The Ministry of Trade announced that the decision would remain in place until Israel ceases its attacks and adequate humanitarian aid is allowed into Gaza.
Turkey has announced restrictions on exports to Israel until there is a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and increased aid, after the Israeli government refused to allow airdrops of aid to the besieged and shelled area.
Turkey’s Trade Ministry announced on Tuesday that it would no longer send 54 categories of items to Israel, ranging from steel products, jet fuel, construction equipment and machinery, cement, granite, chemicals, pesticides and bricks.
“Israel continues to violate international law in gross violation of international law and disregards the international community,” the country said in a statement. “This decision will remain in place until Israel declares an immediate ceasefire and allows the full and uninterrupted flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza.”
More than 33,000 people have been killed in Israel’s six-month war in Gaza, according to Palestinian health authorities, and many countries have expressed anger at the death toll and humanitarian crisis caused by Israel’s attack and siege. Israel launched the offensive in response to the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, which killed 1,139 people, according to an Al Jazeera tally based on Israeli statistics.
Israeli Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz criticized Turkey’s announcement, saying that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was “once again sacrificing the economic interests of the Turkish people in order to support Hamas killers in the Gaza Strip.” .
He said Israel would ban some Turkish imports, ask U.S.-based entities to stop investing in Turkey, and urge “our friends in the U.S. Congress” to impose sanctions on Turkey. It added that it would take “measures that would have a negative impact on Turkey’s economy,” such as calling on Turkey.
The announcement of the trade restrictions came a day after Turkey promised to retaliate “gradually” against Israel after Israel blocked a Turkish military cargo plane from dropping aid over Gaza.
“We will continue to support our Palestinian brothers and sisters until the bloodshed in Gaza stops and they live in a free Palestine based on the 1967 borders and with East Jerusalem as its capital,” Erdogan said on Tuesday. , Turkey added. We sent 45,000 tons of humanitarian aid to the region.
Israel and Turkey withdrew their ambassadors from their respective capitals shortly after the war began.
Since then, the two countries have engaged in a war of words, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan calling Israel a “terrorist state” and emphasizing Turkey’s support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. denounced. Trial at the International Court of Justice.
However, the Turkish government had not initiated any actual measures against Israel until Tuesday, and trade has been declining since October 7, but so far this year, according to data published by the Turkish Exporters Council. The number of experts is increasing every month.
Turkey’s government has faced domestic criticism over its wartime trade ties with Israel, which many saw as contributing to its crushing defeat in local elections in late March.
“Unfortunately, even on issues like the Gaza crisis, we did everything we could and paid the price, but we were unable to fend off political attacks or convince some people.” President Erdoğan was quoted as saying to local media after the vote.
Israel Army Radio on Tuesday quoted Ron Tomer, head of the Israel Manufacturers Association, as saying that about 50% of Israel’s cement, steel and marble imports come from Turkey, and that Turkey is in the process of “taking over” other countries. It added that there is. The region also includes Israel’s construction industry.
“Perhaps now the government will wake up and break away from its dependence on Turkey,” he said.
