Turkish Opposition Criticizes Israeli Shipments Through Ports, Intensifying Trade Ban Debate
According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, Turkish opposition party İYİ Party has sharply criticized the continued passage of ships linked to Israel through Turkish ports. Tuerhan Cümbez, Deputy Chairman of the İYİ Party’s parliamentary group, highlighted that several vessels departed from Ambarli port for Ashdod in the occupied territories, while others sailed from Iskenderun to Haifa. Cümbez urged Turkish authorities to intervene and halt these maritime movements. This call brings renewed attention to Turkey‘s decision to suspend trade with the Israeli regime and the effectiveness of its implementation. Previously, Cümbez had reported on indirect routes used by ships bound for Israeli ports, with destinations altered to places like Greece and Romania.
The recent developments follow a strong statement from Turkey’s Presidential Communications Directorate. Responding to remarks by Benjamin Netanyahu’s office targeting President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the directorate dismissed the statements as baseless, shameful, lacking historical accuracy and political seriousness, and indicative of a government’s deadlock and inability to escape the consequences of war crimes and crimes against humanity. The statement further characterized Netanyahu’s cabinet’s “pathetic policy,” pursued for electoral gains, as having no resonance within the international community or the region. The directorate added that inappropriate statements from a regime awaiting international justice for genocide merely reflect their anger and frustration with Turkey’s firm stance. The entity also cautioned against the Israeli cabinet’s attempts to portray Turkey as a “new threat,” emphasizing that escalating tensions for domestic political rivalries within the occupied territories poses serious risks to regional and global peace and stability.
Meanwhile, the Speaker of the Turkish Parliament, Numan Kurtulmuş, asserted in a social media post that Netanyahu, as the primary architect of genocide in the Gaza Strip, cannot conceal his crimes or evade responsibility for historical atrocities by accusing Turkey and its president. Kurtulmuş branded the Israeli Prime Minister’s office’s remarks as “outrageous,” stating that these “Zionist gangs” hold no value or credibility for Turkey. He concluded his post by writing that Netanyahu and his cabinet will eventually face trial in international courts.
This Turkish position was issued following a statement from the Israeli Prime Minister’s office. In response to an arrest warrant issued for Netanyahu in Turkey, the office claimed that Recep Tayyip Erdoğan seeks to expand his aggression against Israel through Syria, a move Israel stated it would not tolerate. Netanyahu’s office’s statement asserted that Erdoğan’s “shameful attempt” to intimidate Israeli political and military leaders would be futile, and that Israel would continue its decisive action against Turkey’s efforts to destabilize the region and any threat to its security. The statement further alleged that Erdoğan is an “anti-Semitic dictator” who has massacred Kurds, harbored Hamas elements, occupied half of Cyprus, and imprisoned an unprecedented number of journalists and political opponents. It reiterated that Israel would not tolerate his alleged attempts to extend his aggression against Israel into Syria.
This sharp rebuke from Netanyahu’s office against Turkey occurs as Ankara requested Interpol to detain the Israeli Prime Minister. Turkish Minister of Justice, Yılmaz Tunç, announced that the country has sought an Interpol “Red Notice” for Netanyahu due to ongoing legal proceedings against him for genocide.
