Turkish ban will affect Israeli consumers within days: Report
Israeli news site Calcalist says the financial repercussions of the Turkish ban will soon affect Israelis as basic raw materials cease to arrive, prices of basic commodities and food rise, and housing prices go up.
Calcalist’s report stated that Turkey’s decision to cut trade ties with Israel came as a “complete surprise” in Israel, which believed Ankara’s threats to ban goods were empty threats over the war on Gaza.
According to the report, finding alternative sources of import requires time and sets of agreements, and even when they are signed – the prices of goods are likely to be much higher than those demanded by suppliers of goods in Turkey.
Bridging these price gaps will also come from the pockets of Israeli consumers, who already face an increasingly burdensome cost of living.
Calcalist’s report highlighted the construction industry as being particularly affected by the boycott, as well as the automotive industry, where major automakers export a series of popular cars from Turkey to Israel.
Family of Gaza doctor who died in Israeli prison demands justice
The family of a prominent doctor from Gaza, who was reportedly killed in an Israeli prison due to torture, has demanded justice over his death.
Adnan al-Bursh, 50, the head of the orthopaedic department at al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, was arrested by the Israeli army last December as he treated patients at al-Awda Hospital in northern Gaza.
Israeli forces have repeatedly targeted hospitals in Gaza, destroying 26 of the besieged enclave’s 36 hospitals. Israel has killed more than 350 healthcare professionals since launching its military offensive on October 7.
His death was confirmed earlier in the week.
Yazan, al-Bursh’s eldest son, expressed his shock at learning of his father’s fate. “I didn’t know my father had been martyred, it was a shock,” he told Al Jazeera. “Thank God anyway. We belong to God and to Him we return.” He explained that he had been to the Israeli prisons of Negev, Ofer and Ashkelon before he was killed under torture.
Adnan’s wife, Yasmine, said her husband graduated from Jordan in 2009 and obtained the Jordanian Board and the Arab Board in medicine. She explained how the family moved from Jordan to Gaza: “Adnan told me that he was tired of being abroad after 35 years of exile and decided to return to Gaza to serve his people as he always said.”
Yasmine said her husband was a peaceful doctor and had nothing to do with violent actions. Both wife and son called on international organisations to bring justice to the slain doctor.
Qatar’s role as mediator in the truce talks ‘hangs by a thread’
Al Jazeera’s correspondent Hashem Ahelbarra says that when the United States contacted Qatari officials after October 7 to mediate an agreement, Doha saw it as a continuation of a legacy they had built over the last 30 years as regional arbitrators and peacemakers.
He said the Qataris have huge political leverage, referencing several examples of successful mediations, including between the Americans and the Taliban, which was an impressive diplomatic feat.
“This time the dynamics have shifted,” he said, “particularly after they managed to secure a deal by the end of November and then it collapsed”.
The Qataris, Ahelbarra said, feel they have been used as a “political punching bag” by Israel and, based on statements made by Qatari officials, will now possibly reassess its role as mediator.
This could mean that Hamas’s political bureau may have to leave Qatar. “If that happens, it’s not going to just undermine the chances for a settlement soon. It could push this into more uncertainty in the near future because if you ask the political bureau to relocate, they will have three options: Iran, Lebanon and Turkey,” he said.
Qatar committed to its role as mediator, won’t cave in to pressure: Diplomatic sources
Diplomatic sources have told Al Jazeera Arabic that Qatar will not accept any pressure from outside parties and is committed to its role as a mediator between Hamas and Israel. The sources said Qatar has stated it does not impose itself on either side in the conflict and cannot undertake any mediation unless the parties involved request it to do so.
They added that Qatar, in its mediation between Hamas and Israel, had been subjected to pressures that threatened to disrupt its work as an “honest and reliable” mediator in a way it had not previously experienced.
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