ISTANBUL, (Palestine Foundation Information Center), Israel has announced a ban on the entry of several Turkish public figures into the occupied Palestinian territories, a result of their support for the Palestinian cause and their humanitarian contributions towards the war-ravaged Gaza Strip.
The entry ban, first reported last Wednesday, would affect at least 28 noted Turkish figures, including political, religious, media and civil society personalities.
The Israeli ministry of diaspora affairs announced that it had placed 29 Turkish figures on its “blacklist,” including Bilal Erdogan, son of the Turkish president. The decision bars them from entering any of the occupied Palestinian territories and mandates that their names be flagged at all crossings and ports under Israeli control.
According to Hebrew sources, the list also included prominent figures such as Bulent Yildirim, head of the Turkish humanitarian relief foundation (IHH), as well as Ali Erbas, the former head of Türkiye’s directorate of religious affairs, in addition to other personages who are noted for their charitable, social, religious, media, and academic work.
The IOA has justified its decision by claiming that the blacklisted Turkish figures are engaged in efforts to boycott and delegitimize Israel and have publicly voiced positions opposing Israel’s war on Gaza.
