{"id":42017,"date":"2024-05-03T12:35:56","date_gmt":"2024-05-03T12:35:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/05\/03\/turkey-halts-trade-with-israel-amid-deteriorating-relations\/"},"modified":"2024-05-03T12:35:56","modified_gmt":"2024-05-03T12:35:56","slug":"turkey-halts-trade-with-israel-amid-deteriorating-relations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/05\/03\/turkey-halts-trade-with-israel-amid-deteriorating-relations\/","title":{"rendered":"Turkey Halts Trade With Israel Amid Deteriorating Relations"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Turkey said late Thursday that it had halted all trade with Israel until \u201cuninterrupted and adequate humanitarian aid is allowed into Gaza,\u201d signaling further deterioration in relations between the two countries.<\/p>\n

Turkey\u2019s Trade Ministry said in a statement<\/a> that exports and imports \u201cfor all products\u201d would pause. On Friday, the trade minister, Omer Bolat, said that the suspension would remain in place until Israel\u2019s bombardment of Gaza stops.<\/p>\n

\u201cUntil a permanent cease-fire is established and uninterrupted humanitarian aid is allowed into Gaza, suspension of trade with Israel will be implemented for all imports and exports,\u201d Mr. Bolat said at a news conference to announce monthly trade figures.<\/p>\n

The move, which was initially reported by Bloomberg<\/a>, prompted the Israeli foreign minister, Israel Katz, to lash out at Turkey\u2019s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is how a dictator behaves, disregarding the interests of the Turkish people and businessmen, and ignoring international trade agreements,\u201d Mr. Katz said in a post on social media<\/a>. Mr. Katz added that he had instructed the Foreign Ministry to create alternatives to trading with Turkey, focusing on local production and imports from other countries.<\/p>\n

Turkey reported $5.4 billion in exports to Israel in 2023 and $1.64 billion in imports, according to United Nations figures.<\/p>\n

Mr. Erdogan did not comment publicly on any changes in Turkey\u2019s trade ties with Israel. But the Turkish leader has strongly criticized Israel\u2019s bombardment of Gaza, which began after Hamas led an Oct. 7 attack into Israel that killed about 1,200 people and led to the abduction of about 240 others. More than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed amid Israel\u2019s bombardment of the territory, according to health officials in the territory.<\/p>\n

The Turkish leader has also forcefully defended Hamas and recently met with Ismail Haniyeh, the group\u2019s political leader, and other Hamas officials in Istanbul on April 20. Mr. Erdogan told reporters then, \u201cIsrael will certainly pay the price of the atrocities it has been inflicting on Palestinians one day.\u201d<\/p>\n

The decision by Turkey to halt trade came after its Trade Ministry imposed export restrictions on Israel on April 9 in 54 product groups, including cement and jet fuel, and said they would remain in force until \u201cIsrael declares an immediate cease-fire in Gaza.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Trade Ministry defined Thursday\u2019s suspension as \u201cthe second step in intergovernmental measures\u201d and cited \u201cworsening humanitarian tragedy in Palestine.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Turkish foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, also announced on Wednesday that Turkey would join South Africa\u2019s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice. In a preliminary decision<\/a> in January, the court ordered Israel to ensure that its forces were not committing genocide in Gaza.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n