Turkey’s NATO role under scrutiny amid new report on Hamas, Muslim Brotherhood ties

FIRST ON FOX: A caller study is raising concerns astir Turkey’s relation successful the Middle East, arguing that nether President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the state has moved distant from its accepted Western alignment and toward deeper engagement with Islamist movements, including the Muslim Brotherhood.

The Foundation for Defense of Democracies report, led by elder chap Sinan Ciddi and titled "Islamist Domination of Turkey: A Forward Base for Muslim Brotherhood-Aligned Jihadism," argues that Turkey has ties to Hamas — the U.S.-designated violent radical liable for the Oct. 7 massacre — arsenic good arsenic to the Muslim Brotherhood — an Islamist question whose affiliates person precocious been designated arsenic violent organizations by the United States — placing Turkey’s policies nether renewed scrutiny arsenic it prepares to big a NATO summit.

Ciddi told Fox News Digital the displacement reflects a broader translation successful however Turkey defines threats.

"What we person is Turkey has wholly rewritten the rules of however you construe what a jihadist violent entity whitethorn be," Ciddi said. "Erdoğan has reinvented what is interpreted arsenic a violent entity … groups specified arsenic Hamas oregon al-Nusra autumn into enactment with his pan-Islamist presumption of the world."

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) and past president of Hamas Khaled Mashal (L) shingle hands astatine the Historical Mabeyn Palace successful Istanbul, Turkey connected June 24, 2016. (Kayhan Ozer/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

Hamas beingness draws scrutiny

A cardinal absorption of the study is Turkey’s narration with Hamas, which the United States designates arsenic a violent organization, and yet Hamas expanded its beingness successful Turkey aft 2011, establishing offices and networks wrong the country.

"From 2011 onward … Hamas utilized this accidental wrong of Turkey with a affable authorities to found offices, prosecute successful recruitment (and) fundraising," Ciddi said.

U.S. authorities person taken enactment against immoderate of those networks. The Treasury Department has designated Hamas-linked individuals and entities operating successful Turkey, a constituent Ciddi said underscores longstanding concerns.

"The United States Treasury has been tracking and designating Hamas-affiliated NGOs and individuals wrong of Turkey," helium said.

The study besides alleges that immoderate Hamas operatives person been capable to question utilizing Turkish-issued documents and that elder figures person been publically received by Erdoğan.

Beyond Hamas, the study describes Turkey arsenic a hub for Muslim Brotherhood figures from crossed the region, including Egypt and Yemen, galore of whom relocated determination pursuing crackdowns successful their location countries.

Across parts of the Arab world, the Muslim Brotherhood has been banned oregon restricted for years. 

Egypt outlawed the question successful 2013, accusing it of inciting unrest and undermining authorities institutions. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates aboriginal designated it a violent organization, describing it arsenic a menace to nationalist stability, portion Bahrain adopted a akin stance. 

Jordan dissolved its section section this twelvemonth pursuing arrests authorities said were linked to illicit weapons activity.

Some European countries besides person taken steps targeting networks linked to the movement. 

Austria, for example, has pursued ineligible enactment against individuals and organizations it says are connected to Brotherhood-linked enactment arsenic portion of its counter-extremism policies.

Officials successful these countries person argued that the Brotherhood operates done a premix of spiritual outreach, governmental activism, charitable organizations and media platforms to power nationalist sentiment and situation authorities authority.

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People protestation successful enactment of Palestinians successful Gaza during a protestation rally successful Istanbul, Turkey, connected Feb. 17, 2024, amid the ongoing warfare betwixt Israel and Hamas. (Khalil Hamra/The Associated Press )

Syria argumentation and sanctions questions

The study besides examines Turkey’s relation successful Syria, wherever the state backed absorption forces during the civilian war, supporting a scope of equipped factions, including groups that aboriginal formed the Syrian National Army.

"The Syrian National Army … was a hodgepodge postulation of militias that Turkey straight armed, paid and organized," helium said.

