Turkey is not yet ready to abandon the Muslim Brotherhood
Although Turkey has expressed a willingness to mend relations with Egypt and the Gulf states, Ankara’s relations with the terrorist Muslim Brotherhood remain a thorny point in the face of almost all bilateral ties in the Middle East, especially as Turkey’s relations with the terrorist group are complex, The Monitor online reported.
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The Monitor says: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has long said he wants reconciliation with the Gulf States and Egypt. “On December 7, Erdogan reiterated that improved relations would benefit regional peace”.
But all of these countries want Ankara to stop funding the Brotherhood terrorist group, an international organization that includes different political groups and entities under its broad umbrella. The Brotherhood has been designated a terrorist organization in Egypt, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Russia, the United Arab Emirates, and Syria. Turkey became a host for exiled Brotherhood members after the Arab Spring.
Today, while Turkey wants to rebuild relations in the region, its support for the terrorist Brotherhood remains a key issue.
Since 2013, Qatar and Turkey have emerged as key supporters of the Brotherhood terrorist group, The Monitor said. “Unlike Qatar, whose support has been mostly financial, Ankara’s relations with the group appear complex and multifaceted”. Israel reportedly asked Turkey to close down Hamas offices in Istanbul.
A senior official speaking on condition of anonymity in Ankara said: “This is not even an option for us to negotiate”.
In Turkey, the terrorist group enjoys domestic support and organic growth; Erdogan’s pragmatism is well known, but his support has not wavered on Brotherhood issues over the past two decades.
“Turkey’s foreign policy options in the Middle East are dwindling, as Ankara wants to break the isolation that surrounds it”. That need forced Erdogan to speak more amicably about his various Middle Eastern rivals.
Even if Ankara has the political will to end its support, what will happen to the Muslim Brotherhood at home?
The Turkish official answers: If we shut down Hamas offices and expel members of the Muslim Brotherhood, what will be the next demand, and shut down their organizations and prosecute them?
The Justice and Development Party allowed many Islamist organizations to operate freely, filling gaps in education and social and economic assistance at home and abroad. IHH, for example.
On 29 November, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted his support for Palestine. However, Turkey’s support for the Palestinians is neither unconditional nor for all Palestinians. “Since 2019, Turkey has offered a $700,000 reward to Mohammed Dahlan, a former Fatah leader who fled to the UAE”. Dahlan is seen as Hamas’ Gaza rival. Given Turkey’s economic and regional struggles, it would be unrealistic to expect increased support for Hamas, but Ankara is not yet ready to say goodbye to Hamas.
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Erdogan’s recent meetings with Sheikh Mohammed ben Zayed ben Sultan al-Nahyane, the crown prince of the UAE, suggest Turkey’s willingness to reorganize its policies in the region. However, a senior Turkish diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, “Turkey’s good relations with any country in the Middle East resemble a sand castle on the beach”. “Qatar’s dependence on Turkey is rapidly diminishing as they return to the fold of the GCC. Now, people should realize that all that is left for Turkey is MB, so, I expect stronger embrace, maybe less obvious, and less heard, but surely MB is the best tool and ally for Turkey now”.
