Solidarity with the People of Turkey stands with the people of Palestine and with progressive organisations worldwide calling for an end to Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
A new report by the Palestinian Youth Movement, Energy Embargo for Palestine and Filistin İçin Bin Genç exposes the Turkish state’s false claims of a trade embargo on Israel. It reveals a deliberate pattern of secrecy, duplicity and corporate collusion that has allowed vital energy supplies to continue flowing to Israel throughout the genocide.
Despite announcing a total suspension of trade in May 2024, Turkey has remained a key conduit for Israeli oil supplies. Around 40 percent of Israel’s oil during this period has come via the Baku Tbilisi Ceyhan pipeline. This oil is refined into jet fuel, diesel and other products used by the Israeli military and to sustain illegal settlements. These shipments were not accidental or marginal. They represent a systematic and sustained trade that theTurkish state has permitted while publicly claiming the opposite.
The report documents how these transfers were carried out covertly through falsifieddestinations, disabled tracking systems and manipulated shipping data. This behaviour fits a wider pattern in which the Turkish state has publicly adopted moral postures while enabling grave human rights abuses behind the scenes. For years, Turkey has deepened its economic ties with Israel while presenting itself as a defender of Palestinian rights. The findings also expose wider international complicity. The BTC pipeline is majority owned and operated by BP, a British energy giant whose London based subsidiaries exercise daily control over the supply chain. BP’s role directly implicates the UK government, given the company’s close relationship with the British state and its ongoing interests in Israel’s energy sector, including exploration in occupied Palestinian waters. Corporate profit continues to be prioritised over international law and human life.
Greek shipping companies, particularly Kyklades Maritime Corporation and Thenamaris Ships Management, manage most of the vessels involved in these covert transfers. These companies have a record of evading sanctions and embargoes and have profited from this trade while Turkish authorities deny its existence.
As a member of the Hague Group, Turkey has committed to preventing the transfer of dual use items to Israel. BTC crude oil clearly qualifies, given its direct conversion into military jet fuel. Continued exports therefore place Turkey in breach of its own international commitments and its declared embargo.
SPOT affirms that responsibility lies with states and corporations, not with the people of Turkey. Workers and communities are being misled while their ports and infrastructure are used to fuel mass violence elsewhere. Genuine solidarity demands accountability and action.
We therefore endorse the report and call for:
1. An immediate halt to all energy shipments from Turkey to Israel and full
enforcement of the trade embargo.
2. Support for dockworkers and communities in Turkey taking action to stop shipments
involving BP and the identified shipping companies.
3. Pressure on the Hague Group and its signatories to enforce compliance and hold states accountable.
Stopping the flow of resources that enable genocide is essential. SPOT stands in solidarity with Palestine and will continue to support the resistance of the Palestinian people.
