Israeli Defense Minister: ISIS is Funded by Oil Sales to Turkey

On Tuesday, February 6, Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon stated that the Islamic State (ISIS) has been financed for a "long time" through oil sales with "Turkish money." Speaking to reporters after a meeting with his Greek counterpart in Athens, he said, "The decision is up to Turkey and the Turkish government and leaders whether they want to be part of any anti-terrorism operations or not. Currently, they are not." Ya'alon added, "As you know, ISIS has been financed for a very, very long time through oil sales with Turkish money. I hope this practice stops." Accusations against Turkey regarding allowing oil transactions with ISIS have previously been heard mostly from Russian and Iranian officials. Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused the Turkish government of trading oil with ISIS, but Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has assured that he will resign if such accusations are proven. Mohsen Rezaei, Secretary of Iran's Expediency Discernment Council, also stated on December 4 that the Islamic Republic has "information" and "videos" of ISIS oil sales in Turkey. He added that "if the Turkish government is unaware of ISIS oil sales in their country, we are ready to provide them with this information." These statements came as Erdoğan warned Iranian President Hassan Rouhani about Iranian media's accusations against his family regarding illegal oil trade with ISIS. Ya'alon's recent comments about Turkey could damage the process of improving relations between the two countries. Erdoğan and Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu have recently expressed clear interest in normalizing relations with Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also expressed hope that his country's relations with Turkey will return to normal as soon as possible, calling it "beneficial for both countries." Relations between Israel and Turkey have been tense since the Mavi Marmara incident six years ago.