Israel calls for Hamas to be shut down, points the finger at Turkey
"A duty of the members of the international community". This is how Yair Lapid, Israel's foreign minister, defines the banning of Hamas and its consideration as a terrorist organisation. Lapid praises the UK's announcement that Hamas is a terrorist organisation and says that "the countries of the world must act as Britain did and criminalise Hamas". He urged other countries to follow suit, saying that "it is not only Israel's duty to act against Hamas terrorism, but the duty of the entire international community".
The UK had already outlawed the military wing 20 years ago, now it is outlawing the political wing as well. The British are thus joining the European Union, with the exception of Switzerland and Norway, which, for the time being, refuse to cut ties with the organisation. Israel has been working for years to convince international society of the danger of not banning Hamas, and that there is no difference between the political and military wings, with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett saying that the only difference is "wearing a suit".
Lapid has slammed Turkey for harbouring Hamas on its territory. Israel managed to uncover a 50-member cell led by Saleh al-Arouri and Zacharia Naji, located in Istanbul thanks to the Shin Bet security agency. Ties to Ankara pose a significant danger, not only to the region, but to the entire community in the face of a terrorist threat. Both Al-Arouri and Naji have resided in Turkey for years. Moreover, the ties that have often linked Hamas to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan represent an added danger to Turkey itself.
"Hamas offices in Istanbul will be closed. We must prevent these heinous acts of terrorism against Israeli citizens everywhere and under all conditions," the minister said, following a shooting by a Hamas member in Jerusalem that left one dead - Eli Kay, a 26-year-old South African immigrant - and two wounded. The Hamas gunman, Fadi Abu Shkhayda, had travelled to Turkey on numerous occasions in recent months, when he held several meetings with senior Hamas officials during his stay in Erdogan's country, and is believed to have received instructions for the subsequent attack in Jerusalem.
The tense situation with Hamas and ties with the Turkish regime forced Israel to postpone the announcement of the arrest of the 50 members of the terrorist cell for ten days until it managed to secure the release of an Israeli couple who were being held on espionage charges in Turkey, the media outlet "Kan" reported. Mordy and Natali Oknin, bus drivers from the city of Modiin, were held for eight days after photographing Erdogan's palace. However, once they were released and after their return to Israeli territory, Naftali Bennet and Isaac Herzog held telephone conversations with the Turkish president to express their gratitude for the release of the two drivers.
However, Israel's trust in Ankara is minimal. The regime's links to terrorist organisations make it impossible to establish strong ties with a government accused of maintaining relations with Hamas and even the Muslim Brotherhood - considered a terrorist organisation by countries such as the US, Egypt and Russia. It is precisely these ties with the Brotherhood that have caused Recep Tayyip Erdogan some problems in his diplomatic ties with Cairo. Now the spotlight is once again on the terrorists' relationship with the Turkish regime, whose credibility continues to plummet.
