Spokesmen for Hamas hailed the apparent victory of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) in municipal elections.

One Hamas official, Salah Al-Bardawil, said:

The reason behind our happiness at the victory of [Turkish premier Recep] Erdogan and his party is his closeness to the Palestinian cause because our assessment of any one depends on the level of his attachment to Palestine.

The Hamas movement issued its congratulations too:

We are greatly happy for this merited win which the ruling party in Turkey has achieved after it has proven its eligibility to lead the country towards progress and prosperity and had honorable positions in support of the Palestinian cause and the steadfastness of our Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.

Following the rupture between Hamas and Iran over Syria, Turkey has stepped in to support Hamas logistically and possibly financially.

Another spokesman for the terrorist organization was quoted as praising Turkey for its “democratic success.” Erdogan famously compared democracy to a streetcar, “You ride it until you arrive at your destination and then you step off.”

In recent months the Erdogan government, which has been beset by scandal has been cracking down on civil liberties, banning social media such as Twitter and YouTube and generally cracking down on public expression, sometimes violently.

[Photo: EuropeIsrael / YouTube ]