Moshe Phillips is national chairman of Americans For A Safe Israel, AFSI, (www.AFSI.org), a leading pro-Israel advocacy and education organization.
Within hours of the White House's release of its "Statement on President Trump's Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office responded, saying the committee "was not coordinated with Israel and contradicts its policy." One of the key reasons for the harshness of Netanyahu's response is reportedly the prominent role given to Turkey.
The decision by the White House to include an anti-Israel extremist in a key position on the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza is outrageous.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan was named as a member of the 11-person "Gaza Executive Board," and he is clearly unfit to serve in this or any similar capacity.
On November 30, while in Iran, Fidan described Israel as "the biggest threat to stability in the Middle East," even as he touted expanded Turkish cooperation with Iran on energy, trade, border security, and regional security matters.
Fidan also falsely claimed that Israel has "expansionist policies."
And this was far from the first time Fidan engaged in extreme anti-Israel rhetoric.
In August, Fidan said that "Israel's reckless attacks on Gaza, Lebanon, Yemen, Syria, and Iran are the clearest sign of a terrorist state mentality defying international order," and accused Israel of "committing genocide in Gaza for the past two years, ignoring basic humanitarian values right before the world's eyes."
Also in August, Fidan bragged that Turkey, "with the participation of 52 countries, we launched a significant international initiative at the UN, calling for an end to the supply of weapons and ammunition that feed Israel's war machine."
Let's take a moment and break that down:\
-Opposing weapons sales to Israel while it is at war with Hamas effectively denies Israel’s right to defend its civilians from terrorism. This is what Fidan is proud of.
-While Turkey presents itself as a U.S. ally and a NATO member with regional influence, this nominal status cannot override its extensive ties to Hamas. These ties raise serious questions about whether Turkey should be a participant in any "roadmap" for Gaza, and that is without taking Fidan's frequent anti-Israel record into account.
For years, Turkey has described Hamas as a "liberation movement" and has not formally designated it as a terrorist organization.
-Hamas has used Turkish territory as a base for coordination, recruitment, and financial operations linked to terrorism. U.S. and allied security services have repeatedly warned about networks tied to Hamas activities on Turkish soil.
-Since at least 2023, senior Hamas leaders have had connections with Turkey.
-Ismail Haniyeh, the former head of Hamas's political bureau, was killed in Tehran in July 2024, and Turkey publicly mourned his death.
-Turkey's ruling party, the AKP, and Hamas share ideological roots in the broader Muslim Brotherhood movement.
-The Erdogan regime has been a vocal critic of Israel's response to the Hamas-led terrorist invasion of Israel on October 7, 2023, and Erdogan himself has used his international platform to offer political support to Hamas. And he has consistently rejected characterizing Hamas as a terrorist organization.
Returning to Fidan himself, he has long been a vocal supporter of Iran's ayatollahs and late last year called for an end to sanctions against Iran. In August, he said what Israel has done in Gaza "has been recorded as one of the darkest chapters in human history." Fidan believes that Israel was morally wrong to conduct a war against terrorism and fight to free kidnapped hostages and this should have been seen by American diplomats and mediators as a dealbreaker for his inclusion in any board it creates.
Washington must reconsider the faith it is putting in Turkey. There is no place for Turkey in the future of Gaza.