Turkey imposes trade restrictions on Israel
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The Turkish government has decided to impose restrictions on trade with Israel, citing the country's actions in the Gaza Strip as the reason.
In future, export restrictions will initially apply to several goods, including steel, aluminium and iron products as well as other building materials, according to a statement issued by the Turkish Ministry of Trade on Tuesday.
In the statement, the ministry accused Israel of being responsible for a "massacre of Palestinians." The restrictions would remain in place until Israel announces a ceasefire and aid can reach the Gaza Strip unhindered, it said.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was "once again sacrificing the economic interests of his people to support the Hamas murderers in Gaza who raped, murdered and desecrated the bodies of women, girls and elderly people and burned children alive."
Israel "will not give in to violence and blackmail and will not accept the unilateral violation of trade agreements," he wrote.
Katz announced that similar steps would be taken to harm the Turkish economy.
According to UN figures, all Gaza residents are affected by acute food insecurity, half of them even by catastrophic food insecurity. Israel has repeatedly been accused of obstructing aid deliveries.
Following a clear warning from its ally, the United States, Israel recently decided to take steps to allow more humanitarian aid to reach the Gaza Strip.
The decided export restrictions must now also be understood against the backdrop of increasing pressure on the Turkish government at home.
Erdoğan has been accused of double standards by large sections of the opposition for harshly criticizing Israel on the one hand, but maintaining unrestricted trade relations with the country on the other.
According to the Turkish Statistical Institute, Turkey exported goods worth $5.4 billion to Israel in 2023. Israel was the 12th most important trading partner in Turkey's foreign trade last year.
