In the aftermath of the attempt by Hamas supporters to breach Israel’s Gaza blockade, more questions should be asked about Turkey’s relationship to Hamas–and about the U.S. attitude toward Turkey and its pro-Hamas associates. One point is already obvious: Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) is a backer of the antiblockade campaign. The antiblockade operation was organized, by the Turkish “charity” Insan Haklary Ve Hurriyetleri Vakfi (IHH), which has been designated by both Israel and the U.S. as a supporter of Hamas. IHH is backed by fundamentalist Muslim cleric Yusuf al-Qaradawi. Al-Qaradawi’s leading Western partner is the Swiss-born Muslim academic Tariq Ramadan.

In his effort to define a new U.S. policy toward Muslim countries, President Barack Obama has done his best to make friends of both Erdogan and Ramadan. Obama made a point of visiting Turkey in April of last year, prior to his Cairo speech. He met with Erdogan, addressed the Turkish parliament, and appeared to desire a closer relationship with the Erdogan regime.