TKP's Akad evaluated Turkey's commercial relations with Israel: He revealed the breakdown one by one!

Speaking on the podcast titled 'Voice of the TKP', TKP Party Assembly member and Turkey Peace Committee President Murat Akad made evaluations regarding the trade conducted from Turkey with Israel. 

According to the report in Sol Haber; Akad stated the following:

"THERE IS NO DISRUPTION IN TRADE BETWEEN ISRAEL AND TURKEY"

With the press releases and actions it has carried out since October 7, and the open session on Palestine it organized, the TKP has taken a series of steps both to raise solidarity with Palestine and to discuss the issue in depth with its various dimensions. One of the most resonant of these was the questions the TKP directed to the government and various large companies shortly after October 7 regarding Turkey-Israel relations. If you wish, let's start with the questions the TKP asked. What was the purpose of these questions from the TKP?

"Let's say this right from the start: The purpose of the TKP asking these questions was to reveal the contradictory stance of the AKP government. In the days following October 7, the AKP government displayed a stance that supported Palestine and opposed Israel after the moderate behavior in the first days. However, relations that had deteriorated in some respects during the 'one minute' period had begun to recover in recent years. High-level mutual contacts were being made. Steps regarding military cooperation had been taken again. And simultaneously, Israel had signed agreements called the 'Abraham Accords' with a number of Arab countries. These agreements were agreements that allowed Israel to expand its international maneuvering space. The recovery of its relations with Turkey also coincided with the same period. 

Actually, of course, supporting the Palestinians and opposing Israeli aggression is a correct approach, of course, it cannot be objected to in this respect, but there is a serious problem in the AKP's approach. On one side, there is a discourse that is maintained, but on the other side, there are economic relations maintained with Israel, and these continue without slowing down. It is seen that there is no disruption in trade between Israel and Turkey."

CEMENT EXPORTS TO ISRAEL

Actually, relations between the two countries go back a long way, as we know. There is a very strong relationship, especially at the economic level. It is useful to give a few figures at this point. In 2002, the trade volume between the two countries was 1.41 billion dollars. 20 years later, that is, in 2022, this figure rose to 8.91 billion. That is, there has been an increase of over 500 percent in 20 years. Again, according to 2022 data, Israel is the 10th country to which Turkey exports the most, and this export is at the level of 7 billion dollars. There are a few basic items of direct exports made by Turkish capital to Israel; these are iron and steel, cement, automotive, plastic products, and electronic equipment.

In addition, Turkey acts as an intermediary for the sale of oil and natural gas products to Israel. Let's give some examples; Israel ranks second in gray cement exports from Turkey. It ranks first in white cement exports. There are important companies that take a share of these exports; prominent cement producers in Turkey are companies such as Oyak, Limak, Aşkale, Sanko, Sabancı, and there is also a firm called Votorantim belonging to Brazilian capital. 

IRON AND STEEL EXPORTS TO ISRAEL

In recent years, the construction sector in Israel has been more active, and one reason for this is the new Jewish settlements built in the West Bank, which is occupied Palestinian territory. For this reason, the sector is a bit more active. So, in fact, a portion of the cement going from Turkey is being used in the occupation and annexation of Palestine. If we look at the iron and steel sector, some firms operating here, such as İçdaş, Kardemir, Kocaer, Özkan, Tosyalı, Çolakoğlu, Çelsantaş, Erdemir, and İsdemir, export to Israel. 

ENERGY COMPANIES' INVESTMENTS IN ISRAEL 

In addition, Zorlu Energy has direct investments in Israel. Zorlu owns power plants in the field of electricity generation and distribution in this country. Also, the person who is the sector president in the Zorlu Energy group is simultaneously the chairman of the executive board of the Turkey-Israel business council. 

One should also mention the oil transferred to Israel. There is oil coming from Azerbaijan via the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline. There is also oil coming from Iraq via the Kirkuk-Yumurtalık line, which is shipped to various countries of the world by tankers, and Israel is among them. 

As a matter of fact, these relations are conducted openly, they are not denied. All this information and much more is on the internet, it can be found if searched. The questions the TKP asked about these issues were also brought to the parliament by CHP deputies and asked to various ministers. Thus, the TKP actually revealed a hypocritical approach. Only Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan responded to the parliamentary questions given, and he said exactly this: 'Our relations with Israel, which have a 74-year history, have never been conducted to the detriment of Palestine's just cause.' By saying this, he actually revealed the highly contradictory approach himself. 

What is the situation in terms of the arms industry?

Actually, it is claimed that no weapons are sold from Turkey to Israel. But there is an export chapter with the exact title 'Arms and ammunition; parts and accessories thereof'. Within this export chapter, sales are made, although not in high amounts. Perhaps weapons are not sold directly, but some parts and components are sold. But who can claim that these are not used against Palestinians? Even if the Israeli army does not use them, who can claim that the militias called settlers do not use them?

There are other examples, other connections. For example, the relations of the arms company named Israel Aerospace Industries with the Turkish Armed Forces and the arms industry in our country are known; they have had relations since the past. Previously, unmanned aerial vehicles were purchased from this firm, and the modernization of fighter jets was carried out by the same firm. 

Again, in recent days, we watched images that were very widespread on social media; we saw these images of underwear for Israeli soldiers going from Turkey. It was also clear in these images which firm it was.  

Meanwhile, Minister of Trade Ömer Bolat made a statement. He tried to slip away by stating that the trade mentioned was not done by the state but by the private sector. This statement has no validity. We know that in a capitalist order, the state is in the service of capital. The state is the state of capital, and the state makes all necessary regulations. While this is clear, we can easily say that this statement has no validity. Especially when AKP-affiliated capital has a significant share in the trade with Israel. 

