(Business Insider) Natasha Bertrand and Michael B. Kelley - Saleh Al-Arouri, the commander of Hamas' Qassem Brigades in the West Bank, was released from prison in Israel in 2007 and found refuge in Turkey, where he continued to oversee operations against Israel. Last week Arouri was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department for his role in organizing and inciting terrorism in the West Bank and Israel. Turkish President Erdogan, who has long advocated that the international community recognize Hamas as a legitimate political entity, has provided at least $300 million to Hamas, effectively sponsoring a U.S.-designated terrorist organization. Jonathan Schanzer, vice president for the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, noted that "Erdogan's Hamas policy - this idea that Turkey could be an external headquarters for senior Hamas figures - has collapsed." "A few weeks ago, we started to see reports that Arouri had fled Turkey, so Erodgan must have been given warning to get him off Turkish soil." "Al-Arouri may be out of Turkey, but he's been moved to another country, and the sanctions likely won't have a significant impact on his finances," Schanzer concluded.
2015-09-16 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive