Thursday 11 April 2013

Israel Opens Conduit for Turkish Trade

 
By: Yahya Dbouk
 
Published Thursday, April 11, 2013
 
Israel has opened its seaports and land border crossings for Turkish trade to and from Jordan, Iraq, and the Gulf states. In lieu of the Syrian route, the Israeli option is a safer alternative.

The weekly economic supplement of the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth said that the Israeli decision came after a series of secret meetings that took place recently between Tel Aviv and its neighbors Jordan, Iraq, and Turkey.

These meetings, said the newspaper, prompted a change in Israeli policy, which enabled Ankara to use Israel’s sea and land ports.

According to the newspaper, the Israeli decision relates to goods that can only be transported by land, as opposed to by air. It added, “Ships carrying goods come from Turkish ports unload at the Haifa and Ashdod seaports. [Then the goods are] transported in Israeli trucks to the Sheikh Hussein land border crossing with Jordan.”

An Israeli satellite channel reported that the Sheikh Hussein land crossing with Jordan is now the site of active commerce. It confirmed that “the Israeli-Jordanian agreement was reached in cooperation with Amman and Baghdad.”

Israeli TV broadcast scenes of trucks carrying Turkish goods. The reporter talked to Turkish truck drivers who welcomed Israel’s policy change. One said, “Israel is good and we don’t have any problems with it. We deal with it positively.” Another driver confirmed “Israel’s kind treatment.”

This article is an edited translation from the Arabic Edition.
 
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