The State Department on Tuesday objected to a recent meeting in Istanbul between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and two leaders of Hamas, a U.S.-designated terrorist organization that controls the Palestinian enclave of the Gaza Strip and is in an ongoing conflict with Israel. State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus said that both officials, Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh and deputy chief Saleh Al-Aruri, are designated by the U.S. and European Union as “Specially Designated Global Terrorists.”Al-Aruri is sought by American law enforcement for involvement in terrorist attacks, hijackings and kidnappings. The State Department’s Rewards for Justice program offers up to $5 million for information on Al-Aruri’s whereabouts. Brunson was held for two years on disputed charges and his arrest was one of tens of thousands arrests that occurred after the 2016 coup attempt against Erodgan.Trump has come under scrutiny for his close relationship to Erdoğan. The president has been criticized as being under the sway of the Turkish president for agreeing to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria after a phone call.

Source: The North Africa Journal August 25, 2020 15:12 UTC