KABUL: (MEP) Israeli which is itself believed to be supporting militants in the region, has accused Turkey of buying oil from the so-called Islamic State group, thereby funding the militants’ activities.
Moshe Yaalon Israel’s defence minister told reporters in the Greek capital of Athens on Tuesday, IS had “enjoyed Turkish money for oil for a very, very long period of time”.
This comes as last December, Russia released photos showing columns of tanker trucks purportedly loading oil at ISIS -controlled installations in Syria and Iraq before entering neighboring Turkey.
Ankara has denied permitting oil smuggling by ISIS terrorists that control parts of Syria and Iraq.
“It’s up to Turkey, the Turkish government, the Turkish leadership, to decide whether they want to be part of any kind of cooperation to fight terrorism,” Mr Yaalon told reporters after a meeting with his Greek counterpart.
“This is not the case so far. As you know, ISIS enjoyed Turkish money for oil for a very, very long period of time. I hope that it will be ended.”
Mr Yaalon also alleged that Turkey had “permitted jihadists to move from Europe to Syria and Iraq and back”.
According to numerous reports, the Tel Aviv regime has also itself been supporting the militants fighting the government of Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad.
Sources recently said that Israel and Turkey reached a preliminary agreement to normalize ties following a 2010 incident during which Israeli forces stormed the Turkish aid ship Mavi Marmara, as it was on its way to deliver aid to Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip, killing several activists.
In early January, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Ankara and Tel Aviv must improve their relations, noting, “Israel is in need of a country like Turkey in the region. And we too must accept that we need Israel. This is a reality in the region.”
