ALBAWABA - Pro-Palestinian activists accused Turkey of double standards after a report by the Turkish Statistical Institute admitted that Ankara sent weapons and ammunition to Israel.
In the report shared by the Turkish Statistical Institute's Foreign Trade Statistics Database, Turkey's exports to Israel included precious metals, chemicals, insecticides, gunpowder, explosives, aircraft parts, nuclear reactor parts, weapons and ammunition.
Nonetheless, Trading Economics published that in January 2024, Ankara exported about $319 million in goods to Israel, despite Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's strong support of the Palestinian cause in the face of aggression by Israel.
Since Oct. 7 and the war in the Gaza Strip, Erdogan has strictly condemned Israeli attacks on Gaza. In early March, the Turkish president said: "What is happening in Gaza is not a conflict, it is a genocide, because even wars have their own rules."
Furthermore, another report by Karar Daily confirmed that trade activity between Turkey and Israel is still ongoing and led by companies which have links with the Independent Industrialists and Businessmen's Association (MUSIAD), known to be the main supporters of Erdogan.
After the reports about trade between Turkey and Israel, pro-Palestinian activists and advocates took to social media to decry the Turkish leader and accused him of "hypocrisy" amid his "strong speeches" towards Palestinian people, but continuing trade with Tel Aviv.
