Turkey halts all trade with Israel amid worsening Palestinian situation.
Turkey has ceased all exports and imports to and from Israel, as announced by the Turkish trade ministry.
The decision stems from the “worsening humanitarian tragedy” in the Palestinian territories.
“Export and import transactions related to Israel have been stopped, covering all products,” Turkey’s trade ministry said in a statement.
Also read: Israel recalls diplomats from Turkey after Erdogan’s fiery speech
“Turkey will strictly and decisively implement these new measures until the Israeli Government allows an uninterrupted and sufficient flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza.”
In 2023, the trade volume between the two countries reached $6.8 billion. However, tensions arose recently when Turkey imposed trade restrictions on Israel.
This action was in response to Israel’s alleged refusal to permit Ankara to participate in aid air-drop operations for Gaza and its offensive on the enclave.
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Israel’s foreign minister criticized Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, accusing him of violating agreements by obstructing ports for Israeli imports and exports.
“This is how a dictator behaves, disregarding the interests of the Turkish people and businessmen, and ignoring international trade agreements,” Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz posted on social media platform X.
Turkish President Erdogan has halted all trade with Israel, no more exports or imports to Netanyahu and his his genocidal regime…🇹🇷🇮🇱 pic.twitter.com/7HyJyPETaG
— Pelham (@Resist_05) May 2, 2024
As Turkey halts all trade with Israel, Katz stated that he directed the foreign ministry to explore alternative options for trade with Turkey that prioritize local manufacturing and imports from other nations.
