Israel's new honeymoon with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was supposed to change some of Turkey's habits and patterns of behavior that were bad for Israel.
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For example, as part the reconciliation with Israel, Turkey committed to preventing Hamas from plotting terrorist attacks from inside its borders and even reduce the organization's presence and activity in its territory.
Turkey even promised to lower its profile on the Temple Mount, which Erdogan has been eyeing. But what an indictment filed on Monday against east Jerusalem resident Bilal Sub Laban is disturbing and indicates that Turkey is having a hard time changing its old habits.
According to the indictment, Sub Laban was recruited by Hamas operatives in Turkey, whose activity Erdogan was supposed to have restricted. Sub Laban was instructed to meet up with a group of Turkish tourists who arrived to visit the Temple Mount and collect money from them for Hamas to use toward various purposes.
Turkish tourists coming to Jerusalem and/or the Temple Mount with pockets full of money to disburse to Hamas is nothing new. Israel Hayom has reported on it multiple times in the past few years. Monday's indictment appears to show that the Turks are sticking to Erdogan's former policy of "visiting Al-Aqsa much more," as a way of continuing to donate to the Palestinians.
Another indictment filed in the Jerusalem District Court a few months ago, revealed what was going on behind the scenes between Hamas and Turkey, just as preparations were under way for the summit between Erdogan and President Isaac Herzog. It too is cause for concern.
The indictment, filed against Khaled Sabah and two of his sons, all residents of Zur Bachar in east Jerusalem, says that last January, Sabah, his wife, and his sons flew to Turkey where senior Hamas leaders put Sabah in charge of Hamas in east Jerusalem and even named him coordinator of Hamas' activity with the outlawed Northern Branch of the Islamic Movement.
In addition to shooting instruction, preparations for future terrorist actions, and organizing riots on the Temple Mount during Ramadan, the meeting also addressed financial matters.
Some of what Sabah allegedly oversaw included contact with the Lajnat al-Quda charity, which has a branch office at the Mercy Gate of the Old City. The charity transferred money to Hamas operatives and families of "martyrs."
Turkey did a good deed in thwarting planned Iranian attacks against Israelis in Istanbul, but when it comes to "do no harm," Turkey remains a magnet for Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated groups worldwide, of which Hamas is only one. The Turks still have a long way to go.
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