![Palestinian and Turkish officials attended the reopening of a carpentry production and training workshop in Jericho, in the occupied West Bank, supported by the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA). Among the attendees were Interior Minister Ziad Hab Al-Reeh, Grand Mufti Muhammad Hussein, local Jericho officials, economic and educational representatives, and Turkish Consul General Ismail Çobanoglu, on 20 Nov 2025 [Tika/Anadolu Agency]](https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/AA-20251120-39761798-39761792-BDM_TRKY_D_FTTH_WRSH_NTJ_WTDRYB_LLNJR_FY_LDF_LGRBY.jpg)
A routine cabinet meeting in Israel on Sunday turned into a heated confrontation that escalated into calls to curtail Turkish activities in occupied Jerusalem, including demands to shut down the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) and expel its staff. The dispute began with a sharp exchange between Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir over planned “milk sector reforms”. The argument quickly transformed into accusations over trade policy and the import of foreign goods. Ben-Gvir accused Smotrich of pushing a plan that “opens the market to the Turks”, warning that reliance on imported milk could become a strategic liability in any future conflict. Smotrich dismissed the claim, suggesting Ben-Gvir did not understand the details of the […]
