Why was Hamas interested in the Turkish elections?
Hamas leaders were among the first to congratulate the AKP for its victory in the Turkish elections, as Turkey has always supported the Palestinian cause.
Despite its preoccupation with the ongoing intifada in the Palestinian territories, Hamas has dedicated a great deal of its time to follow up on the Turkish elections of Nov. 1, during which the Justice and Development Party (AKP) achieved a victory of 49.41%, allowing it to form a single-party government.
Hamas’ follow-up on the Turkish elections was reflected in its members’ discussions on Facebook and the Hamas-affiliated Palestine dialogue network, and focused on the impact of the elections on Turkey’s position in regard to the Palestinian cause.
On the day of the Turkish elections, head of Hamas’ political bureau Khaled Meshaal made two separate phone calls: the first to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the second to Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, to congratulate them on the successful elections.
On the same day, Ismail Haniyeh, deputy chairman of Hamas’ political bureau, called Erdogan to congratulate him, noting that the party's victory had reached the West Bank, Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip. Erdogan told Haniyeh that he would discuss the Israeli violations of Al-Aqsa Mosque during the G-20 summit scheduled for Nov. 15 in in the Turkish city of Antalya.
