Trump's Jihadist 'Board of Peace' – by Uzay Bulut for the Gatestone Institute – 11.01.26
- Michael Julien
- Jan 12
- 6 min read
"Israel is left worse off than when Hamas managed Gaza, given the sheer power of Turkey (which is increasing).... The deployment of Turkish forces in Gaza and the sale of F-35s to Erdogan are not policy ideas but a method: regional management through personal deals and assurances rather than hard reality. Trump himself illustrated this approach when he dismissed the issue as if it were a neighbourhood misunderstanding: Israel 'will be fine' and Turkey 'won't use them against you'. This is not policy; it is a dangerous assumption. In the Middle East, it does not work. — Christine Douglass-Williams, Frontpage Magazine, January 7, 2026.
"Giving Turkey a role in Gaza's future is a strategic mistake that will sooner or later, reborn Hamas or end up with a new militia with Hamas's goals, with another name." — Hamza Howidy, Palestinian journalist, x.com, October 26, 2025.
Erdogan's regime, however, through its continuous support for Hamas, has not brought a lasting peace; it has brought lasting terrorism. Erdogan's own words reveal his intentions.
"In this city, which we had to leave in tears during the First World War, it is still possible to come across traces of the Ottoman resistance. So Jerusalem is our city, a city from us." — Erdogan in an address at the opening of Parliament, October 1, 2020.
"Turkey collaborates with terror organizations on both the ideological and operational levels. Terrorists working on Turkish soil establish infrastructures and plan terror attacks against Israel." — From the report "Hamas' Istanbul Headquarters Has Directed Hundreds of Terror Attacks Against Israelis and Laundered Millions of Dollars," JFCA, December 30, 2021.
"Turkey is a base for the Muslim Brotherhood. There are networks there that help Hamas with funding, support, religious rulings, and logistics. Turkey has become a reception point for Brotherhood members." — Michael Barak, specialist at the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism on radical Islamist and jihadist movements, JNS, April 24, 2025
"Turkey, under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, is one of Hamas' most important strategic allies, especially since the violent events of the Mavi Marmara flotilla in 2010. Turkey hosts senior Hamas figures, some of whom have received Turkish citizenship, and provides political, diplomatic and propaganda support, as well as economic and humanitarian assistance."
— From the report "Turkey as a Center for Hamas Activity," Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center, March 2025.
It would not be surprising if Turkey wished for nothing more -- apart from F-35 fighter jets -- than to help bring "peace" to Gaza. As soon as Trump leaves office, Erdogan would be exquisitely situated to target Israel in a pincer operation: from Syria in the east -- helped by Erdogan's protégé, Ahmed al-Sharaa -- and from Gaza in the West.
Anyone investing in the rebuilding of Gaza, in which a role is played by Turkey, Qatar, Pakistan, the Palestinian Authority, Bangladesh or the UN (which just allocated a budget of $100 million for targeting Israel) -- in short, a bouquet of countries that have long wished for Israel's demise -- should probably expect their bid for a "Gazan Riviera" eventually to have a disappointing return on investment.
It will be easy for these longtime adversaries of Israel to join the Abraham Accords and enjoy the benefits as long as they can – just as it was to sign the Oslo Accords – then, at the earliest opportunity, tear them up, especially after being so deliciously positioned to attack Israel when Trump is no longer in office.
No wonder Erdogan and the others must be licking their chops at the prospect of bringing "peace" to the Gazan chicken coop.
Turkey makes no secret of its support for the Hamas terror organization. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's regime, through its continuous support for Hamas, has not brought a lasting peace; it has brought lasting terrorism. Erdogan's own words reveal his intentions.
After supporting the Hamas terrorist group for more than a decade, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, along with US President Donald J. Trump, now reportedly plan for Turkey to be part of the international "Board of Peace" that will operate in Gaza.
"The deployment of Turkish forces in Gaza is bad news," notes journalist Christine Douglass-Williams:
"Consider that Erdogan has referenced Hamas as a 'liberation organization,' hosted its leadership in Ankara, and granted them Turkish passports. Turkey and Qatar are well-known Muslim Brotherhood supporters. With Turkey also supporting Syrian jihadist President Ahmed al-Sharaa, as well as its increased partnership with Iran and the fact that it considers the Taliban a friend, Israel is left worse off than when Hamas managed Gaza, given the sheer power of Turkey (which is increasing)....
