Special to WorldTribune.com

ANKARA — Turkey is said to have pledged up to $300 million in aid
to Hamas.

Turkish sources said Prime Minister Recep Erdogan has pledged to become
a leading donor to the Hamas regime.

Over the last year, Erdogan has provided Hamas support in other ways. The
sources said Turkey was providing training to Hamas security forces as well
as allowed the movement to raise funds.

The sources said Erdogan has also invited Hamas political bureau chief
Khaled Masha’al to visit Turkey. But they said increased military tension
between Syria and Turkey delayed the Masha’al trip.

They said Erdogan sent a letter of
support to Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh amid reports of a financial
crisis in the Gaza Strip.

“The letter outlines a range of support that Ankara would give to
Hamas,” a Turkish source said.

The sources said Erdogan has already instructed the Turkish Finance
Ministry to allocate $300 million to Hamas. They said Haniyeh was told the
money would arrive in the Gaza Strip over the next few months.

Qatar and Turkey were said to have played a major role in the Hamas withdrawal from Damascus. The sources said Hamas would withdraw virtually
all of its staff from headquarters in Damascus by mid-December.

A Hamas official told the Wall Street Journal that Hamas would establish
new headquarters in Cairo and Doha to replace operations in Syria. The
official said Masha’al was preparing to meet King Abdullah in Jordan in an
effort by Hamas to return to the Hashemite kingdom.

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