9/5/2024–|Last updated: 5/9/202406:04 PM (Mecca time)
Turkish Trade Minister Omer Polat said that the trade embargo imposed by Turkey on Israel will continue until the permanent ceasefire in Gaza. Polat confirmed, in a tweet on his official account on the X website, that the Israeli allegations about Ankara easing the trade embargo with Israel are “pure fantasy and have no connection.” “In reality,” he added, “We stand behind the decision we took as a government regarding trade with Israel.”
İsrail Dışişleri Bakanı’nın açıklamaları kesinlikle hayal ürünü olup, gerçekle hiç bir ilgisi yoktur. İsrail ile ticaret konusunda hükümet olarak almış olduğumuz kararın arkasındayız. This is the best way to do it. İsrail’in Gazzeye yönelik saldırılarının durdurulması,…
— Prof. Dr. Ömer Bolat (@omerbolatTR) May 9, 2024
Reuters quoted a source in the Turkish Ministry of Commerce on Thursday as saying that easing the export ban to Israel is “out of the question,” but Ankara will allow companies to fulfill orders already contracted with Israel through a third country for a period of 3 months.
Reuters said it had seen a document in which the Ministry of Commerce set a three-month deadline for companies exporting to Israel.
On Thursday, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had retracted his previous position and lifted many of the restrictions he had imposed on trade with Israel.
The specialized Israeli newspaper Globes claimed that Turkey had informed Turkish factories and companies of temporary approval to resume exports to Israel. The newspaper attributed the change in the Turkish position to a meeting held in Ankara yesterday between senior officials in the Turkish-Israeli Chamber of Commerce and senior officials in the Turkish Ministry of Commerce, which was denied by ministry officials.
The Turkish Ministry of Commerce announced that Ankara had stopped all exports and imports to and from Israel, citing the “exacerbation of the humanitarian tragedy” in the Palestinian territories.
The ministry said in a ban statement, “Export and import transactions related to Israel have been stopped, including all products.”
The statement added, “Turkey will implement these new measures strictly and decisively until the Israeli government allows an uninterrupted and sufficient flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza.”
Türkiye’s decisions against Israel since the Al-Aqsa flood
Turkey has taken a number of economic measures against Israel since the start of the Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip, which has continued since October 7, 2023, accompanied by tension in relations between the two countries, and popular boycott campaigns calling for cutting off trade exchange with Israel, which are:
- On October 25, Turkey announced the suspension of plans to cooperate with Israel in the field of energy, and Turkish Energy Minister Alp Arslan Bayraktar also canceled a scheduled visit to Israel.
- Turkey excluded Israel from the list of countries targeted for export, according to the Israeli economic newspaper Globes last December.
- Turkey obstructed exports to Israel by delaying or not approving them late last month. Following the outbreak of Israel’s war on Gaza, Turkish Airlines announced that it would stop its flights to Israel until October 2024.
- Last month, Turkish Airlines canceled advance online booking for its flights to Israel until March 2025, which means the company may have extended the decision for an additional 5 months.
- On April 9, Türkiye announced a restriction on the export of 54 products to Israel.
Source : Tel Aviv Tribune + Reuters + Israeli press