Businesses in İncirlik in hot waters amid Israel-Hamas war

ADANA

Local businesses in the southern province of Adana’s İncirlik district, where a joint Turkish-U.S. defense facility is located, have been facing challenging times following a ban on foreign soldiers leaving the base over protests against Israel and the U.S. due to the Israel-Hamas war.

Following the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war on Jan. 7, with Israeli airstrikes causing the deaths of thousands of civilians in the Gaza Strip, numerous protests were held in the country both against Israel and the United States.

As a result, a significant portion of the income for local businesses, which relied on American soldiers’ shopping, came to a halt due to the order.

Businesses in İncirlik, home to the air base, experienced its heyday in the early 2000s with the presence of over 20,000 foreign soldiers during the Second Gulf War and the U.S. invasion of Iraq.

The shops of leather goods and carpets, jewelers, souvenir stores and upscale entertainment venues faced a downturn after the reduction of the number of soldiers in 2002. The ban on American soldiers leaving the base due to the threat of the ISIL terror group in 2011 brought a complete standstill to the vibrancy the district once had. Consequently, many businesses closed their doors.

On Jan 21, permission was granted for American soldiers to leave the base, and upon hearing this news, local businesses reopened and invested in refurbishing and reorganizing their establishments. However, these efforts were short-lived as the outbreak of the Israel-Palestine conflict and the subsequent prohibition on soldiers leaving the base led to a new downturn in business.

Some business owners expressed that they faced backlash from protesters for attempting to continue their trade during the conflict.

Mürsel Gürbüz, who owns a clothing store in the district, said, "We all sold our homes and cars to renovate our businesses. Some even went into debt. The recent developments have had a terrible impact on us. Some can't repay their debts. We understand the protesters; we share the same views and support the cause, but everyone is worried about their work and livelihood."