Türkiye rejects military cooperation claims with Israel
Amid a flurry of disinformation regarding the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Türkiye counters claims of military cooperation with Tel Aviv, which it has fervently criticized for the slaughter of innocent Palestinians
THE DEFENSE Ministry rejected claims of cooperation with Israel, especially in the defense sector, which it said would harm Palestinians.
“It is not possible for the Republic of Türkiye, which has always supported Palestine, to carry out or engage in any activity that would harm the Palestinians,” the ministry said Tuesday.
“The National Defense Ministry does not have any activities with Israel, including military training, exercises or defense industry cooperation.”
It added that Israel’s ongoing acts of violence in the Gaza Strip, targeting hospitals, schools, places of worship, refugee camps and civilians, unfortunately continue “without discrimination.”
The statement came after claims by some media outlets that Türkiye continues to export gunpowder, weapons and ammunition to Israel.
Separately, the Turkish Presidency’s Directorate of Communications Center for Countering Disinformation also rejected the reports after examining several social media posts. “The products in the 93rd chapter of the alleged export list are not war weapons and ammunition but ungrooved rifle spare parts and accessories and fishing equipment used for individual purposes such as sports and hunting,” it said on X. According to data from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat), there have been no exports of rifles for sports and hunting purposes since May 2023, which already had low figures, it added. “The products exported under the heading ‘Gunpowder and explosives,
pyrotechnic products, matches, pyrophoric alloys, combustible preparations’ in the 36th chapter of the export list were ‘gel fuel and lighter fluid.’ It has been determined that attempts were made to manipulate public opinion regarding the products included in the chapter headings of the Customs Tariff and exported by private companies,” it added.
Ankara has been a staunch advocate of a two-state solution, with an independent Palestine, even before a new round of conflict began between Palestine and Israel last October. This time, it escalated its rhetoric against the United States over the latter’s blatant support of what President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan calls “war crimes” committed by the Netanyahu administration against innocent Palestinians.
Türkiye collaborates with Egypt, which hosts the only feasible land crossing with Gaza for the delivery of aid.
Since the new round of conflict broke in the region, Türkiye sent thousands of tons of aid to Egypt for delivery to Gaza, either by military planes or vessels. Turkish charities organized nationwide campaigns to collect donations for Gazans.
Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on the Palestinian territory since an Oct. 7 cross-border attack by Hamas.
At least 32,414 Palestinians have since been killed and 74,787 others injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.
On Monday, the U.N. Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire in Gaza during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, but Israel rejected it and vowed to continue its war on the Palestinian enclave.
The Israeli war, now in its 173rd day, has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave’s infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the U.N.
Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.
The new round of conflict is accompanied by a barrage of online disinformation campaigns and biased coverage, especially in the Western media adopting a pro-Israeli narrative. Earlier, Türkiye denied claims on social media that Türkiye delivered thermal underwear for Israeli troops when a photo showing “Made in Turkey” labels on a shipment of military equipment to the Israeli army surfaced. Türkiye also faced false claims of “genocide” toward the Kurds by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu himself after Ankara accused the Israeli administration of war crimes toward innocent Palestinians. Türkiye and Israel were in the process of normalizing their relations when the new round of the conflict broke out. Ankara shelved normalization plans and vowed to pursue the rights of Palestinians after October 7.