#BDS: Turkey to join OECD meeting in Jerusalem shunned by Spain, Britain

Turkey is sending a delegation to an OECD conference later this month in east Jerusalem despite Spain and Britain's refusal to attend. Ankara's participation in the conference on sustainable tourism is seen as surprising amid the ongoing political tension between the two countries following the Gaza war and Israel's deadly raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla with many Turks onboard

Turkey will be sending a high-level official to Israel for a biannual tourism conference this month despite Britain and Spain’s refusal to attend because the event will take place in east Jerusalem, ministry officials said Tuesday.

Culture and Tourism Ministry Deputy Undersecretary Özgür Özaslan will represent Turkey at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development conference on Oct. 20-22, officials told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review.

The Israeli press has claimed that Palestinians are pressuring European countries to shun the October conference on sustainable tourism, which normally takes place in Paris.

“Nobody is able to attend this meeting from the British side. It is not a boycott; it is a bureaucratic issue, not a political one. We are opposed to any boycott against Israel,” a British diplomat told the Daily News, speaking on condition of anonymity.

“Britain will be participating in future OECD meetings in west Jerusalem,” the diplomat added.