Turkey places its interests over support to Hamas

A diplomatic thaw between Israel and Turkey has created challenges for Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, which largely counts on Ankara's support.

Turkey and Israel seek to overcome years of animosity and insults after their presidents met in Ankara for the first time in more than a decade last week.

President Ragab Tayyip Erdogan announced in January that he had invited Israeli President Isaac Herzog for talks, which both sides said will explore ways to deepen cooperation.

According to reports, Turkey has been pressuring the militant Islamist group Hamas to rein in its criticism of Israel after Herzog's visit, while Erdogan is reconsidering Turkey's commitment to supporting Hamas which the United States and European Union have designated a terrorist organization.

Hamas, which views Turkey as one of its most important allies in the region, expressed deep concern about Herzog's visit and worries that an Israel-Turkey rapprochement could affect the movement’s presence and activities in Turkey.

The Israeli state-owned Kan television reported that Herzog asked Erdogan to take action against Hamas’ operatives in Turkey, noting that Israel had raised this issue several times in the past.

On Feb. 15, several Turkish newspapers and media outlets reported that the Turkish authorities have been seeking to expel Hamas military leaders and operatives, in the context of the Turkish government’s rapprochement with Israel.

Israel has long criticized Ankara's support for Hamas which governs Gaza. Yet, Herzog's visit marks a significant thaw in ties between the two countries.

Experts have said that Erdogan's move towards Israel was likely motivated by a desire to shore up his struggling economy through improved ties with a key regional economic power. But Hamas will feel the effects of the rapprochement, said Mokhaimer Abu Sa'ada, a political scientist at Al-Azhar University in Gaza.

"Israel is expected to increase the pressure on the Turkish authorities. I expect that Hamas leaders will leave, perhaps for Beirut or Iran, because Istanbul will no longer be welcoming."

Sources involved in the Erdogan-Herzog bilateral talks, who requested anonymity, said the presidents discussed the presence of Hamas leaders in Turkey, a longstanding Israeli grievance.