Hamas military wing undergoing military training on Turkish soil, with the knowledge, support and assistance of Ankara. (YnetNews).
Islamist group sets up 'West Bank and Jerusalem Headquarters' in Istanbul, taking advantage of deteriorating ties between Ankara and Jerusalem, using it as base for recruitment.
Turkey has become a Hamas hotbed, and members of the organization's military wing are undergoing military training on Turkish soil, with the knowledge, support and assistance of the local authorities.
The US administration has appealed in recent months to the Turkish government to prevent Hamas military activity in its territory, arguing that Turkey is a member of NATO and that Hamas is viewed by most NATO members as a terrorist organization. The appeals have gone unanswered.
For his part, Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon has raised the issue in his talks with the defense ministers of various NATO countries on several occasions, including last week in India, where he attended a military exhibition. Ya'alon defined Turkey's role in helping Hamas' build its terrorist networks in the West Bank and the Gaza as "a cynical game on the part of a NATO member state."
The headquarters in Turkey is engaged in part in locating West Bank and Gaza Strip residents who are studying in Turkey, Jordan, Syria and other Arab countries, with efforts also being made to recruit students from among the Israeli Arab population.
The students undergo initial screening in Jordan and Turkey; and since Jordan does not allow Hamas activists to undergo military training on its soil, the recruits are sent to the headquarters in Istanbul, where they receive security clearances and are sent for military training just outside the city – under the watchful eye of Turkish intelligence officials.
The recruits, hundreds every year, are trained in the use of light weapons, bomb-making and covert operations, and are then sent for additional training in Syria. From there, they go the West Bank to engage in terror activities and establish clandestine terror cells.Hmmm....can we designate Turkey now "STATE SPONSOR OF TERRORISM"? Read the full story here.
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