Turkey collects $1.27 per barrel of oil transported through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline, which supplies a significant portion of Israel’s crude oil, a lawmaker from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) revealed on Thursday, denying that the oil ended up in Israel despite facts to the contrary.
Following a Hamas attack on Israel October 7, 2023, which led to the death of approximately 1,200 Israelis, Israel launched an intense military campaign in Gaza. This bombardment, which has killed more than 43,000 Palestinians — mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s health ministry — has drawn widespread international condemnation. Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, following a case brought by South Africa in late 2023.
Turkey, one of Israel’s most vocal critics, has strongly denounced Israel’s actions in Gaza.
However, the Turkish government has been harshly criticized and accused of hypocrisy for allowing the flow of Azerbaijani crude oil to Israel from Ceyhan through the BTC pipeline, despite a trade ban Turkey imposed on Israel in May due to “war crimes” it claims Israel is committing in Gaza.
The Turkish Energy Ministry said in a written statement on Monday that the BTC pipeline, established through an international agreement signed in November 1999 by Turkey, Azerbaijan and Georgia, is operated under a host government agreement, adding that the Turkish state-run Petroleum Pipeline Corporation (BOTAŞ) manages the Turkey section of the pipeline under an operational agreement with BTC partners.
The binding agreement from 1999 mandates conditions of BTC operation, regardless of regional developments. The terms of the BTC agreement, which obligate Turkey to maintain the oil flow even during periods of conflict, is criticized for prioritizing oil trade over human rights and national sovereignty. BTC is known to supply around 40 percent of Israel’s annual crude oil consumption.
“BOTAŞ International AŞ has no involvement or discretion over the sale of the oil transported through the pipeline,” the statement said, also claiming that the “accusations” of Turkey’s oil shipments from Ceyhan to Israel are “completely baseless.”
According to information shared by Özlem Zengin, a lawmaker from the ruling AKP, during a parliamentary session on Thursday, the oil flowing through the BTC pipeline contributes $1.27 per barrel to Turkey’s revenues, sparking outrage among critics and fueling accusations of hypocrisy as the country is profiting from Israel’s crude oil imports while decrying their activities.
Zengin, deputy chair of the AKP parliamentary group, emphasized that the agreement was ratified before the AKP came to power and that Turkey has no control over the final destinations of oil shipments.
“Around 700,000 barrels of oil flow daily through the BTC pipeline. This translates to filling one tanker every 1.5 days,” Zengin said.
Critics argue that government’s denials of oil flowing to Israel are in contradiction with facts.
Ships hide destinations to mask trade with Israel
Allegations of covert trade with Israel have intensified following revelations made by opposition politician Turhan Çömez, who shared data indicating that a cargo ship departed İzmir’s Aliağa Nemrut port and later docked in Israel’s Haifa port. The ship, identified as the Kaan Deval, reportedly disabled its automatic identification system for 36 hours to conceal its route, reigniting accusations of ongoing shipments to Israel.
Çömez described the ship’s journey as evidence of continued trade with Israel, writing on social media: “The lies and the trade continue at full speed.”
Investigative journalist Metin Cihan further alleged that Turkish authorities have requested oil companies to avoid listing Israel as the official destination for shipments, opting instead for ambiguous or third-party destinations like Egypt in official records.
Cihan claims that such practices aim to deflect domestic and international criticism, all while ensuring uninterrupted oil supply to Israel. He also cited data from Israeli media claiming a 55 percent increase in oil imports from the BTC pipeline during the first half of 2024, contradicting Ankara’s claims.
The revelations have sparked widespread criticism, with activists and opposition leaders accusing the Turkish government of prioritizing economic gains over its public stance on Palestine. Critics highlight the apparent contradiction between Turkey’s vocal condemnation of Israel’s actions in Gaza and its continued facilitation of oil shipments through the BTC pipeline and Turkish ports.
Protests against Turkey over oil trade with Israel
Protests against Turkey’s alleged complicity in Israel’s military actions in Gaza have intensified.
On Sunday, climate activist Greta Thunberg called for demonstrations at Turkish and Azerbaijani embassies worldwide, urging both countries to halt oil exports to Israel. Thunberg described Turkey and Azerbaijan as “complicit” in Israel’s violence, accusing them of enabling the “genocide” of Palestinians through their oil policies.
Following Thunberg’s call, pro-Palestinian groups held protests in front of Turkish embassies in the UK, Germany, Crotia and Japan, demanding a halt to supply of crude oil to Israel.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the AKP government have repeatedly defended their actions, denying allegations of hypocrisy and asserting that Turkey has taken the strongest measures against Israel, including halting official trade. Erdoğan, speaking to journalists on his return from diplomatic visits to Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan, dismissed the claims of continued trade as politically motivated slander.
Erdoğan has repeatedly accused Israel of “genocidal behavior” and compared the Netanyahu administration’s actions to those of Nazi Germany.
However, while official data show a near cessation of direct exports to Israel, trade with Palestine has surged to unprecedented levels, raising questions about whether goods are being rerouted to Israel.
Data from the Turkish Exporters’ Assembly (TİM) show a significant increase in Turkish exports to Palestine.
According to TİM’s data, Turkish exports to Israel plummeted by 100 percent in September, with the value of goods sent to Israel falling from $460.3 million in September 2023 to just $1,200 in September 2024. Year-to-date figures show a 65.3 percent drop in exports to Israel, from $4.07 billion in the first nine months of 2023 to $1.41 billion during the same period in 2024.
In contrast, Turkish exports to Palestine have surged by more than 1,000 percent in the same period. In September 2024 alone, Turkey exported $167.7 million worth of goods to Palestine, compared to $13.8 million in September 2023 — a 1,113 percent increase. Year-to-date exports to Palestine rose from $91.3 million in 2023 to $571.2 million in 2024, a 525.8 percent jump.
This drastic increase in trade with Palestine, particularly in sectors such as steel, cement, textiles and electronics, has led to speculation that Turkish goods may be entering Israel under the guise of exports to Palestine. Palestine, with its limited infrastructure and economy, would struggle to absorb such large quantities of goods, fueling suspicions that most of these exports are being rerouted to Israel.
Citing recent data from the global shipping tracker MarineTraffic, investigative journalist Cihan revealed that 88 Turkish vessels docked in Israeli ports in the months after Turkey announced a ban on trade with Israel.
Erdoğan’s rhetoric against Israel has intensified in recent months, with the Turkish president claiming that Israel’s expansionist aims could eventually target Turkey. In a speech to the Turkish parliament in September 2024, Erdoğan claimed that Netanyahu’s administration harbors ambitions to extend control over parts of Anatolia.
This rhetoric marks a sharp departure from the tone of bilateral relations just a year ago. In September 2023, Erdoğan met with Netanyahu on the sidelines of a United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York, where the two leaders discussed potential energy cooperation.
However, the escalation of Israel’s military actions in Gaza, which have devastated much of the territory and left its civilian population in dire need, has caused relations to deteriorate rapidly.
Yet, despite the political fallout, Turkey and Israel remain economically interdependent. Diplomatic ties have not been fully severed, and key trade agreements, such as a 2022 aviation deal, remain in effect. Intelligence cooperation between the two countries also continues behind the scenes, according to security sources.
Critics have accused Erdoğan of exploiting the situation for domestic political gain, using anti-Israel rhetoric to rally nationalist support amid economic challenges in Turkey.