On April 9, local time, the Turkish Ministry of Trade announced that it would restrict the export of some products to Israel from now on until Israel announced a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and allowed enough humanitarian aid to enter Gaza without interruption. The Israeli Foreign Ministry immediately issued a statement saying that it would take the necessary measures to respond.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said that Israel had rejected Turkey's request to airdrop humanitarian aid to Gaza on the 8th. To this end, Turkey has decided to impose a series of export restrictions on Israel.
Turkish media reported that the export restriction covers a total of 54 products and raw materials such as steel, marble, ceramics, fertilizers, aviation fuel, construction equipment, etc.
This is Turkey's first major measure against Israel six months after the outbreak of the Kazakh-Israeli conflict.
According to AFP, the Israeli Foreign Ministry later issued a statement accusing Turkey of unilaterally violating the trade agreement between the two countries and vowing to "take the necessary measures to crack down" on Turkey.
Humanitarian aid was airdropped over Gaza.
Over the years, Turkish-Israeli relations have been particularly strained. In August 2022, the two countries normalized diplomatic relations through the reappointment of ambassadors, and in September, the leaders of the two countries met face-to-face for the first time in New York, USA, to discuss opportunities for bilateral cooperation. However, since the outbreak of the Kazakh-Israeli conflict in October last year, relations between the two countries have deteriorated again, and ambassadors to foreign countries have been recalled one after another.
The Turkish government has publicly supported Hamas, emphasizing that Turkey is a country that is "in open dialogue with Hamas and firmly supports them" and has repeatedly criticized Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly attacked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in public. On March 21, Erdogan spoke in Istanbul and vowed to "send this man named Netanyahu to Allah so that our Allah can destroy him."
On the 6th, a protest march broke out on Istiklal Street in Istanbul.
However, despite the rhetoric of the Turkish side, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has maintained business relations with Israel, which has been met with increasing protests at home.
According to data released by the Turkish Exporters Conference (TIM), the value of Turkish exports to Israel has increased month by month so far in 2024. According to the Turkish Statistics Institute, exports to Israel and Israel increased by 27% year-on-year in February, while imports from Israel increased by 18% year-on-year.
Erdoğan's political hypocrisy was exposed ahead of the March 31 local elections, and Erdoğan's AKP suffered its first setback since 2002. On the same day, Erdogan acknowledged that the AKP had "lost heights" across the country and said that the government would listen to the message of voters. The imposition of export restrictions on Israel this time may be President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's fulfillment of his promises.
Erdogan and his wife speak from the balcony of the presidential palace in Ankara on March 31, 2024
(编辑:Karen)