In Ankara’s first major move against Israel after six months of conflict, Turkey on Tuesday banned shipments to Israel of a wide variety of goods unless a truce is proclaimed in Gaza.
Israel declared that it will impose its own restrictions on goods from Turkiye in retaliation for the sanctions, which include bans on the export of steel, fertilizer, and jet fuel.
Turkiye has criticized Israel for its Gaza war, which was started in response to the October 7th assault by the Palestinian organization Hamas. Ankara has supplied hundreds of tons of assistance to Gaza, urged for an urgent ceasefire, and supported actions to hold Israel accountable for genocide.
Nevertheless, Ankara continued to have business relations with Israel in spite of its harsh language, which incited a reaction at home. The trade restrictions, which go into effect on Tuesday, are a reaction to Israel turning down Turkey’s request to participate in an airdrop of humanitarian supplies into Gaza.
According to the Trade Ministry, the restrictions would be in place for exports of goods falling under 54 distinct categories, including as iron, marble, steel, cement, aluminum, brick, fertilizer, building supplies and equipment, aviation fuel, and more.
“This decision will remain in place until Israel, under its obligations emanating from international law, urgently declares a ceasefire in Gaza and allows the unhindered flow of sufficient humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip,” it stated.
Israel’s foreign minister responded to the penalties by claiming that Turkiye had “unilaterally violated” trade accords with Israel.President Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey “is again sacrificing the economic interests of the people of Turkiye in order to support Hamas, and we will respond in kind,” according to Israel Katz.
Israel and Turkey withdrew their ambassadors shortly after the Israel-Hamas war began, exchanging insults on a regular basis. The action on Tuesday marks Ankara’s first major strike against Israel since the war began.
Erdogan’s administration has been under increasing pressure in recent weeks due to its ongoing business links with Israel; this has led to some anti-government demonstrations and weakened public support.
Police in Istanbul arrested dozens of demonstrators on Saturday who were calling for a stop to commerce with Israel. Erdogan’s attitude toward Israel and the Gaza crisis had a significant role in some of his party’s defeats in the municipal elections held on March 31. A more tough approach on Gaza helped the Islamist New Welfare Party (Yeniden Refah) win popularity.
The Turkish Exporters Assembly (TIM) released data showing that, despite a decline in trade with Israel since October 7, shipments to Israel had climbed month over month in 2024. However, according to TIM statistics, overall exports in the first quarter of this year were $1.1 billion, a 21.6% decrease from the same period last year.
According to the Trade Ministry, Turkiye has already ceased supplying Israel with any commodities that may be utilized for military reasons.
The biggest opposition party in Turkey, the Republican People’s Party (CHP), along with other opposition parties, agreed that limiting exports to Israel was a good idea, but they felt that the restrictions went too far.
While other parties pushed the government to ban its ports and airspace to flights and boats bound for Israel, the CHP called for an outright cessation of commerce with Israel.
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