By Mohamad Hasan Sweidan
Once idolized for schooling then-Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres on war crimes before famously storming off at the 2009 Davos Summit, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has once again struck out by ordering officials to boycott this year’s World Economic Forum (WEF) over Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza.
Anyone who has paid attention to Erdogan’s statements since the onset of the war could be forgiven for thinking that Turkiye is at the forefront of nations opposing Israel and championing the Palestinian cause. Few around the world are as willing to adopt as sharp a rhetoric against Tel Aviv’s policies as the populist Turkish head of state is.
Erdogan designates Israel a ‘terror state’
However, even by Erdogan’s standards, his language took a sharp turn following Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on 7 October and the subsequent Israeli military assault on Gaza, when he dubbed Israel a “terror state.”
The Turkish president even lashed out at his NATO partners, saying: “While we curse the Israeli administration, we do not forget those who openly support these massacres and those who go out of their way to legitimize them,” in reference to the US and other western allies of Israel, before proclaiming: “We are faced with a genocide” in Gaza.
Initially, Erdogan cautioned for calm and emphasized the importance of preserving civilian lives on both sides, in a likely effort to mitigate Ankara’s well-established relations with Tel Aviv and the west. However, as shocking images of Israeli atrocities began circulating widely on social media and as public sentiment in Turkiye began shifting, Erdogan’s rhetoric evolved to reflect the same concerns.
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Turkey’s Israeli imports increase in November despite leaders’ dispute over Palestine
Data from Turkey’s official statistical authority (TÜİK) revealed increasing Israeli imports in November 2023, a month after Israel’s attacks on Gaza began. Trade relations between the governments persist despite their ongoing dispute about the Palestinian conflict.
November 2023 was significant as imports decreased and exports increased. The highest import/export ratio of the year was recorded, according to reporting by economy news outlet Ekonomim.com. Turkey’s November exports to Israel were 301 million dollars, whereas its imports from Israel were 128 million dollars, achieving a record-breaking 42,4 percent import/export ratio.
The data reveals the persisting trade relations between the two states while the Turkish government has been upbraiding Israel for its attacks on Gaza. Opposition figures have questioned the sincerity of President Erdoğan’s condemnation of the Israeli regime and calls from pro-government civil society organizations to increase individual boycott efforts against pro-Israeli businesses while maintaining strong trade relations.
Journalist Metin Cihan on Dec. 7 reported that Turkish companies shipped four million tonnes of goods to Israel on 400 ships during its attacks on Gaza. He also exposed various Turkish companies still in business with Israel including major ones belonging to the Koç and Sabancı holdings and those owned by names from the ruling Justice and Development (AKP).
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