Former Israeli President Shimon Peres opened the 14th annual Conference of the Institute for Counter-Terrorism by calling on the world to join Israel in its fight against terror. Peres further pinpointed Qatar and Turkey as two major state sponsors of terrorist organizations, and demanded proper action be taken against both.
The Jerusalem Post reported on Peres’ comments:
“Terror is a system that needs to be addressed religiously, militarily, nationally and financially. The world needs to join together to fight terror and Israel must be a part of that,” he said.
“Terrorism is tearing apart the Arab world. It has destroyed Yemen, Libya, Iraq and will only continue. Terrorism has to be fought with an all-out war and people cannot shy away because of the beheadings.”
According to the Post Peres expressed support for “the use of tough economic sanctions against Qatar and Turkey to punish them for financing terror.”
During Operation Protective Edge Israeli officials, including Peres, singled out Qatar for its funding of Hamas’ operations, which was ongoing during the war. Israeli officials identified Turkey-based Hamas official Saleh al-Arouri as the mastermind behind the kidnappings and killings of Eyal Yifrach, Gil-ad Shaar and Naftali Fraenkel. The attacks were a major part of Hamas’ escalation against Israel this past summer.
Two recent articles in The Tower Magazine highlight the roles that both Turkey and Qatar have played in supporting Hamas.
In the September 2014 issue, Jonathan Schanzer wrote Where the Shadiest Players Find a Home, where he observes that Turkey “has not been shy about the other financial and material support it provides to the Hamas government in Gaza. Turkey has provided funds for schools, hospitals, mosques, and other supplies to the Hamas regime in Gaza, with additional funds that helped Hamas rebuild after its November 2012 war with Israel.”
In the August 2014 issue, Jonathan Spyer similarly noted in Qatar’s Rise and America’s Tortured Middle East Policy that “Qatari funds have been crucial to Hamas’ military build-up in recent years, as they were to the Muslim Brotherhood’s attempted takeover of Egypt under Mohammed Morsi.”
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