heart.

Turkey has taken the most strident anti-Israeli position within NATO, with Erdoğan organizing pro-Palestinian rallies himself and slamming both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the United States. But he may have gone overboard this time. Erdoğan has called Hamas a “liberation movement” — openly stating “Hamas is not a terrorist organization” and accusing Israel of committing “genocide.” Of course, this is very different from what many Arab leaders have done, which is criticizing Israel for its disregard for Palestinian civilians while also keeping their distance from Hamas.

When I spoke to Turkish diplomats and officials, even secularists, I was struck by how deeply resentful of the U.S. approach they were. There is plenty of criticism of Western double standards when it comes to dealing with civilian casualties in Ukraine and Gaza.

I noticed something else in these conversations: Turks are not certain that the threat of regional war is gone. They see the U.S. military buildup in the Eastern Mediterranean not as a deterrent for Iran, which is what the Biden administration intends, but as a provocation for Iran and Russia. They seemed to think that this could still become a regional inflection point, with a new intifada or greater involvement by Iran’s proxies, and later Russia.

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FAQ

Which countries support Hamas?

Hamas has promoted Palestinian nationalism in an Islamic context. In terms of foreign policy, Hamas has historically sought out relations with Egypt, Iran, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Turkey; some of its relations have been impacted by the Arab Spring. Hamas and Israel have engaged in protracted armed conflict.

Does Turkey support Palestine?

Türkiye supports actively the efforts of the State of Palestine for reform.

Who are the allies of Hamas?

Hamas reportedly receives material assistance and training from Iran and some of its allies, including the Lebanese Shia group Hezbollah (another FTO).

Is Turkey allied with Israel?

In recent decades, particularly under Turkey’s Erdoğan administration, the two countries’ relationship with each other has deteriorated considerably. However, diplomatic ties were reinstated after a normalization initiative in mid-2022.