U.S. Congress goes after 'frenemies' Turkey, Qatar.(AM).
Congress delivered its staunchest warning to date on Sept. 9 that Turkey and Qatar could face financial and other penalties if they continue to support Hamas and other US-designated terrorist organizations.
Frustration that had been mounting for months if not years boiled over as lawmakers returned from an August recess marked by the conflict in Gaza. During a hearing on "Hamas' benefactors," members of both parties agreed with witnesses who described the two countries as US "frenemies" and endorsed calls for a much tougher line.
"We must make our message clear: If you help finance Hamas, there will be significant consequences and they will be unpleasant," said Rep. Ted Poe, R-Texas, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs panel on terrorism. "I hope Qatar and Turkey are listening."
Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., said she agreed with the "frenemies" characterization. "It's a descriptive grabber," the chairwoman of the Middle East and North Africa subcommittee told Al-Monitor. "I worry that it makes light of it, but that's not the intent. It's capturing the complex relationship we have with our so-called allies."
"Relationships with some of these countries are complicated," the top Democrat on the Middle East panel, Rep. Ted Deutch of Florida, told Al-Monitor. "Support for Hamas is not complicated, and our response to their support for Hamas should not be complicated either." Hmmm....Time to cut the PC and call them what they are 'State Sponsors of Terrorism'. Read the full story here.
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