The Israel Authorities Firms Authority determined this week to disqualify the participation of a Turkish firm and its consortium within the tender for the privatization of Haifa Port. Sources near the matter have knowledgeable “Globes” that the rationale for the disqualification is that one of many house owners of the Turkish firm can also be a member of the transport firm working Beirut Port in Lebanon.
When representatives of Turkish firm Yilport Holdings entered the corridor for the listening to for the Haifa port privatization tender final November, they weren’t informed why they had been going to be disqualified from the tender. “State safety is a mysterious secret and so they did not trouble to inform us why we had been disqualified,” mentioned Adv. Amnon Epstein, who represents the Group. “It is absurd that the state chased after them to bid for the tender after which stopped them.”
Yilport plans petitioning the courtroom for administrative affairs to null the disqualification.
Intelligence info reveals the connection to the suspect port
In January 2020, Israel determined to denationalise all authorities holdings in Haifa Port to any purchaser or consortium that met the varied standards of related expertise, and monetary power. The choice to denationalise additionally included the necessity to defend Israel’s safety pursuits.
The choice to disqualify the Turkish firm doesn’t stem from skilled issues. The corporate has possession of greater than 20 ports all over the world. However intelligence sources concerned within the tender course of have informed “Globes” that one of many controlling house owners of Yilport, Turkish businessman Robert Yuksel Yildirim can also be a administration member of the CMA CGM Group, one of many world’s largest transport firms.
Amongst different issues CMA CGM operates Beirut port in Lebanon, the place Hezbollah does because it needs. It was in Beirut Port in August 2020 that there was an enormous explosion of Hezbollah’s ammonium nitrate, wherein greater than 200 folks had been killed. Israeli intelligence studies and labeled info point out a connection between CMA GCM and senior Hezbollah figures and Shi’ite terrorist activists worldwide. For instance, the person chargeable for Beirut Port, Lebanon’s Minister of Public Works and Transport Ali Hamieh, is a member of Hezbollah. The corporate additionally operates Latakia port in Syria, by which Iran conveys weapons to Hezbollah.
An in depth intelligence report on these issues was proven to the ministerial committee on privatization and the tenders committee. Yilport initially held a 51% stake within the consortium that included US firm Greenstone, UK-Turkish firm International Ports, and Israeli firm Oceanow. However when it turned clear that the Israeli safety organizations opposed it, the stake was diminished to 25%, with Greenstone taking the controlling stake, however to no avail, the consortium was nonetheless disqualified.
An Israeli safety supply conversant in the matter informed “Globes” that Israel couldn’t enable itself to let Haifa Port, an important a part of the nation’s infrastructure, be below the management of an organization with oblique contacts with Hezbollah. “The intelligence info is evident,” the supply claims. “The chance, even when solely checked out theoretically, wouldn’t enable every other choice.”
The choice to disqualify Yilport has not come as a shock in Turkey and it’s not anticipated to hurt bettering relations between Israel and Turkey.
Dr. Hay Eytan Cohen Yanarocak, an skilled on Turkish politics on the Moshe Dayan Heart for Center Jap and African Research at Tel Aviv College informed “Globes,” “Belief has not but reached the extent at which Israel might let a Turkish firm be the proprietor of the port.”
However he’s optimistic concerning the future. “It doesn’t need to be an impediment and after realizing normalization, it could possibly be doable for Turkish firms to take part in tenders.”
Gokhan Cinkara, a columnist with Turkish newspaper Unbiased informed “Globes,” “The disqualification of Yilport’s bid will not affect the normalization course of between the nations.” Cinkara mentioned that Turkey’s secularists are happy with the normalization course of, the conservatives are cautious about Erdogan’s coverage and the Islamists are very sad.
Printed by Globes, Israel enterprise information – en.globes.co.il – on February 14, 2022.
© Copyright of Globes Writer Itonut (1983) Ltd., 2022.
