OAN’s James Meyers
10:07 AM – Friday, May 3, 2024
Turkey announced on Friday that the country has stopped all trade with Israel, worth $7 billion a year, until a permanent ceasefire and humanitarian aid are secured in Gaza.
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Citing Israel’s military offensive against Hamas, a Turkish Trade Ministry statement said “export and import transactions in relation to Israel have been stopped, covering all products.”
“Turkey will strictly and decisively implement these new measures until the Israeli government allows an uninterrupted and sufficient flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza.”
A senior member of Israel’s government accused Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of breaking trade agreements “by blocking ports for Israeli imports and exports.”
“This is how a dictator behaves, disregarding the interests of the Turkish people and businessmen, and ignoring international trade agreements,” Israeli foreign minister Israel Katz posted on X on Thursday.
Israel was among the top 20 destinations for Turkish exports, buying goods and services that were worth up to $5.4 billion. The top Turkish exports to Israel are electrical devices, steel, vehicles, plastics, and machinery, according to Reuters.
Turkey’s imports from Israel amounted to $1.6 billion.
Katz also added that he had ordered the director-general of Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to “immediately engage with all relevant parties in the government to create alternatives for trade with Turkey, focusing on local production and imports from other countries.“
“Israel will emerge with a strong and daring economy,” he wrote.
Meanwhile, Turkey has been one of the toughest critics of Israel during the ongoing conflict against Hamas, with Erdogan calling Israel a “terrorist state.” According to the Turkish government, 99 percent of the country’s population is Muslim.
Erdogan has continuously claimed that Israel is committing “genocide” against Palestinians in Gaza, and he has also been known to defend Hamas, referring to the terrorists as a “liberation group.”
Additionally, last month, Turkey announced export trade restrictions to Israel on 54 products, including cement, steel, aluminum, iron construction materials and equipment, in response to the war.
Hamas applauded Turkey’s move to halt trade with Israel.
“We highly appreciate the decisions recently made by the Republic of Turkey in support of our Palestinian people who are undergoing a horrific genocide. These include ceasing trade with the occupying entity,” Hamas said in a statement Friday.
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