Türkiye firmly rejects claims of continued trade with Israel

Trade transactions with Israel cannot be carried out at Turkish customs, free zones; trade with Israel has been zero since May 2, 2024, Turkish Trade Ministry says

The claims that Türkiye is still trading with Israel are based on lies, the Turkish Trade Ministry stated on Thursday. The claim by a person who is wanted for various terrorism crimes and has fled abroad, and who is an agent of influence hostile to Türkiye and an apparatus of foreign intelligence agencies, is based on lies and distortions in order to create a perception, through social media, that Türkiye is still trading with Israel, the ministry said in a statement. For more than 1.5 years, Türkiye, led by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has been the leading country in the world to wage the most valiant struggle in the fields of diplomacy, trade, law, health and humanitarian aid against Israel's genocide in Gaza, and aggression in the West Bank, Lebanon and Syria, it said, adding: "This fact is appreciated by the Palestinians, the Palestinian government, the entire Islamic world, and other countries and peoples with a conscience." It said Türkiye has been fighting against such lies and slanders on this issue for 1.5 years, and it will continue to do so even more vigorously. The country has presented the facts with figures, data and information hundreds of times, it noted. The ministry recalled that Türkiye has reduced its trade with Israel by around 30% in the seven-month period from Oct. 7, 2023 to May 2, 2024, at the first phase while efforts to establish a ceasefire in the region and improve the situation continued. With the decision of the government, Türkiye halted exports to Israel on April 9, 2024, in 1,019 products under 54 categories; three weeks later on May 2, 2024, exports, imports and transit trade from Türkiye to Israel were completely ceased in all product groups, it reminded. "Trade transactions with Israel cannot be carried out at customs and in our free zones. Trade with Israel has been zero since May 2, 2024," the ministry stated. The export figure from Türkiye to Israel in 2024 of $2.8 billion given in the news story is also completely wrong, it noted. "Before our decision to stop trade on May 2, 2024, exports in the first four months of 2024 were $1.52 billion, and this includes exports to Palestine," it added. Trade continues with Palestinians The ministry also said in response to the West Bank-Ramallah-based Palestinian government’s desire to trade with Türkiye for Palestine’s urgent needs, a unique controlled trade mechanism was developed in accordance with the “Türkiye-Palestine State Protocol” signed on June 7, 2024. Exports from Türkiye to Palestine, which are made only in accordance with the limited permit application where the importer is Palestinian, the destination is Palestinian, and each application is tightly controlled by the Turkish Ministry of Trade, are $797 million in total in 2024, the statement read. On the other hand, this small amount of trade with the Palestinian territories can only be done through two Israeli ports since Palestine does not have a port or customs, it reminded. It added: "As can be seen, the distorted news is entirely a slander aimed at creating the perception that 'Türkiye is still exporting to Israel.'" It is clear that it aims to "discredit our government’s policies and measures against Israel’s genocides and to serve Israel’s interests outright." According to 2022 data, Türkiye has renounced its $9.5 billion foreign trade with Israel, $7 billion of which is export, to support the Palestinian cause and innocent Palestinians, it noted.