Turkey said on Tuesday it would restrict exports to Israel until a ceasefire is reached in the Gaza Strip, inviting threats of retaliatory measures from governments with which it has long had tense relations.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan defended Hamas and slammed Israel over the Gaza war, accusing it of deliberately attacking civilians. But until Tuesday, the administration had failed to take concrete economic steps against Israel over the conflict.
Turkey’s trade ministry has imposed restrictions on dozens of exports, including aluminum, steel products, cement and jet fuel, after Israel rejected Ankara’s request to airlift humanitarian aid to Gaza. It was announced that
“This decision will remain in place until Israel declares a ceasefire in Gaza and allows a sufficient and uninterrupted flow of aid to the Gaza Strip,” the ministry said in a statement.
Israel’s foreign minister reacted angrily to the announcement, accusing Erdogan of “sacrificing the economic interests” of the Turkish people in the name of supporting Hamas.
“Israel will not succumb to violence or intimidation, nor will it ignore unilateral violations of trade agreements, and will take parallel measures against Turkey that would damage Turkey’s economy,” Minister Israel Katz said in a statement. Stated.
According to official data, Turkish exports to Israel were worth $5.4 billion in 2023, accounting for 2.1% of total exports.
Turkey has long had a rocky relationship with Israel, but there have been some signs of thaw in recent years. In 2022, Turkey will welcome the Israeli president to Ankara, marking the first visit by an Israeli head of state since 2008. Mr. Erdoğan met with the prime minister. Israeli Minister Benjamin Netanyahu first took office in September last year.
Less than a month after that meeting, Hamas led an attack on Israel that sparked the Gaza war on October 7.
Under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey frequently hosts members of Hamas, some of whose leaders were in Turkey for the Oct. 7 meeting. Turkey’s leader has strongly criticized Israel’s airstrikes on Gaza and is at odds with its NATO allies.
But the rising death toll and dire humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip has led to growing criticism from Israel’s allies about the way the war is being waged.
President Biden last week threatened to condition future U.S. aid to Israel on how his concerns about civilian casualties and the humanitarian crisis are addressed. This week, France’s foreign minister told French news outlets that imposing sanctions could be one way to put more pressure on Israel to open a humanitarian corridor to Gaza.
Gabby Sobelman contributed reporting.
