Turkey announced that until a cease-fire is announced in Gaza, Israel will impose restrictions on the export of a range of products.
During the six-month war between Israel and Hamas, this is considered the first major move by Turkey against Israel.
Israel has said that Turkey will respond to measures including restrictions on the export of steel, cement, chemical fertilizers and oil.
Turkey has always condemned Israel’s operations against the Hamas group in Gaza and demanded an immediate ceasefire and humanitarian aid to the people in need in Gaza.
Despite the harsh verbal criticism, Ankara has maintained its trade relations with Israel, which has faced a strong reaction from the Turkish people.
Restrictions on the export of Turkish goods to Israel are scheduled to take effect on Tuesday, April 9 (April 21). Earlier, Israel had rejected Turkey’s request to airlift aid to Gaza.
The Ministry of Trade of Turkey announced in a statement that the export of 54 categories of materials to Israel will be restricted, including “iron, steel, marble, cement, aluminum, clay, chemical fertilizers, construction products and vehicles, oil, aircraft and other items”. .
The statement said: “This decision will remain in place until Israel, based on its obligations under international law, immediately declares a ceasefire in Gaza and will allow the flow of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip without obstruction.”
Israel Katz, Israel’s foreign minister, responded to this move by saying that if Turkey “unilaterally” violated its trade agreements with Israel, it would be retaliated against. According to Katz, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has “once again sacrificed the economic interests of the Turkish people to support Hamas.”
According to the statistics published by the Turkish Exporters Council, despite the decrease in trade between Turkey and Israel in the last six months, in the first quarter of this year, the value of trade between the two countries was 1.1 billion dollars.
Turkey’s Ministry of Trade has said that if the country has stopped exporting goods and items to Israel, it can be used for military purposes.
Political parties opposed to the Turkish government have welcomed this move, but have said that these measures are not enough. The Republican Party of Turkey, the main political opposition party to the government, has called for a complete freeze on trade with Israel.