Giving Turkey a Seat at the Gaza Board of Peace Table Is a Very Bad Idea

The decision by President Trump to include Turkey in the U.S.-backed Gaza Board of Peace is one of the most ill-advised things we can think of. By placing Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on the executive committee and inviting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to serve as a founding member, the White House has not only upended efforts to eliminate Hamas as an effective force but also represents a strategic error of historic proportions.

To understand why, one need only to take a look at Ankara’s record since the October 7, 2023 massacre. While the Western world recoiled in horror, President Erdogan refused to classify Hamas as a terror organization, instead branding them “mujahideen” and “freedom fighters.” And Turkey has long served as a safe harbor for Hamas leadership, allowing senior operatives to live, plan, and fundraise freely in Istanbul.

By giving Turkey a formal executive role in the reconstruction of Gaza, the Trump administration is effectively laundering a major Hamas political patron. It signals to the Palestinian street that the very power that championed their resistance is now largely in charge of their future.

Surely this does not work to deradicalize Gaza. If anything, it vindicates and encourages the recalcitrance of the radicals. Indeed, how can the Board of Peace be credibly expected to enforce disarmament when one of its key executives has spent two years arguing that the people holding the guns are heroes?

On the other hand, the administration’s logic is straightforward, if flawed: Turkey has influence over Hamas, and Turkey is therefore needed to move forward on the next phases of the ceasefire.

In a sense, this is the typical Trump dealmaker mindset. But this kind of leverage cuts both ways. By formally embedding Turkey into the future governance of Gaza, the U.S. has given Erdogan a permanent veto over Israel’s security needs.

Also, by elevating Turkey over moderate partners like the UAE or Saudi Arabia – who have been notably cooler to the Board concept – Trump has effectively broken the coalition he built in his first term. He is sidelining the pragmatic stabilizers in favor of the ideological disruptors.

Indeed, the genius of the original Abraham Accords was the alignment of Israel with moderate Sunni Arab states (UAE, Bahrain, Morocco) against the axis of radical Islamism (Iran, Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas). Turkey has most decidedly aligned itself with the latter camp.

President Trump may believe that he has pulled off a masterstroke by bringing enemies into the boardroom. But you cannot build a peaceful Gaza with a board member who denies the legitimacy of the war that was fought to break the stranglehold Hamas had over it. It’s time for some serious rethinking.