- Turkey supports a two-state solution and had worked on relations in recent years
- But the conflict in Gaza continues to strain Israel’s relationships with neighbours
Turkey has suspended all trade with Israel over its ongoing offensive in Gaza as relations continue to sour between the two regional powers.
The Turkish Trade Ministry said exports and imports had abruptly ‘stopped’ on Thursday, and that the measures would remain until Israel allows what it deems ‘an uninterrupted and sufficient flow of humanitarian aid’ into the beleaguered Strip.
‘This is how a dictator behaves, disregarding the interests of the Turkish people and businessmen, and ignoring international trade agreements,’ Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz snapped in a post on Twitter/X on Thursday. He said he had instructed the foreign ministry to seek out alternatives for trade with Turkey, including focusing on internal production as Israel’s local relationships are tested by its seven-month campaign in Gaza. Turkish officials added in their declaration that they would work with the relevant Palestinian authorities to ensure Palestinians are not affected by the suspension. Turkey and Israel had a trade volume of $6.8 billion in 2023. The two countries had finally normalised ties after years of tensions by appointing ambassadors in 2022. But the war in Gaza has seen relations spiral in recent months with President Erdogan calling Israel a ‘terror state’ and introducing trade restrictions expected to hurt Israel’s economy – a move matched in kind by Israel. In its statement today, the Turkish trade ministry described the step as the ‘second phase’ of measures against Israel, adding that the steps would remain in force until Israel ‘allows an uninterrupted and sufficient flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza.’ The move was met with furious backlash from Israel’s foreign minister, who accused Turkey of blocking Israeli imports and exports from Turkish ports earlier on Thursday.