Turkey confirmed that starting from Thursday (May 2), it halted all trade with Israel until the country ensured a sufficient flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza, according to Bloomberg.
Ankara decided to extend restrictions imposed last month on some Turkish exports to Israel due to the “worsening humanitarian tragedy in Palestine,” the Trade Ministry stated, adding that work was underway to ensure that Palestinians were not adversely affected.
“The second phase of the measures taken at the state level has been started, and export and import transactions related to Israel have been suspended to cover all products. Turkey will firmly and decisively implement these new measures until the government of Israel allows an uninterrupted and sufficient flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza.”
According to the Turkish Statistical Institute, in 2023, trade between the countries totalled $6.8 billion, of which 76% was Turkish exports. According to Israel’s Central Statistics Bureau, Israel’s imports from Turkey totalled $4.6 billion in 2023, making it Israel’s sixth largest source of imports. The main imported goods were steel, machinery, minerals, and fuels as well as fresh produce and food products.
Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz stated that his government would work to create immediate alternatives to trade with Turkey by increasing local production and finding other suppliers.
This is the behavior of a dictator who tramples the interests of the Turkish people and business community, while ignoring international trade agreements.
The trade halt was declared a day after Turkey announced plans to join South Africa’s case at the UN’s highest court as a plaintiff accusing Israel of committing genocide in the Gaza Strip. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan called Hamas militants “freedom fighters” and repeatedly criticised Israel’s behaviour in a war that the Gaza health ministry said had killed more than 34,000 Palestinians. On April 20, Erdoğan hosted a Hamas political leader in Istanbul, urging immediate aid to Gaza.
The violence in Gaza sparked outrage around the world, including student protests in the US that ended with hundreds of protesters detained. However, President Joe Biden claimed on Thursday that continued student demonstrations against Israel’s war in Gaza had not made him reconsider his stance on the region.
