Eid agenda: The blatant jet fuel lie

This holiday, naturally, the main topic of conversation among family, friends, relatives, and social circles was the recent local elections.

Most of my relatives and social circle are AK Party supporters. Their astonishment, sadness, anger, and disappointment were evident. We had plenty of discussions, and I heard many reasonable, logical comments.

One of my uncles said, "Write this down: Before the evening prayers, we talked for a long time. I realized that most of our peers didn't go to vote. No one made any agreements with anyone. Even those who usually support Erdogan have turned away. Why? People waited until the last minute. They felt upset about not seeing any correction made. Some say 'It's good,' while others feel sad about losing the elections. They say, 'I didn't think everyone would not go.' They are still Erdogan supporters, but they expressed their accumulated regrets through the municipal elections."

Hakan Bayrakçı, who shared data from his research on the election results during a television program, echoed almost the same analysis: "The majority of the 8% who didn't go to the polls are aged 55 and older. 90% of them are AK Party supporters. Most of them are retirees. They simply didn't go to the polls."

This data is crucial for the future. The fact that retirees protested the elections without any prior agreement with each other could turn into organization in the next elections.

Furthermore, polling firms and election analysts may not accurately predict the party preference of undecided voters. Even if undecided voters make up their minds, there is now a 8% group who may or may not go to the polls until the last minute. This can disrupt all balances and, according to today's results, puts them in the position of a third party.

Because democracy has turned into a win-win relationship between the electorate and the elected, those who find it unethical will add to their criticism the sanction of the people: "If I can't win, you can't either."

Returning to holiday conversations... There is no end to the citizen's election analyses. Retirees, inflation, unemployment, rent prices, administrators who turn a deaf ear to the public, arrogant politicians, favoritism, cliqueishness, and so on... Everyone has something to say, some observation to make. Everyone feels justified in their own way.

Gaza was the bitterness of this holiday. Without exception, in every visit, in every conversation, the plight of our Muslim brothers and sisters under genocide was brought up. Atmospheres were filled with sadness, and embarrassment was reflected on faces, expressions, and words. You know how they say something is "missing its flavor"? That's how this holiday was.

One of the young ones said, "Bro, what's your take on the trade issue with Israel? Türkiye sold jet fuel to Israel."

Where do we even begin, how do we approach this... "What do you mean?" I asked. Actually, I was expecting the answer, and he said this: "Türkiye sold fuel for the warplanes bombing Gaza to Israel."

Without making any comments, I showed him a clip from the previous evening's TRT Haber broadcast featuring Trade Minister Ömer Bolat. Bolat was clarifying the allegations of 'selling jet fuel' to Israel: "Jet fuel worth $110,000 was provided to a few tourist charter planes in our country. They come from Israel to Türkiye, refuel, and it's recorded in the logs as Türkiye's exports."

In the video we watched, Ömer Bolat also emphasized: "Unfortunately, no international embargo decision has been made until today. With the decision taken this morning, Türkiye has lit the fuse of a signal rocket in the world. Türkiye has become the first country to implement an embargo."

Another young person who asked the question was bewildered and said angrily, "But bro, everyone who read the statement made yesterday understood and interpreted it as 'Türkiye is supplying fuel for Israel's warplanes.' We talked about it endlessly. Mr. Bolat is saying something completely different. Even if they go door to door showing this video, the perception that was created can hardly be corrected."

I completely agreed. This resulted from a lack of information or a failure to include a clarification. Yet, the painful part is that millions of people in the country still believe that Türkiye refueled Israel's warplanes. Because a simultaneous system of slander was also operated.

All these and more are being discussed during holiday gatherings and dissected in cafes. The topics that have entered the public agenda are changing instantly. Correcting a lie, slander, or misconception is almost impossible. I've just shared the initial discussions of the day and the developments at the table on the first day of the holiday. Wishing everyone a blessed holiday.