ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey and Israel announced trade barriers to each other Tuesday as relations further deteriorate amid the Gaza conflict.
Turkey, which has strongly criticized Israel’s military actions in its territory, announced immediate restrictions on exports of 54 products to Israel. These include aluminum, steel, construction products, jet fuel, and chemical fertilizers. In response, Israel said it was preparing to ban products from Türkiye.
The announcement comes after Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan banned Turkish military cargo planes from participating in Israel’s airdrop operation of humanitarian aid into Gaza, a series of restrictions until Israel declared a ceasefire and allowed aid. The move came a day after the government pledged to respond with similar measures. To flow without interruption.
“There is no excuse for Israel to block our efforts to deliver aid by air to the starving people of Gaza,” Fidan said.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government, which suffered a major setback in last month’s local elections, is under intense pressure to halt domestic trade with Israel. Critics have accused the government of double standards by continuing favorable trade relations while making strong accusations against Israel.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose ruling party has roots in Turkey’s Islamic movement, has been an outspoken critic of Israel’s treatment of Palestinians since taking office in 2003.
Turkey’s leader has stepped up his criticism of Israel following military attacks in Gaza, describing Israel’s actions as a war crime bordering on “genocide” and considered a terrorist organization by Israel, the United States and the European Union. The extremist group Hamas is fighting for the liberation of land and people.
Israeli Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz said in a post on X that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is “once again sacrificing the economic interests of the Turkish people in order to support Hamas killers in the Gaza Strip.”
In the same post, he said he had contacted U.S. organizations and asked them to stop investing in Turkey and refrain from importing Turkish products.
Hamish Kinnear, senior Middle East and North Africa analyst at UK-based risk intelligence firm Verisk Maplecroft, said domestic considerations were behind Turkey’s decision to impose trade restrictions on Israel. President Erdogan’s ruling party is “trying to rally its support base following the defeat,” he said. In local elections. ”
“Bilateral trade will decline, especially if Israel retaliates with its own trade restrictions,” Kinnear said. “The Turkish government is probably calculating that it may gain domestic political support even if trade relations are compromised.”
According to the Turkish Statistical Institute, Turkey’s exports to Israel reached $5.4 billion in 2023.
After years of tension, Turkey and Israel normalized relations in 2022 by appointing ambassadors to each country.
Since January, Turkish authorities have detained dozens of people, including private investigators, on suspicion of spying for Israel, mainly targeting Palestinians living in Turkey.
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Associated Press writer Pamela Sampson contributed from Jerusalem.
