In a pointed inquiry, Ahmet Davutoğlu, the leader of Turkey’s Future Party, challenged President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of the AK Party over the ongoing trade between Turkey and Israel. During the Future Party’s Ordinary Congress in Konya, Davutoğlu questioned the rationale behind the continued shipment of oil and other commodities to Israel, despite claims of no financial obligations to the country.
“Why continue oil shipments from Ceyhan to Israel if we owe nothing?” Davutoğlu asked. He further probed the reasons behind the transport of food, cement, and iron from ports like Mersin and Antalya to Israel’s Haifa Port, highlighting a discrepancy in Erdoğan’s statements about Turkey’s financial ties with Israel.
Davutoğlu commended Erdoğan for stating that Turkey has no debt to Israel but simultaneously expressed concern over the underlying implications of ongoing trade. “We applaud the president’s claim of no debt to Israel, but it’s crucial to scrutinize why our resources—fuel for Israeli planes, food for their soldiers, building materials for settlers—are still being supplied,” he remarked, emphasizing the need for accountability in Turkey’s foreign trade policies.
