{"id":2230197,"date":"2024-04-25T15:37:02","date_gmt":"2024-04-25T19:37:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-admin-silent-on-turkeys-sponsorship-of-hamas-in-counterterrorism-talks\/"},"modified":"2024-04-25T15:40:49","modified_gmt":"2024-04-25T19:40:49","slug":"biden-admin-silent-on-turkeys-sponsorship-of-hamas-in-counterterrorism-talks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-admin-silent-on-turkeys-sponsorship-of-hamas-in-counterterrorism-talks\/","title":{"rendered":"Biden Administration Mum on Turkey&#8217;s Support for Hamas in Anti-Terrorism Discussions"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fbiden-admin-silent-on-turkeys-sponsorship-of-hamas-in-counterterrorism-talks%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2230197&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The State Department&#8217;s top counterterrorism\u2064 official visited\u200b Turkey but omitted discussions\u200d on Hamas, raising\u2064 concerns about\u200b the \u200bBiden administration&#8217;s stance on\u200b terrorist groups\u200c amid escalating \u200bconflict in the Middle East.\u200b Key\u200d officials&#8217;\u2064 avoidance of addressing Hamas-related issues has drawn scrutiny, especially\u200b in light of Turkey&#8217;s support for the group and ongoing tensions in the\u2063 region. The State Department&#8217;s\u200c chief counterterrorism official&#8217;s trip to Turkey lacked talks on Hamas, sparking worries about the Biden administration&#8217;s position on extremist organizations amid rising conflicts\u2064 in the \u2062Middle East. Concerns mount as top officials dodge Hamas matters, highlighting Turkey&#8217;s backing of the\u2064 group and the continuous regional turmoil.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<h2>Counterterrorism coordinator leaves out Hamas when discussing how to defeat terrorism in Turkey<\/h2>\n<figure><figcaption> \t\t\t\t \t\t\t\tHamas&#8217;s Ismail Haniyeh, Turkey&#8217;s Recep Tayyip Erdo\u011fan (Haniyeh Murat Cetinmuhurdar\/Turkish Presidential Press Office\/Handout via Reuters)\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<p>The State Department&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/new-senate-report-multiple-failures-on-jan-6-threats-exposed-capitol-police\/\" title=\"New Senate Report: Multiple Failures on Jan. 6 Threats Exposed Capitol Police\">top counterterrorism official<\/a> was in Turkey this week for meetings, but missing from her schedule were discussions about Hamas\u2014an omission that isn&#8217;t going unnoticed on Capitol Hill.<\/p>\n<p>Ambassador Elizabeth Richard, the State Department&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hunter-biden-investigation-intel-laptop-letter-signers-scored-top-jobs-in-biden-administration\/\" title=\"Hunter Biden investigation: Intel laptop letter signers scored top jobs in Biden administration\">counterterrorism coordinator<\/a>, landed in Ankara on Monday to discuss regional operations with Turkish leadership. Richard was in the country to shore up support for the &#8220;defeat of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lawmakers-consider-enacting-statute-to-increase-punishments-for-domestic-terrorism\/\" title=\"Lawmakers consider enacting statute to increase punishments for domestic terrorism\">terrorist organizations<\/a> such as PKK, DHKP-C, and ISIS in Syria and Iraq,&#8221; according to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.state.gov\/coordinator-for-counterterrorism-ambassador-elizabeth-richard-travel-to-turkiye\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">notification<\/a> issued by the State Department.<\/p>\n<p>Hamas\u2014the region&#8217;s central Iran-backed terrorist group, which <a href=\"https:\/\/www.voanews.com\/a\/turkey-hosted-hamas-leader-amid-growing-criticism-over-inaction-in-gaza\/7581045.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">receives<\/a> financial and logistical support from Turkey\u2014does not appear to be one of the agenda items, indicating that the Biden administration is hesitant to raise the issue even at a time when the terror group is waging war on Israel and sowing discord throughout the Middle East.<\/p>\n<p>Asked whether Hamas would come up in discussions, a State Department official said he was looking into the matter and then did not respond to subsequent <em>Washington Free Beacon<\/em> inquiries.<\/p>\n<p>Questions surrounding Richard&#8217;s hesitance to raise the issue come amid a failure by other top Biden administration officials to press major Arab players about their support for Hamas. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf, who is in Brussels this week, did not mention Hamas during a 30-minute briefing with reporters on &#8220;Israel and the broader region.&#8221; In March, the Biden administration <a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/national-security\/state-department-hosted-qatari-official-who-praised-hamas-terrorism\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">hosted<\/a> a Qatari delegation that included an official who has praised Hamas terrorists and called for missile strikes on Israel. The issue has taken on renewed significance in recent days after Hamas released a video showing it <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2024\/4\/25\/hamas-video-of-gaza-captive-hersh-goldberg-polin-triggers-israel-protests\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">tortured<\/a> an Israeli-American hostage who is now missing parts of his arm.<\/p>\n<p>Many regional experts <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cfr.org\/article\/turkey-united-states-and-israel-hamas-war\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">see<\/a> Turkey&#8217;s ties to Hamas, which operates an office in the country,\u00a0as a roadblock in U.S. relations with Ankara. Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdo\u011fan <a href=\"https:\/\/www.voanews.com\/a\/turkey-hosted-hamas-leader-amid-growing-criticism-over-inaction-in-gaza\/7581045.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">hosted<\/a> Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh earlier this week, when Richard was in the country for talks. Erdo\u011fan also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2024\/4\/20\/turkeys-erdogan-urges-palestinian-unity-after-meeting-hamas-chief\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">committed<\/a> during those meetings to &#8220;defend the Palestinian struggle.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>On Capitol Hill, Republicans are becoming increasingly frustrated with the State Department&#8217;s posture on the conflict, as well as its failure to secure the release of hostages.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The Biden administration is committed to making sure Hamas, Hezbollah, and other Iranian-backed terrorist groups survive,&#8221; said one senior Republican congressional official who works on State Department issues. &#8220;They publicly and privately are pressuring Israel not to take action against those groups. So of course [Richard] can&#8217;t bring them up in press conferences and press releases, let alone coordinate against them.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Lawmakers, the source said, worry the hostage issue is taking a backseat as the Biden administration shifts focus to a pressure campaign meant to force Israel into inking a ceasefire and pumping humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.<\/p>\n<p>Leaf&#8217;s Wednesday <a href=\"https:\/\/www.state.gov\/digital-press-briefing-with-the-assistant-secretary-of-state-for-near-eastern-affairs-barbara-leaf\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">briefing<\/a> generated similar questions when she failed to mention both Hamas and its hostages in a nearly 30-minute question-and-answer session with reporters.<\/p>\n<p>An invite to the briefing <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/GSDeutch\/status\/1783293215317131751?t=_VewJzna-CSS4orJS-4rGw&#038;s=19\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">said<\/a> Leaf would provide &#8220;an overview of developments in Israel and the broader region.