Will Turkey host Hamas leaders after consequential Qatar departure?
Pro-Muslim Brotherhood groups and leaders in Turkey enjoyed few restrictions on their activities in the past but are now seeing their activities curtailed.
As Hamas leaders left Doha, Turkish experts cautioned that Turkey becoming the main host country for the militant group could cause problems for Ankara-Washington relations.
The Biden administration on Nov. 8 requested that the Qatari government tell Hamas’ political leaders to leave Doha, with Al-Monitor being among the first to break the story. Since then, the United States has warned Ankara not to host Hamas.
State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller did not dispute the reports that Hamas leadership was currently in Turkey and said they don't believe “the leaders of a vicious terrorist organization should be living comfortably anywhere.”
“We will make clear to the government of Turkey, as we have made clear to every country in the world, that there can be no more business as usual with Hamas,” Miller told reporters Monday. An Arab diplomat who spoke to Al-Monitor earlier this week also confirmed that the group's political leaders are currently in Turkey.
