Turkey Halts All Trade With Israel, Officials Say - BNN Bloomberg

15 days ago

BNN

(Bloomberg) -- Turkey confirmed it would halt all trade with Israel until the country allows uninterrupted and sufficient flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza, after two officials familiar with the matter said the pause went into effect earlier Thursday.

Turkey decided to expand last month’s restriction on some Turkish exports to Israel due to the “worsening humanitarian tragedy in Palestine,” the Trade Ministry said in a statement, adding that work was underway to make sure that Palestinians were not adversely affected.

The move adds to already high-running tensions between the once-close allies over the war in Gaza as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan steps up criticism of the Jewish state and tries to consolidate support among conservative voters at home.

“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,” according to the statement. “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.”

Trade between the countries was worth $6.8 billion in 2023, of which 76% was Turkish exports, according to the Turkish Statistical Institute. Israel’s imports from Turkey totaled $4.6 billion in 2023 making it Israel’s sixth largest source for imports, according to Israel’s Central Statistics Bureau. The main imports from Turkey were steel, machinery, minerals and fuels as well as fresh produce and food products.

“This is the behavior of a dictator who tramples the interests of the Turkish people and business community, while ignoring international trade agreements,” Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz said in a post on the social media platform X.

The Israeli government will work to create immediate alternatives for trade with Turkey by increasing local manufacturing and finding other suppliers, he said.

The head of an umbrella organization for industrialists in Israel called on the government to impose protective tariffs of 100% on all imports from Turkey for the next three years and consider banning some imports altogether.

“This is the only way for Erdogan to understand that he cannot toy with us and that his actions will have long-term consequences,” said Ron Tomer, president of the Manufacturers’ Association of Israel, in a statement. He added that Israel should do all it can to encourage the establishment and expansion of local food and construction factories and break away from dependence on Turkey.

The move came a day after Turkey announced plans to join South Africa’s case at the United Nations’ highest court as a plaintiff accusing Israel of committing genocide in the Palestinian territory.

Israel and Turkey restored diplomatic ties last August after a decade of tensions and were exploring ways to increase cooperation until Hamas launched its Oct. 7 attack on the Jewish state, sparking the war. The conflict has triggered a popular backlash across the Arab world and even in the US.

Erdogan called Hamas militants “freedom fighters” and repeatedly criticized Israel’s conduct in the war, which health authorities in Hamas-run Gaza say has killed 34,000 Palestinians. Unlike the US and European Union, Turkey doesn’t consider the group a terrorist organization.

Erdogan hosted Hamas’s political leader in Istanbul on April 20, calling for immediate aid to Gaza.

--With assistance from Patrick Sykes, Tugce Ozsoy and Inci Ozbek.

(Updates with Turkey confirming halt in trade with Israel)