War in the Middle East: Why Erdogan Praises Hamas

Initially, Turkish President Erdogan positioned himself as a mediator in the Middle East conflict. But that’s over: He now describes Israel as a “war criminal” and terror militant Hamas as a “liberator.”

A huge banner has been hanging on a fence in the middle of Istanbul for days. It reads “Babykiller Israel” and is hand-painted in red. Beside it is a Palestinian and Turkish flag. This is one of the many anti-Israel banners or graffiti now frequently seen in Turkey.

“Since October 7 anti-Semitic attitudes have been observed on a massive scale,” says Eran Quercin of the Alhambra Society. ARD-Studio Istanbul. “Erdogan is now trying to use this anti-Israel attitude for his own benefit.”

Hailing Hamas as a “liberator”.

Last Saturday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made it clear whose side he is now on in the Middle East conflict. In a speech to tens of thousands of supporters in Istanbul, he called Israel a “war criminal”. He accused the West of not being able to stop Israel.

A few days earlier, he had told his AKP party’s parliamentary committee that Hamas was not a terrorist organization. Instead, he hails them as “a group of liberators.” Shortly after, his planned trip to Israel was cancelled.

The Israeli government immediately responded to these allegations. The Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem recalled its diplomats from Turkey last Saturday. “In light of Turkey’s extreme statements, I have ordered the return of diplomatic representatives to review relations between Israel and Turkey,” Foreign Minister Eli Cohen X (formerly of Twitter) said on Twitter.

“That’s why he changes his tactics”

Erdogan recently stepped back from the long-running Middle East conflict and offered to act as a mediator. He was able to report victories in the Ukraine war and enforce a grain agreement between the warring parties. But now, in the Middle East conflict, things are not going as planned. Efforts by Erdogan’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan to mediate a ceasefire fell short of expectations.

“It soon became clear that Israel did not want to negotiate with Erdogan, and Hamas saw that it had nothing to gain with Erdogan, so Erdogan was left empty-handed,” says Berk Esen, a professor of political science at Sabansi University. Istanbul. “Erdogan’s moderate course has not achieved anything internationally, which is why he is now changing his tactics,” Esan said.

Erdogan knows “which way the wind blows”.

Erdogan is probably reacting to the fact that Turkey’s mood is slowly changing. “When 1,400 people were killed in Israel at the beginning, Erdogan couldn’t protect Hamas,” says Omar Taspiner of the Brookings Institution on the Turkish political program Mediascope. “But when the circumstances changed, when thousands died on the Palestinian front, Erdogan’s position and the position of the Turkish public changed. You must not forget that Erdogan is constantly polling. He knows which way the wind is blowing.”

A week ago, Metropol asked how Turks felt about the Middle East conflict. Accordingly, 34.5 percent of those who participated in the survey wanted the Turkish government to act neutrally. Meanwhile, 18.1 percent favor supporting the Palestinian side as long as it stays away from Hamas. 11.3 percent also claim support for Hamas. Only three percent of those surveyed want the Turkish government to stand by Israel.

Local government elections are coming up

One thing is clear: with his rhetoric against Israel, Erdogan is primarily serving his own conservative Islamic voter base. Domestically, this will pay off for him as Turkey has crucial local elections at the end of March. But Turkey’s dealings with Hamas are not new. In the past, Erdogan has welcomed representatives of the terrorist organization to his presidential palace several times – most recently, Ismail Haniyeh, head of Hamas’s political bureau, was an official guest in Turkey in July.

Two weeks ago, Erdogan spoke again with Hamas leader Haniyeh. At the time, still a mediator, he made a phone call to the Gaza Strip seeking options for aid and called for lasting peace in the region. But Erdogan cannot afford this lasting peace now. Eason, the political scientist, says he can’t back down after his recent accusations against Israel.