 and at least one Turkish infrastructure company visited Israel this week to attend a bidders conference for the Tel Aviv metro project, Israeli media reported, despite Ankara’s claim of an ongoing trade embargo on Israel.){kind=link}
Turkey’s Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEİK) and at least one Turkish infrastructure company visited Israel this week to attend a bidders conference for the Tel Aviv metro project, Israeli media reported, despite Ankara’s claim of an ongoing trade embargo on Israel.
Israeli news website i24NEWS reported on Tuesday that representatives of DEİK and Simtay, a Turkish infrastructure company, were in Israel for a professional tour organized by NTA Metropolitan Mass Transit System Ltd., the Israeli government-owned company leading the metro project. The event was held in coordination with Israel’s Ministry of Transport and is part of the pre-qualification stage ahead of an international tender.
The i24 report incorrectly identified DEİK as a Turkish company. DEİK is Turkey’s main business diplomacy organization operating under the supervision of the Trade Ministry. It coordinates foreign economic relations on behalf of the Turkish private sector and is not itself a construction company.
The i24 report also incorrectly listed Akkord as a Turkish company, although it is Azerbaijani. The confusion may stem from Akkord’s links to Turkey, including General Director Ayhan Keskinkılıç, a Turkish construction executive who is also listed as chairman of the Turkey-based HAYAP Group construction company.
NTA documents show that a three-day participants conference in Tel Aviv from February 23 to 25 included site visits, project briefings and one-on-one meetings with prospective bidders. The process concerns the first phase of the metro network, which includes 78 kilometers of tunnels and 59 underground stations, with an estimated cost of 65 billion shekels, or roughly $18 billion at current exchange rates.
The planned metro system is expected to span about 150 kilometers and connect 24 municipalities across the Tel Aviv metropolitan area, known in Israel as Gush Dan. Israeli media have described it as one of the largest infrastructure projects in the country’s history.
Participation in a bidders conference does not necessarily mean a company has submitted or will submit a formal offer. The prequalification stage allows firms to demonstrate technical and financial capacity before they are invited to bid on specific construction packages. Neither DEİK nor the Turkish entities named in the i24NEWS report has publicly confirmed attendance, and NTA has not released an official list of participants.
The reported visit comes as President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s government maintains a sweeping halt of trade with Israel over Gaza. Israel’s military campaign in Gaza began after the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel and triggered political fallout in Turkey, where Erdoğan has cast himself as one of Israel’s sharpest critics while facing pressure over trade links that continued for months after the start of Israel’s offensive.
Turkey’s trade ministry said on May 2, 2024, that it had stopped all exports and imports to and from Israel, citing what it called a worsening humanitarian tragedy in the Palestinian territories.
Despite Ankara’s embargo claims, trade trackers and media reports have described how shipments continued by shifting routes.
United Nations International Trade Statistics Database figures previously showed Turkey was Israel’s fifth-largest supplier in 2024, with exports totaling $2.86 billion, despite Ankara’s public stance.
Since October 2023 UN experts, rights groups and courts have warned that Israel’s siege, bombardment and forced displacement of Palestinians in Gaza meet the definition of genocide.
Gaza remains in crisis after Israel’s military campaign that followed the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel. Local health authorities have reported more than 71,000 deaths in Gaza. A ceasefire that took effect on October 10 has not ended Israel’s deadly strikes.
A UN report in October said Turkey was among the countries that enabled Israel’s genocide, citing trade data showing continued oil shipments and trans-shipments from Turkish ports to Israel through intermediaries despite the official trade suspension.