Istanbul, May 3. Turkey will not resume trade with Israel, worth around $7 billion a year, until a permanent ceasefire is secured in Gaza with unhindered humanitarian aid flowing to Palestinians there, its trade minister said on Friday.
Israel’s uncompromising attitude and the worsening situation in Gaza prompted Turkey to halt trade, Omer Bolat said in a speech in Istanbul, while announcing April trade figures.
Turkey’s decision, announced late on Thursday, made it the first of Israel’s key trade partners to halt exports and imports over its military campaign in Gaza.
Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz criticised Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan’s move saying it breaks international trade agreements and was “how a dictator behaves”.
Militant group Hamas, which controls Gaza, praised the decision as brave and supportive of Palestinian rights.
Last month, Turkey curbed exports of steel, fertiliser and jet fuel among 54 product categories over what it said was Israel’s refusal to allow Ankara to take part in aid air-drop operations for Gaza.
All remaining trade, which amounted to $5.4 billion in Turkish exports and $1.6 billion in Israeli imports last year, will now be halted. Top Turkish exports to Israel are steel, vehicles, plastics, electrical devices and machinery, while imports are dominated by fuels at $634 million last year, Turkish trade data show.
Erdogan’s allegations against Turkey is, Israel is committing “genocide” against Palestinians in Gaza. He has defended Hamas as “a liberation group.”
The Ukraine war, followed by the Gaza battle has led to polarisation among states, with most countries taking a position of either for one, or for the other party. With both wars getting protracted, such polarisation is quite inevitable.
The Turkish ministry also informed that the measures now announced are the 2nd phase of measures being implemented. The ministry also clarified that both sufficient and uninterrupted aid will continue to flow on humanitarian grounds to Gaza.
Team Bharatshakti
(With Inputs From Reuters)