The study links Turkish enactment to groups specified arsenic al-Nusra and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, raising questions among analysts astir whether specified ties could exposure Turkish officials to imaginable sanctions nether U.S. law.

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U.S. President Donald Trump (R) delivers remarks during a gathering with President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan successful the Oval Office astatine the White House connected Sept. 25, 2025 successful Washington, DC.  (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

A balancing enactment with Washington

Despite these concerns, different analysts accidental Turkey’s narration with the United States continues to enactment arsenic a constraint connected its behavior, portion the narration betwixt Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been characterized by renewed trust, with Trump praising Erdoğan's relation successful Gaza diplomacy.

As Trump celebrated the Gaza ceasefire statement successful Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt successful October 2025, helium singled retired 1 person for bonzer praise — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, whose enactment helium credited for helping present the Gaza ceasefire.

"A feline who’s been a person of excavation for a agelong time. I don’t cognize wherefore I similar the pugnacious radical amended than the soft, casual ones," Trump said astir Erdoğan astatine the Sharm el-Sheikh acme successful October 2025. "This man from a spot called Turkey is 1 of the astir almighty successful the satellite … He’s a pugnacious cooky — but he’s my friend."

Hişyar Özsoy, a Turkish person and academic, described the narration betwixt Erdoğan and Trump arsenic "transactional," noting Washington often relies connected Turkey for determination coordination.

In a argumentation webinar hosted by the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, Turkish world Hüseyin Bağcı emphasized that Ankara remains intimately tied to Washington.

"The Turkish authorities is not funny successful warring with Israel due to the fact that the Turkish authorities has precise bully relations with (the) United States of America," helium said. "You cannot beryllium bully with America and past beryllium successful struggle with Israel."

Bağcı besides suggested Turkey has astatine times constricted Islamist actors domestically.

"Today bash you perceive thing about" the Muslim Brotherhood, helium said. "No … due to the fact that the president said stop." 

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, left, shakes hands with Sweden's Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, right, arsenic NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg looks connected anterior to a gathering up of a NATO acme successful Vilnius, Lithuania, Monday, July 10, 2023.  (Yves Herman, Pool Photo via AP)

NATO state nether pressure

Turkey, a NATO subordinate since 1952, remains a cardinal spouse for the United States, providing logistical access, subject capabilities and diplomatic reach.

But Ciddi argued Turkey's existent trajectory progressively diverges from confederation priorities.

"There is an established way grounds … wherever Turkey importantly undermines the transatlantic alliance’s halfway information concerns," helium said.

He pointed to U.S. sanctions connected Turkish entities accused of supplying dual-use goods to Russia, arsenic good arsenic Ankara’s broader strategy of maintaining ties with competing powers.

Iran and determination positioning

As acold arsenic Turkey’s positioning itself amid tensions with Iran, Ciddi said Turkey is apt to favour a weakened Iranian authorities alternatively than a implicit illness that could nutrient a much pro-Western government. 

"A weakened Iranian authorities is Erdoğan’s safest bet," helium said.

Bağcı offered a akin appraisal of the rivalry.

"Iran is not an force of Turkey, but not needfully its champion friend. Turkey and Iran are 2 determination competitors," helium said.

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In this May 30, 2015, record photo, supporters of Turkey's president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and premier curate and person of the Justice and Development Party (AKP), Ahmet Davutoglu, immoderate holding Turkish flags, hold for their quality successful Istanbul during a rally to commemorate the day of city's conquest by the Ottoman Turks. As extremist unit and governmental uncertainty formed a shadiness implicit Turkey, voters are looking for the  parliamentary predetermination to usher successful stability. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis file) (The Associated Press)

Looking ahead

The study recommends imaginable U.S. argumentation responses, including sanctions and accrued scrutiny of Turkey’s fiscal system, steps that could reshape relations betwixt Washington and Ankara.

Fox News Digital reached retired aggregate times to the Turkish authorities and to the State Department for remark but did not person a effect successful clip for publication.