Turkey CUTS trade with Israel over IDF's bombing war in Gaza

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.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) in September 2023 

Relatives of Palestinians who lost their lives as a result of Israeli attacks on the Bureij refugee camp mourn as they take the dead bodies to be buried in Deir Al Balah, Gaza on May 2, 2024

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.

READ MORE: President Erdogan says Turkey firmly backs Hamas leaders and speaks openly with them 

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan 'is breaking agreements by blocking ports for Israeli imports and exports,' Katz wrote on the social platform X.

Erdogan's government, which suffered major setbacks in local elections in March, is faced with intense pressure at home to halt trade with Israel. 

Critics accuse the government of engaging in double standards by leveling strong accusations against Israel while pressing ahead with commercial relations.

Last month, Turkey - a staunch critic of Israel's military actions - announced that it would restrict exports of 54 types of products to Israel, including aluminum, steel, construction products and chemical fertilizers. 

Israel responded by also announcing trade barriers.

This week, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Turkey had decided to join the legal case filed by South Africa against Israel at the International Court of Justice and would soon submit a formal request to intervene in the case.

South Africa filed a case at the ICJ accusing Israel of breaching the Genocide Convention with its military offensive against Hamas. 

Israel denies that its military campaign in Gaza amounts to a breach of the Genocide Convention.

Since January, Turkish authorities have detained dozens of people, including private detectives, on suspicion of spying for Israel, mostly on Palestinians living in Turkey. 

And in December, Erdogan went so far as to say Netanyahu was no different from Adolf Hitler, comparing Israel's attacks on Gaza to the treatment of Jewish people by the Nazis. 

Erdogan was quick to accuse Israel of committing war crimes and genocide in the days and weeks after the war broke our, using strong rhetoric in front of crowds of supporters while donning a scarf emblazoned with the flags of Turkey and Palestine.

'We will tell the whole world that Israel is a war criminal. We are making preparations for this. We will declare Israel a war criminal,' he said as part of a one-hour speech three weeks into the conflict.

A Palestinian man pulls a cart on a road lined with destroyed buildings in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on May 2, 2024

Israeli police officers evacuate a woman and a child from a site hit by a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip, in Ashkelon, southern Israel, Saturday, October 7, 2023

Turkey recognized Israel in 1949 but under Erdogan tensions have ebbed and flowed between the countries. 

He has described Hamas, considered a terrorist organization by Israel, the United States and the European Union, as freedom fighters.

Erdogan's party has offered support to Hamas since the 2000s but finally managed to normalise relations in August 2022.

The restoration of relations was significant for the region, allowing Israel closer monitoring of Iran and the facilitation of selling gas to Europe.

Turkey saw the opportunity to improve ties with the US through better relations with Israel.

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