İsmailağa Community defends trade with Israel! 'I am not against it'
İsmail Hünerlice of the İsmailağa Community stated that he is not against Turkey sending goods to Israel, even as Israel's attacks on the Gaza Strip continue since October 7.
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Israel has killed over 31 thousand Palestinians in its attacks on the Gaza Strip so far.
While calls for a 'boycott' against Israel continue in Turkey, the government's trade with Israel, particularly in iron and steel, also continues.
As the debates persist, the issue has also come to the agenda of the İsmailağa Community.
According to a report in BirGün; addressing its members, İsmail Hünerlice from the İsmailağa Community expressed that trade with Israel is 'normal' with the following words:
"I AM NOT AGAINST IT"
“Some of us say, ‘Oh sir, why is our country sending materials there?’ Well, even in a state of war, our Islamic law says, ‘The citizen is not at fault.’ If you are at war, there are 5 million people there with 50 thousand people... Should 5 million people die of hunger? Islam does not do such a thing, it does not let people die of hunger. Therefore, I am not against our country sending products there (to Israel). If it were sending weapons to the Jews, then okay... That would be something to sit down and discuss.”
IT HAD ALSO EMERGED THAT WEAPONS WERE SOLD
The Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) had announced that parts for 'hunting and sporting weapons' were sent from Turkey to Israel, and gave the following response to the news reports:
“In the January-November period of 2023, the total exports to Israel under Chapter 93 amounted to 903 thousand dollars, and the exports made in November amounted to 80 thousand dollars.
The products related to weapons and ammunition mentioned in the news consist of 'non-military firearms' under tariff heading 9303, 'parts and accessories of revolvers and pistols' under tariff heading 9305, and products such as swords, cutlasses, and bayonets under tariff heading 9307.
In conclusion, the products under Chapter 93 that Turkey exports to Israel are not military weapons and ammunition, but rather weapons for personal use such as sports and hunting, and their parts and accessories.”