In short, the government, which shows reaction to Israel due to the genocide policy it applies to the Palestinian people, chooses to remain silent when it comes to money-making business. 

ISRAELI CAPITAL

What you have described reveals a clear picture of how the relations of Turkish capital with Israel continue uninterruptedly and what kind of breath it provides to Israel. However, there is another aspect of the relationship. What would you say about the presence of Israeli capital in Turkey? 

Yes, Israeli capital has a certain presence in Turkey. Let's give a few examples. There is a dependency on Israeli capital at various levels in fields such as the arms industry, manufacturing industry, satellite technology, communication, and internet technology, especially cyber security. For example, there are licensed security systems used by various firms that are of Israeli origin. If these firms use them, it means cyber security is entrusted to Israel. In the past, direct partnerships were established between Israeli public companies and relevant arms companies in Turkey in various military technological modernization processes. There is a very important example of this; the modernization of F-4 and F-16 fighter jets was carried out by Israeli firms through these ties, and these ties continue. Cooperation is being carried out between the arms industries of the two countries, and this cooperation is carried out beyond basic research and development activities, and we have not seen any sign that these ties have been broken since October 7. 

A few other examples can be given; for example, there are ISCAR cutting tools widely used in the manufacturing industry, there is wix.com, which is an e-commerce site builder, or there is an example like mul-T-lock, which offers advanced locking systems. These are all brands that we frequently encounter in daily life, and they belong to Israeli capital, and their share in the Turkish market is not small. There are investments of Israeli capital in sectors other than these, but it is not possible for us to count them all. 

THE VISA ISSUE

Yes, this is also an interesting topic. Israeli citizens do not have to get a visa when entering Turkey. Before October 7, that is, when flights had not yet stopped, there were many flights every day between Tel Aviv and Turkey, and thousands of Israeli citizens could enter Turkey without a visa every day. On the other hand, Palestinian citizens have to get a visa when entering Turkey. If Turkey supports Palestine, what kind of support is this? Moreover, while citizens of some other Arab countries can enter Turkey without a visa...

TO SUPPORT PALESTINE, ONE MUST END RELATIONS WITH IMPERIALISM

Let's end our interview by talking a little about the current attitude of imperialism in the process. While solidarity demonstrations with the Palestinian people were rising all over the world in this process, and the USA was hosting one of the strongest demonstrations, on the other hand, the support of US imperialism for Israel continued unabated. Although some statements came from the USA regarding the extension of the 'humanitarian pause' given to Israel's attacks or the necessity of a government change in Israel, it was clear that the USA did not support a permanent ceasefire, and this attitude was finally confirmed by its veto of the ceasefire proposal at the UN. What would you say about the future of the role of the USA and its effects on Turkey's stance? 

Imperialism has been focused here since October 7. The focus point before this was Ukraine. But imperialism did not achieve the success it wanted in the Ukraine war, and it seems it will not be able to. Therefore, the focus has shifted to the Middle East from the perspective of imperialism. Of course, we know that Western imperialism, especially the USA, has always supported Israel. It has supported the Zionism project, which paved the way for the establishment of Israel, from the very beginning, and it continues this support.

At this point, it is useful to say a few sentences about Zionism. Zionism is exactly a colonial project. This project began to develop in the late 19th century, and according to this project, Jews living in different countries of Europe would establish a new country in the Palestinian lands they claimed historical rights to. But while establishing this country, Palestinians had to be expelled from their lands. The seizure and exploitation of these lands were taken as a basis. Of course, for this, Jewish capital had to flow into the region, and this project was realized over the years. But this colonial project has an important difference from the colonial projects we are accustomed to. In previous colonial activities, these took place in the form of a certain country spreading to other countries. But here, in Zionism, a scattered community had to come together in the country to be exploited and establish a new state. This was not something that Jews could achieve alone, and there was a need for the support of imperialism. For this reason, Britain, the dominant imperialist country of the period, took ownership of it from the very beginning, supported it, and became the patron of the Zionism project. Then, as we know, the USA took over the flag in the 1940s. For this reason, Israel is tied to imperialism at the navel, and it is in need of imperialism's support to the end. On the other hand, Israel is also an indispensable partner for imperialism, and it is in the position of a strong outpost of imperialism in the region. 

In this framework we have drawn, Western imperialist countries, especially the USA, have given all kinds of support to Israel since October 7, and they continue to do so. This support is not only military support; a very serious ideological struggle is also being waged in these countries. It has even been equated to being illegal to be anti-Zionist in the USA. But there is a big question mark about how successful this ideological struggle is. Because hundreds of thousands of people in these countries are violently opposing Israel's aggression. As we all know, large, very massive street demonstrations are taking place. 

At this point, let's also mention Turkey's position in this framework. Turkey still cannot escape being a part of this game as an ally of the USA. There are still bases, radars, and other facilities in Turkey that have been opened for the use of the USA and NATO. Is it possible that the USA does not also benefit from these to support Israel? At this point, we see the contradictory approach of the government. Imperialism's activities in our country are allowed to continue, so in fact, a kind of support is given to Israel. To support Palestine in a real sense, one must end relations with imperialism. It is not possible for us to expect this from the AKP government.  

Finally, it is necessary to raise the struggle against imperialism in Turkey and in the region that our country is also a part of. Because due to the interventions of imperialism, our region is pregnant with conflicts that could involve the whole world. But as we clearly see in the Turkish example, it is not possible to be against imperialism while remaining within capitalist relations. For this reason, the left needs to strengthen in order to wage a real, consistent struggle against imperialism. This is the case in Turkey, in Palestine, in Israel, and in other countries as well.

News Source: 12punto