Turkey has announced that it is halting trade with Israel, worth $7 billion a year, until a permanent ceasefire and humanitarian aid are secured in Gaza. Israel denounced the decision as breaking trade agreements.

Ankara

Turkey has declared a cessation of its trade dealings with Israel, entailing an annual $7 billion exchange, contingent upon the establishment of a permanent ceasefire and the provision of humanitarian aid to Gaza. This development marks Turkey as the premier significant partner of Israel to suspend trade relations due to the conflict in Gaza. The announcement from Turkey was met with criticism from Israel, accusing it of violating international trade agreements.

According to Trade Minister Omer Bolat, Turkey will not reinitiate trade with Israel until a lasting ceasefire is established and humanitarian assistance for Gaza is secured. This stance echoes statements from Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan who has accused Western countries, particularly the United States, of siding with Israel against the Palestinians. Erdogan emphasized that the humanitarian crisis faced by Palestinians in Gaza compelled Turkey to take this action. Israel's Foreign Minister, Israel Katz, lambasted the decision, likening it to dictatorial behavior.

In the preceding month, Turkey had already limited exports of several commodities to Israel, including steel, fertilizer, and jet fuel, citing Israel's blockade against Ankara's attempts to deliver aid to Gaza as the reason. Following these restrictions, all remaining trade between the two nations has now been suspended. The halt in trade comes amidst Turkey's vocal condemnation of Israel's military actions in Gaza and its initiative to dispatch thousands of tons of humanitarian aid to the region. Furthermore, Turkey has announced its intention to join South Africa in a genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice.

The decision to suspend trade has sparked a domestic backlash within Turkey and has negatively impacted the ruling AK Party's performance in recent local elections. Turkish exporters, taken aback by the sudden halt, are reportedly exploring alternative routes to fulfill their commitments to Israel through third countries, as per discussions with Reuters by four export company owners.



Turkey to stop trade with Israel until Gaza ceasefire

Turkey has become the first of Israel's key partners to halt trade over the conflict in Gaza. Trade Minister Omer Bolat said on Friday Ankara would not resume the trade with Israel until a permanent cease-fire and humanitarian aid for Gaza are secured. This was Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan. TAYYIP ERDOGAN, Turkish President-Elect, said in a statement. All of the West is working for Israel. Starting with America, they are all working for Israel. All of these means are being mobilized to unfortunately condemn the waifs and strays, the poor and the have-nots of Palestine, to death in the face of Israel's bombs. We could not have remained patient in the face of these, so we took our steps. There was a trade volume of $9.5 billion between us. Israel's Foreign Minister Israel Katz criticized the suspension, saying it breaks international trade agreements and calling it how a dictator behaves. The militant group Hamas, which rules Gaza, praised the decision as brave and supportive of Palestinian rights. Last month, Turkey curbed exports of steel, fertilizer and jet fuel, among other products, over what it said was Israel's refusal to allow Ankara to take part in aid drops over Gaza. All remaining trade is now halted. Turkey has denounced Israel's military campaign in Gaza and sent thousands of tons of aid for Gazans. This week, it said it would join South Africa's genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice. Turkey's commercial ties with Israel had prompted a domestic backlash and hurt the ruling AK Party in local elections in March. Turkish exporters with firm orders are now looking for ways to send their goods to Israel via third countries, four export company owners told Reuters. They said the decision had caught them by surprise.

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