"The deployment of Turkish forces in Gaza and the sale of F-35s to Erdogan are not policy ideas but a method: regional management through personal deals and assurances rather than hard reality. Trump himself illustrated this approach when he dismissed the issue as if it were a neighborhood misunderstanding: Israel 'will be fine' and Turkey 'won't use them against you'. This is not policy; it is a dangerous assumption. In the Middle East, it does not work."
Palestinian journalist Hamza Howidy warned:
"It seems that Turkey, despite its public ties to Hamas, led by Erdogan, who recently described Hamas as a 'liberation movement,' will be somehow part of Gaza's ceasefire; trucks with Turkish flags were spotted today in the Gaza Strip.
"Giving Turkey a role in Gaza's future is a strategic mistake that will sooner or later, reborn Hamas or end up with a new militia with Hamas's goals, with another name."
The "Gaza peace deal," brokered by Trump in September, envisions an international force that will see to it that Hamas is completely disarmed while effectively presiding over areas now controlled by the terrorist organization. This means that Trump is actually expecting that these international countries -- all Hamas's fellow Muslims, Muslim Brotherhood supporters, and dedicated opponents of Israel – will actually force Hamas to disarm and live quietly side-by-side in harmony with Israel, a state that, at some point, they all have indicated they would like to see destroyed.
In a January 5 interview with Bloomberg, Erdogan stated that the success of a so-called international stabilization force in Gaza would "depend on the inclusion of actors with legitimacy on the ground." From Erdogan's own words, it should be easy to tell whom he regards as illegitimate. It is not the Palestinians. Erdogan added:
"You will appreciate that, in this sense, it would be difficult for any mechanism without Türkiye to gain the trust of the Palestinian people. We are in the position of a key country for such a mission due to our deep historical ties with the Palestinian side, the security and diplomacy channels we have conducted with Israel in the past [evidently very much in the past, before he began sending flotillas with weapons to attack Israel. Ed.], and our regional influence as a NATO member country. Our political will is clear; we stand ready to take on any responsibility for a lasting peace in Gaza." [Emphasis added]
Erdogan's regime, however, through its continuous support for Hamas, has not brought a lasting peace; it has brought lasting terrorism. Erdogan's own words reveal his intentions:
"In this city, which we had to leave in tears during the First World War, it is still possible to come across traces of the Ottoman resistance. So Jerusalem is our city, a city from us." (Address at the opening of Parliament, October 1, 2020)
"May Allah, for the sake of his name 'Al-Qahhar,' destroy and devastate Zionist Israel." (Eid al Fitr prayers, March 30, 2025)
"I do not see Hamas as a terrorist organization; on the contrary, I see Hamas as people engaged in the struggle to protect their own land and their own people." (Quoted by Turkey's official Directorate of Communications X account, May 13, 2024)
"Turkey is a country that speaks openly with Hamas leaders and firmly backs them." (From a speech on March 8, 2024)
Turkey makes no secret of its support for the Hamas terror organization. Throughout the years, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and the head of Turkey's National Intelligence Organization, Ibrahim Kalın, have met Hamas leaders, including the slain leader Ismail Haniyeh, multiple times.
On January 29, 2025, Erdogan received Mohammed Darwish, chairman of the Hamas Shura Council, and a Hamas delegation at the presidential complex in Ankara. More recently, on December 24, Fidan met in Ankara with a Hamas delegation headed by Hamas Political Bureau Member Khalil Hayye.
Hamas official Kemal Avn, in an interview with CNN Turk aired on December 18, said:
"The Palestinian resistance has wanted Turkey to be a mediator in Gaza since the beginning of the war [in 2023]. We want to see the Turkish military in Gaza... We trust Turkey more than other states that give us orders."
This article is 12 pages long and can only be read by clicking on this link or by clicking on the pdf link below:
Uzay Bulut, a Turkish journalist, is a Distinguished Senior Fellow at Gatestone Institute.
© 2026 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.
Pictured: Erdogan (right) honors then Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh at the Parliament in Ankara, Turkey on January 3, 2012. (Photo credit by Adem Altan/AFP via Getty Images)
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