The Turkish parliament has decided to stop selling products from Coca-Cola and Nestle in its campus restaurants, cafeterias and tea houses, citing their alleged support for the Israeli war on Gaza.
The parliament issued a statement on Tuesday, saying that the decision was made by Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmus, who acted on public demand. The statement did not name the companies, but a source told Reuters that Coca-Cola beverages and Nestle instant coffee were the only brands affected by the boycott.
The move comes amid a wave of social media campaigns in Turkey, calling for people to shun Israeli goods and Western companies that back the Israeli military operation in the Palestinian enclave. Turkey has been one of the most vocal critics of the Israeli occupation, condemning them as genocide and terrorism.
The boycott also reflects the deteriorating diplomatic and economic ties between Turkey and the Israeli occupation, which have reached a new low since the start of the war in Gaza. On Saturday, Turkey said it had recalled its ambassador to the Israeli occupation for consultations over the Israeli sustained bombing of civilians in the Gaza Strip and the worsening humanitarian situation in the besieged enclave.
Last month, Israeli diplomats had left Turkey for security reasons after many pro-Palestinian demonstrations erupted across the country. Its Ministry of Foreign Affairs later said it had recalled the diplomats to assess the state of bilateral relations.
According to the Turkish trade minister, Omer Bolat, trade between Turkey and the Israeli occupation has dropped by half since the start of the war, compared with the same period last year. Bolat made the comments during an official visit to Kuwait on Monday. He said that Turkey was looking for alternative markets and partners in the region.
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