The Israel-Palestine issue, which seems to have been forgotten for a long time, is on the agenda again. Brutal attack on Palestinians who worship in Masjid al-Aqsa, one of the holiest places of Muslims by the Israeli police on one hand, the efforts of radical Jewish settlers to confiscate the homes of Palestinian families, who have been living in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in East Jerusalem for decades, on the other.
The timing is no accident, according to TR MONITOR foreign affairs columnist Zeynep Gurcanli. “Both events took place precisely in the days when it was understood that Israel’s right-wing Prime Minister Netanyahu could not get the majority support in the 120-member Israeli Parliament (Knesset) and form a coalition government,” she comments.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs made a written statement condemning the attacks. The five parties, which have groups in the Parliament also issued a joint declaration condemning Israel’s attacks. “We demand and support the International Criminal Court to act by developing a clear attitude towards Israel in terms of the events and crime against humanity,” read the statement.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held phone calls with King of Jordan Abdullah II and Emir of Kuwait Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah to discuss the issue. The following days will be determinant on the course of the events and its effects ofn the markets.
As of today, USD/TRY increased by 0.40% to 8.30, while EUR/TRY rose by 0.66% to 10.10 today, compared to yesterday.
Oil prices declined as delivery to the Colonial Pipeline has been suspended until the weekend due to the cyber-attack in the U.S. and some refineries around the Gulf of Mexico have cut the output for this reason. Brent crude declined by 0.98% to USD 67.65 per barrel. Spot gold is traded at USD 1,834.
DAILY AGENDA
The current account posted USD 3.3b deficit in March, a decrease of USD 2.1bn, compared to the same month of the previous year, according to the Central Bank. The 12-month rolling current account deficit (CAD) reached USD 36.12bn in this period.
Industrial production increased by 16.6% in March, compared to the same month of the previous year, according to the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat). Industrial production rose by 0.7% on monthly basis.
The retail sales volume increased by 19.2% in March, compared to the same month of the previous year, according to TurkStat. Retail sales volume also rose by 5.1% on a monthly basis.
The total turnover increased by 49.9% in March, compared to the same month of the previous year, according to TurkStat. On monthly basis, total turnover rose by 5.3%.
The Central Bank will release the Summary of the Monetary Policy Committee meeting (2.00 pm).
