Turkish exports still reach Israel as goods sent to Palestine skyrocket

Turkish businesses have found a way to continue exporting goods to Israel by leveraging Palestinian Authority customs after Turkey officially halted direct trade with Israel in May, following the Gaza conflict, according to recent data.

The Turkish Exporters’ Assembly (TIM) revealed a remarkable 423 percent increase in exports to Palestine in the first eight months of 2024, jumping from $77 million during the same period in 2023 to an impressive $403 million this year.

August, in particular, saw a significant spike in Turkish exports to Palestine, with a surge of 1,156 percent, rising from $10 million last year to $127 million. This suggests a growing trend of using Palestine as a means to maintain trade relations with Israel.

After President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government suffered losses in the March local elections, Ankara has ramped up its criticism of Israel, implementing several measures against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s administration.

Erdogan’s government believes that its previous balanced approach towards both Palestine and Israel’s military actions in Gaza was detrimental to its core support base, particularly among devout Muslim voters who are deeply concerned about the situation in Gaza.

Middle East Eye previously reported that even though Ankara enforced a complete trade ban with Israel, business between the two nations has persisted through third-party countries like Greece.

Turkish businessmen argue that commerce always finds a way to circumvent such bans.

A Turkish businessperson involved in facilitating trade between Turkey and Israel confirmed to MEE that exports were still reaching Israeli buyers despite the sanctions.

“As some senior Turkish officials have remarked privately, the government cannot fully track the final destination of Turkish exports as they are officially recorded as being bound for Palestine,” the businessperson explained.

“The customs and trade ministry are not detectives; their role is not to investigate the ultimate destination of exports. The main objective for Turkey was to make a public stance against Israel, which they have achieved and are continuing to do.”

Data shows that certain goods saw particularly large increases in export volume this year.

For example, steel exports to Palestine skyrocketed by 8,722 percent in the first eight months of the year, rising from $430,000 to $37.9 million. In August alone, the increase was a staggering 125,437 percent compared to the previous year, climbing from $17,400 to $21.8 million.

Similarly, exports of chemicals surged by 3,388 percent in August compared to last year, rising from $428,000 to $16 million, while mining product exports soared 62,174 percent to $6.2 million. There were also substantial increases in exports of iron, fruits and vegetables, and air conditioning units.