Ankara issues curbs on exports to Israel until Gaza cease-fire
The restrictions on exports of 54 types of products came after Türkiye vowed to implement a series of measures against Israel until it declares a cease-fire in Gaza and allows aid to flow in without interruptions
TÜRKİYE on Tuesday announced it was restricting exports of a wide range of products to Israel until it declares a cease-fire and allows the uninterrupted flow of aid to Gaza, in a significant measure after six months of relentless Israeli strikes on the Palestinian enclave.
Israel said it would respond to the measures, which include curbs on exports of aluminum, steel, construction products, fertilizer and jet fuel, with its own restrictions on products from Türkiye.
NATO member Türkiye is among the harshest critics of Israel’s military actions in Gaza, which have claimed the lives of more than 33,300 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to local health authorities.
The indiscriminate strikes came after the Palestinian resistance group Hamas’ surprise cross-border attack that killed about 1,200 Israelis.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has branded Israel a “terrorist state,” repeatedly called for an immediate cease-fire and accused it of committing genocide in its military campaign in the Palestinian enclave.
Ankara has supported steps to try Israel for genocide and sent thousands of tons of aid for Gazans.
Relations between Türkiye and Israel have been frosty for years. Trade ties between the two countries remained strong in the past but have plunged since the conflict began.
The trade restrictions came a day after Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan vowed reprisals against Israel after it denied Ankara’s request to take part in an aid air-drop operation into Gaza, saying they would be implemented “step by step” and “without delay.”
The export measures were approved by Erdoğan, Fidan added.
“We will continue our support until the bloodshed in Gaza stops and our Palestinian brothers reach a free Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital,” Erdoğan said in a message on Tuesday for Ramadan Bayram, or Eid al-Fitr – the Islamic holiday that marks the end of Ramadan.
The Trade Ministry said the measures would apply to the export of products from 54 different categories, including iron, marble, steel, cement, aluminum, brick, fertilizer, construction equipment and products, aviation fuel and more.
“This decision will remain in place until Israel, under its obligations emanating from international law, urgently declares a cease-fire in Gaza and allows the unhindered flow of sufficient humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip,” it said.
The ministry said Israel continues to “flagrantly violate international law and ignores the international community’s numerous calls for a cease-fire and uninterrupted humanitarian aid.”
It said that resolutions by the U.N. Security Council, General Assembly and Human Rights Council, in addition to the interim injunction decisions dated Jan. 26 and March 28 by the International Court of Justice in The Hague within the scope of South Africa’s case for allegedly violating the 1948 Genocide Convention all “obliged Israel to reach a cease-fire.”
Tel Aviv must, “in full cooperation with the U.N., allow the uninterrupted provision of all basic humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, including the medical supplies and health services they need,” it added.
Responding to the measures, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said Türkiye had “unilaterally violated” trade agreements with Israel.
Katz argued that Erdoğan “is sacrificing the economic interests of the people of Turkey in order to support Hamas, and we will respond in kind.”
His ministry said Israel will adopt similar steps against Türkiye and is preparing an “expanded list of products” it intends to stop importing from the country, including construction materials like steel and cement.
The war put an end to a gradual thawing in Turkish-Israeli relations that culminated with the reappointment of ambassadors in 2022.
Shortly after the conflict started, Erdoğan recalled Ankara’s envoy to Tel Aviv and pushed for Israeli commanders and political leaders to stand trial at the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
Tuesday’s move marks the first significant measure taken by Ankara against Israel since the start of the conflict.
In recent weeks, the government faced criticism over continuing commercial ties to Israel.
Yet, Turkish officials have repeatedly stressed that all state enterprises had halted any exchange and that the remaining trade with Israel is being carried out by private companies, most with foreign ownership.
Palestine is dependent on Israel at the border gates and ports. Hence, most of the goods from Türkiye to Israel must go through Israeli customs and ports to reach the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Many traders and businesspeople have argued that Palestinian businesses will be affected if trade between Israel and Türkiye is completely cut.
According to the data published by the Turkish Exporters Assembly (TIM), trade with Israel has fallen since Oct. 7. Total exports in the first quarter of the year amounted to $1.1 billion (TL 35.41 billion), down 21.6% year-over-year, the data showed.
According to the TIM and the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat), exports stood at $5.43 billion last year, down from $7.03 billion in 2022.
Türkiye had already stopped sending Israel any goods that could be used for military purposes, the Trade Ministry said.
Türkiye’s main opposition, the Republican People’s Party (CHP), and other opposition parties supported the decision to restrict exports to Israel. But it said the measures did not go far enough.
The CHP called for a total halt to trade with Israel, while other parties urged the government to block its airspace and ports to planes and vessels heading to Israel.