President Trump’s ‘Friend’ Erdoğan Compromises Him With Embrace of Terrorists

Although US President Donald Trump has gone that extra mile in defending Turkish strongman Recep Tayyip Erdoğan despite bipartisan criticism for his support of Hamas terrorists, Erdoğan has again reciprocated by offering new assistance to the Iranian-backed group. The Reuters news agency is reporting word from a highly placed Israeli official that Erdoğan has issued Turkish passports to as many as 12 Hamas members who are “financing and organizing terrorism from Turkey.” The official, identified as Roey Gilad, chargé d’affaires at the Israeli Embassy in Ankara, is quoted as accusing Turkey of ignoring Israel’s warnings of a year ago that Hamas was involved in “terror-related activity.” According to the report, on Saturday Erdoğan hosted a delegation from Hamas for the second time this year. One of the Hamas delegates was linked to specific terrorist activities. While the United States was issuing objections through diplomatic channels, President Trump reaffirmed his “friendship” with Erdoğan.