Many Turks are breaking their fast during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan with dates imported from Israel.
Muslims often break their Ramadan fast with dates to follow the tradition of the Prophet Muhammad, leading to high demand for dates during the holy month.
Official data showing dates as one of the top products Turkey imports from Israel was shared by an investigative journalist who exposed the extent of ongoing trade between Turkey and Israel amid the conflict in Gaza, despite Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s harsh criticism of Israel’s military actions.
Israel began pounding Gaza in the aftermath of an unprecedented attack by Hamas militants on October 7, which left some 1,200 people dead in Israel. The death toll in Gaza, in the meantime, has exceeded 30,000, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
Erdoğan, who long marketed himself in the Muslim world as the champion of Palestinian rights and a strong critic of Israel, has repeatedly accused Israel of being a “terrorist state” and committing “genocide” in Gaza due to Israel’s ongoing attacks on the Palestinian enclave.
The trade figures, however, tell a different story.
The trade between Israel and Turkey shows no signs of winding down despite Erdoğan’s comparisons between Netanyahu and Hitler and praise of Hamas as freedom fighters. Shipments from Turkish ports included a wide range of goods such as steel, cement and food, with Turkish companies being the main suppliers.
Israel remains an important trading partner for Turkey, ranking 13th on Turkey’s export list in 2023. Trade between the two countries totaled $5.42 billion last year, accounting for 2.1 percent of Turkey’s total exports.
Israel is directly involved in this trade through state-owned companies.
Data from the Turkish Ministry of Transportation shows that between October 7 and December 31, 2023, an average of eight ships per day made a total of 701 trips from Turkish ports to Israel. Of these, 480 sailed directly, while 221 used Turkey as a transit country.
Turkish exports to Israel rose to $430.6 million in December, an increase of 34.8 percent compared to November, indicating a continued and even growing economic relationship despite the political rhetoric.
Another side of the coin is the imports. Investigative journalist Metin Cihan reported that Turkey mainly imports dates, seeds and waste from Israel.
“So what do we import from Israel? I have listed the main products we import. Dates, seeds and waste. So it goes like this: While the massacre in Gaza continues during Ramadan, we supply the Israeli army and break our fast with Israeli dates for iftar. We destroy our own seeds in agriculture and use seeds from Israel. We buy the waste that Israel sells so that it doesn’t damage its own soil, and we release the chemicals into our own soil. It’s bitter, but it’s true,” Cihan tweeted.
In 2020, Israel produced only 0.5 percent of the world’s dates but is a major exporter, benefiting from its optimal climate and soil conditions along the Jordan River.
This information comes after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved plans for an operation in Rafah, which hosts 1.4 million displaced Palestinians, amid criticism and warnings of potential mass civilian casualties.
Recent revelations by Cihan based on data from open sources show that some companies known for their ties to Erdoğan and his family continue to do business with Israel despite Ankara’s harsh anti-Israel rhetoric over the conflict in Gaza.
The revelation that Erdoğan and his close circle continued trade with Israel drew the ire of critics, who pointed out the hypocrisy of condemning Israel at the government level while privately pursuing a lucrative trade with the country.