Profiting from Ethnic Cleansing

Turkey’s trade with the zionist state of Israel continues uninterrupted, despite the apparent official ban on trade with them. This issue has been on the forefront of Turkish politics from the beginning of the genocide in Gaza more than a year ago now. The demand to cut any type of relation with Israel (political, economic, academic etc.) has pressured the Erdoğan regime for a long time. The bare contradiction of organizing rallies and giving daring speeches in support of Palestine all the while shipping oil, building materials and barbed wires to Israel was visible in the eyes of both his opposition and his base of support. Although, after a very long and arduous campaign spearheaded by the leftist organizations, the official X account of Turkey's Ministry of Trade had announced that the trade with Israel was limited in key goods and it was declared that Turkey would stop trade completely :

the second phase of state-level measures has been implemented, halting all export and import transactions with Israel, covering all products, in a comprehensive manner.

Turkey will continue to apply these new measures firmly and decisively until the Israeli government permits the uninterrupted and sufficient flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza.

… the situation turned out to be much different than what the officials claimed.

Metin Cihan, a Turkish journalist, has played a major role in putting the continued trade between Turkey and Israel on the spotlight. 

Turkey is exporting barbed wire to Israel, labeling them as being sent to Palestine.

We are still sending barbed wire to Israel. And we are sending more than before. Because they need it. Because it is used in the occupied territories.

TURKSTAT published the September foreign trade statistics today. First, I looked at the barbed wire numbers.

Apparently, in September 2023, we did not send any barbed wire to Palestine, but we sent plenty to Israel. We have been meeting Israel's barbed wire needs for years without fail.

According to official records in September 2024, we did not send any barbed wire to Israel (due to the trade ban), but what did we do instead? Again, according to official records, this time we sent it to Palestine. In fact, we sent almost twice as much as we sent to Israel the previous year.

I think you all know the explanation for this absurd situation by now. We name Palestine on the customs declaration and send it to Israel. Thus, it seems that the trade ban continues officially, but we continue to meet Israel's barbed wire needs.

We send more because they occupy more.

This is our sentiment towards Palestine. This is our opposition to Israel (!)
It was  highlighted the Azerbaijani oil being shipped to Israel via Turkish docks before many other reportings he has done to this day. The Erdoğan regime seems to be forced to resort to deception and obstruction in face of dwindling support and daring opposition nowadays. 

The products continuously traded by the Turkish state with Israel explicitly include materials necessary for war. Turkey's Zorlu Holding supplies Israel with electricity through two separate power plants. The alleged cessation of commercial relations with Israel is shown, with shocking hypocrisy, as if it is carried out with Palestine on paper. Turkish capital is Israel's number one steel exporter. Here’s how the game set up by the Erdogan regime works: shipments of Azerbaijani oil, steel, cement, and other critical products that are used both in war and in establishing control over occupied areas are carried out as if the target country is Palestine. Another way is to continue the trade with Israel is to use third countries' docks like Greece According to official statistics, Turkey's steel exports to Palestine have increased by 300 times in the past year! Palestine, which faces scarcity, war, and ethnic cleansing, is supposedly importing steel! Scandalously, it was also revealed that the ships carrying explosives to Israel, which were rejected by many countries, were accepted by Turkey.

All of these ships can be seen unloading in Israel in real-time on radar systems. Erdogan, like all other leaders in the region, makes anti-Israel statements for domestic political purposes. However, all of these regimes have vested interests in cooperation with U.S./Western imperialism. This is the reality behind Erdogan’s massive state rallies supporting the Palestinian cause! Journalists who expose this truth are threatened. Activists protesting containers bearing Israeli company logos at the ports are suppressed by police violence. Homes of left-wing activists exposing the Erdogan government’s collaboration are raided, and they are arrested with police brutality.

Turkey, currently experiencing a deep economic crisis, sees the economic failures of Erdogan transforming into an increasingly widespread social reaction. In the lead-up to the recent local elections, Erdogan’s approach to the Palestinian cause, among other political issues, was highlighted by his opponents. However, Erdogan, constrained by economic difficulties and his allegiance to the imperialist order, has avoided any actions that might strain relations with the U.S. or diminish its support for him. Consequently, this detrimental collaboration continues unabated.

Erdogan, along with several Arab regimes in the region, openly or tacitly supports Israel. The only true allies of the Palestinian people are the millions in other countries who, for over a year, have persistently protested. This international solidarity—embodied by those who oppose their own governments, refuse to load goods bound for Israel, and engage in determined struggle to support the Palestinian cause—demonstrates who the real friends of the Palestinian people are.

Revolutionaries in Turkey firmly state that relations with Israel, in all forms—economic, political, diplomatic, cultural, academic, and beyond—must be severed. The state of Israel should be rejected, and all ties should be immediately cut. Our struggle against the Erdogan regime will persist. To achieve success, what we need is a mass movement of the working class. Building an organized labor movement remains the foremost responsibility before us.