The wars in Ukraine and Gaza produced different geopolitical developments on the part of states not involved in the conflict, which sometimes took sides. Now there is an unexpected blow on the international scene: a NATO country, Turkey, is cutting trade ties with Israel because of the war in Gaza.
The measure announced in Ankara extends previous restrictions on exports to Israel. Trade between the two countries was worth $6.8 billion in 2023, according to Bloomberg.
It all comes as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has stepped up criticism of the Jewish state and is trying to shore up support among conservative voters at home.
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Ankara did not officially announce the suspension and it was not clear under what conditions trade would resume. Trade between the countries was worth $6.8 billion in 2023, of which 76 percent were Turkish exports, according to the Statistics Institute.
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“This is the behavior of a dictator who tramples the interests of the Turkish people and business community while ignoring international trade agreements,” Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz wrote in a post on X.
The Israeli government will work to create immediate alternatives for trade with Turkey by increasing local production and finding other suppliers, he said. Turkey’s largest export to Israel in 2023 was iron and steel. The largest import was of refined petroleum products, according to the Turkish Statistics Institute.
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Turkey will not resume trade with Israel, worth $7 billion a year, until a permanent ceasefire and humanitarian aid are secured in Gaza, the first of Israel’s key partners to halt trade said on Friday. because of the conflict.
Israel’s “uncompromising stance” and the worsening situation in southern Gaza’s Rafah region – where Israel has threatened to launch a new offensive – have prompted Turkey to halt all exports and imports, Trade Minister Omer Bolat said.
Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz criticized Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s move, announced late Thursday, saying it violates international trade agreements and shows “how a dictator behaves.”
“We have decided to stop exports and imports to and from Israel until a permanent ceasefire is reached (in Gaza) and humanitarian aid is allowed in without interruption,” Bolat said.
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Turkey is negotiating “with our Palestinian brothers alternative arrangements to ensure they are not affected by its decision,” he added as he announced April trade figures.
Last month, Turkey cut exports of steel, fertilizer and jet fuel in 54 product categories over what it said was Israel’s refusal to allow Ankara to participate in air launch operations for Gaza.
All remaining trade, which amounted to $5.4 billion in Turkish exports and $1.6 billion in Israeli imports last year, is now halted.
The 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 shows, according to Al Arabiya.
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