&#8221;\t<\/p>\n<p>But Leaf&#8217;s primary focus was increasing aid into the Gaza Strip and providing political support for the Palestinian government. The Biden administration&#8217;s focus on these issues comes <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/cdc-face-masks-dont-prevent-covid-19-study-finds-masks-have-negligible-impact-on-coronavirus-numbers\/\" title=\"CDC: Face masks don\u2019t prevent COVID-19, study finds masks have negligible impact on coronavirus numbers\">amid mounting pressure<\/a> from the Democratic Party&#8217;s far-left flank, which wants the United States to punish Israel and force the Jewish state to leave Hamas intact.<\/p>\n<p>During the press conference, Leaf said she is working with regional partners to &#8220;substantially increase the flow of lifesaving humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians in Gaza&#8221; and &#8220;forge a consensus on a post-conflict vision for Gaza.&#8221; The United States is also examining &#8220;ways by which the international community can bolster support to the Palestinian Authority and to the Palestinian public generally,&#8221; according to Leaf.<\/p>\n<div>\n<p><strong>Published under:<\/strong> \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span> \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/tag\/biden-administration\/\" title=\"View all posts in Biden Administration\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBiden Administration\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a> \t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span> \t\t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t\t\t, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span> \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/tag\/foreign-policy\/\" title=\"View all posts in Foreign Policy\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tForeign Policy\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a> \t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span> \t\t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t\t\t, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span> \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/tag\/gaza\/\" title=\"View all posts in Gaza\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGaza\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a> \t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span> \t\t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t\t\t, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span> \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/tag\/hamas\/\" title=\"View all posts in Hamas\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tHamas\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a> \t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span> \t\t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t\t\t, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span> \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/tag\/hostages\/\" title=\"View all posts in Hostages\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tHostages\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a> \t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span> \t\t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t\t\t, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span> \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/tag\/isis\/\" title=\"View all posts in ISIS\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tISIS\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a> \t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span> \t\t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t\t\t, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span> \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/tag\/israel\/\" title=\"View all posts in Israel\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tIsrael\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a> \t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span> \t\t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t\t\t, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span> \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/tag\/middle-east\/\" title=\"View all posts in Middle East\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMiddle East\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a> \t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span> \t\t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t\t\t, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span> \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/tag\/palestinians\/\" title=\"View all posts in Palestinians\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPalestinians\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a> \t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span> \t\t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t\t\t, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span> \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/tag\/recep-tayyip-erdogan\/\" title=\"View all posts in Recep Tayyip Erdogan\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRecep Tayyip Erdogan\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a> \t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span> \t\t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t\t\t, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span> \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/tag\/state-department\/\" title=\"View all posts in State Department\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tState Department\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a> \t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span> \t\t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t\t\t, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span> \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/tag\/terrorism\/\" title=\"View all posts in Terrorism\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTerrorism\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a> \t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span> \t\t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t\t\t, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span> \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/tag\/turkey\/\" title=\"View all posts in Turkey\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTurkey\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a> \t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span> \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Counterterrorism coordinator excludes Hamas in talks on combatting terrorism in Turkey. State Department&#8217;s top official in counterterrorism held meetings in Turkey, but Hamas not on the agenda\u2014an omission drawing attention<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":117,"featured_media":2230198,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/2024-04-20T155759Z_1_LYNXNPEK3J05H_RTROPTP_4_ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS-TURKEY-HAMAS-scaled-e1714069007313.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[544],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2230197","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-free-beacon"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/2024-04-20T155759Z_1_LYNXNPEK3J05H_RTROPTP_4_ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS-TURKEY-HAMAS-scaled-e1714069007313.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2230197","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/117"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2230197"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2230197\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2230198"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2230197"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2230197"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2230197"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}