Turkey suspends trade with Israel due to the humanitarian tragedy unfolding in Gaza
Ankara says Turkey will continue to implement these measures until Israel allows the “uninterrupted and proper delivery” of humanitarian aid to the region. Exports and imports of all products related to Israel have been suspended,” the Turkish Trade Ministry said in a statement.
The statement said the measures would remain in place until Israel “permits the uninterrupted and adequate delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. The trade volume between the two countries was estimated at $6.8 billion in 2023.
Israel blamed President Erdoğan for violating the agreements:
Israeli Foreign Minister Katz has accused Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of breaking joint agreements by blocking Israeli exports and imports.
A dictator is behaving like this, disregarding the Turkish people’s and businessmen’s interests and international trade agreements,” Katz wrote on social media platform X. He said Israel would seek an alternative to Turkey for trade, focusing on local production and imports from other countries.
Before Thursday’s announcement, Turkey had imposed restrictions on a broader range of exports to Israel last month. At that time, Turkey said that Israel had stopped the Turkish Air Force’s efforts to deliver aid to Gaza.
Deteriorating relations between Turkey and Israel:
Turkey is one of the few Muslim-majority countries to recognise Israel, which has seen large demonstrations in support of the Palestinians in Gaza.
After years of normalising relations, Turkey has become one of the fiercest critics of Israeli military operations in Gaza.
More than 80 per cent of the Gaza Strip’s total population of 2.3 million has been displaced by the war, while the number of dead in Gaza has so far exceeded 34,500.
Israeli Foreign Minister Katz has accused Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of breaking joint agreements by blocking Israeli exports and imports.
A dictator is behaving like this, disregarding the interests of the Turkish people and businessmen and disregarding international trade agreements,” Katz wrote on social media platform X.
He said Israel would seek an alternative to Turkey for trade, focusing on local production and imports from other countries. Dozens of people were arrested on suspicion of spying for Israel.
Coca-Cola and Nestle banned in Turkish parliament:
Before Thursday’s announcement, Turkey had imposed restrictions on a broader range of exports to Israel last month. At that time, Turkey said that Israel had stopped the Turkish Air Force’s efforts to deliver aid to Gaza.
Turkey is one of the few Muslim-majority countries to recognise Israel, which has seen large demonstrations in support of the Palestinians in Gaza.
After years of normalising relations, Turkey has become one of the fiercest critics of Israeli military operations in Gaza.
More than 80 percent of the Gaza Strip’s total population of 2.3 million has been displaced by the war, while the number of dead in Gaza has so far exceeded 34,500.
