February 6, 2014 | Quote
Why Is Turkey Harboring Terrorists?
Turkey is arguably America's most important ally on issues in the Middle East—it's a strong NATO member, it represents the interests of the United States in several area conflicts, and it's a major partner in global counterterrorism efforts. But for a country that so publicly attacks violent extremism, it has also in several instances harbored and assisted terrorists within its own borders.
Suspected connections to leaders of the terrorist organization Hamas and relationships with financiers of al-Qaida have put strains on the relationship between the U.S. and Turkey, and threaten future cooperation on security issues.
There are two major examples of extremist actors given protection and access to leaders in Turkey. The first is Saleh al-Arouri, the founder of Hamas's armed wing in the West Bank, known as the Qassam Brigades. He lives in Turkey and has, according to reports, been involved in the finance and logistics for militant operations in the region.
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“It looks like you've got a guy that's off the rails there,” said Jonathan Schanzer, the vice president of research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. “It's an important ally for the United States. They have been managing our Syria policy. They were managing our Arab Spring policy. We've got a problem that's becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.”
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But the relationships with people connected to Hamas and al-Qaida is such a problem, argues Schanzer, that it might even qualify Turkey as a state sponsor of terrorism. Now, there are only four countries currently on that list: Cuba, Iran, Sudan, and Syria. All four nations provide support for acts of terrorism, both domestically and internationally. For example, Iran has previously sent people to Argentina to blow up synagogues in Jewish community centers, among other instances.