In response to Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza, Turkey has announced that it will impose trade restrictions on Israel. The trade restrictions will cover a range of products, including cement, steel, and iron construction materials. Turkey’s decision to impose trade restrictions follows its failed attempt to airdrop aid to Gaza, which Israel blocked. The Turkish trade ministry has announced that the new measures will remain in place until Israel declares an immediate ceasefire and allows adequate and uninterrupted flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
The export measures were approved by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has been one of the harshest critics of Israel’s actions in Gaza. Erdogan has accused Israel of committing “genocide” against Palestinians in Gaza and has defended Hamas, which is considered a terrorist organization by Israel, the United States, and the European Union, as “a liberation group.” The war in Gaza has put an end to the gradual thawing in Turkish-Israeli relations, which culminated with the reappointment of ambassadors in 2022.
The Turkish government has come under pressure from domestic attacks for failing to cut off trade with Israel sooner. On Saturday, Turkish police violently detained a small group of pro-Palestinian protesters who took to Istanbul’s central Taksim Square to urge the government to cut trade ties. The harsh police response drew criticism from the opposition CHP party, whose leader Ozgur Ozel called it “a clear violation of freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, and the constitution.”
The opposition CHP party has welcomed the Turkish government’s decision to impose trade restrictions against Israel as “the voice of our people’s conscience.” However, they have called for the decision to be expanded to include a complete halt to trade. Turkey’s exports to Israel stood at $5.43 billion last year, down from $7.03 billion in 2022, according to the Turkish Exporters’ Union and statistics agency Turkstat.
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