Support for Palestine in words and Israel in actions… Journalists: Turkey continues its strategic trade with Tel Aviv (Figures)
Journalists in Turkey have revealed that their country continues its strategic trade with Israel, exporting shipments of oil and steel to Israeli ports, despite announced boycott campaigns in support of Palestine. This continues even after President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan‘s sharp criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Following the Turkish Parliament’s ban on Coca-Cola and Nescafe beverages, there were questions about whether this is the most intense official stance Turkey can take regarding the events in the Gaza Strip. Journalist Ibrahim Kehfaji reported that the products called for boycotting have no connection to Israel. He emphasized that the ban should be imposed on the export of strategic products to Israel, noting that steel tops Turkey’s exports to Israel, reaching about $6 billion, according to Zaman newspaper.
Kehfaji stressed the need to halt the export of these products, pointing out cooperation with Tel Aviv in areas such as energy, such as oil transportation pipelines. He mentioned that the Turkish Exporters Assembly report shows Turkey sharing the same rank with Germany in commodity sales to Israel, following China and the United States.
He added, “This means that Turkey ranks third among the countries meeting Israel’s needs, and the data indicates that Turkey’s sales of iron and steel to Israel in 2022 amounted to about $1.192 billion, followed by car sales at about $563 million, then plastics and finished products at the third rank with $512 million.”
In the same context, journalist Matin Jahan published a list of ships responsible for shipping from Turkey to Israel. In a post on the (X) platform, he stated, “I prepared a list of ships responsible for shipping from Turkey to Israel, as the latter continues its genocide. It was not possible to include them all, and there are new ships that joined while taking a picture of this list. We support Palestine in words and Israel in actions.”
In another tweet, Jahan stated that oil tankers like Calafanlar continue to handle shipping from Turkey to Israel. Meanwhile, a company called Akar Deniz is responsible for transporting crude oil, fuel, and chemicals. He added, “There is a shipping vessel called Kalyonjo Ro-Ro; they have pictures together with Erdogan, and there are tank carriers affiliated with Israel.”
In the context of contradictions in the Turkish system, many government institutions, including municipalities affiliated with the ruling Justice and Development Party, which announced a ban on selling Coca-Cola products, granted the company incentives of around TRY 590 million and 793 thousand, as reported in the official gazette.
Coca-Cola also received exemptions from customs duties, exemption from value-added tax (VAT), and the employer’s share of insurance premiums for a period of 5 years, along with a 60% tax deduction and a 25% investment contribution rate.
