A Palestinian analyst: Turkey provides sizable funding for Hamas

Mr. Fayez Abu Hijleh, a Palestinian political and media analyst, said that the Palestinian Islamic Movement Hamas repudiates the efforts for national reconciliation with Fatah, the Palestinian nationalist movement founded by the late Yasser Arafat. Mr. Abu Hijleh added that Hamas governs Gaza as if it was its own “Emirate” separate from the rest of Palestine.
It grants its sheikhs control of the illegal trade through the underground tunnels and imposes high fees (i.e. bribes) on any traveler wishing to leave Gaza via the border crossings. Furthermore, Hamas represses political freedoms and arrests ‘non-conforming’ political journalists, the analyst added.

Turkey provides substantial funding for Hamas, hosts some of its leaders and supports its tough stance against national reconciliation. Mr. Abu Hijleh also stated, “It’s no wonder Hamas celebrated the failure of the military coup against the Turkish president, in spite of the fact that Erdogan supports the Israeli aggression against the Palestinians and Arabs.”

Source: /Albawabh News