5/9/2024-|Last update: 5/9/202407:36 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 GazaPolat 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 relation to reality,” adding, “We stand behind the decision we took as a government regarding trade with Israel.”
For its part, the Turkish Anti-Disinformation Center denied, on Thursday, the validity of the allegations reported by Israeli official authorities that Turkey had withdrawn its trade restrictions imposed on Tel Aviv, according to what was reported by the Anatolia Agency.
The center – affiliated with the Presidency’s Communications Department – explained in a statement that Turkey’s decision to stop trade with Israel will remain in effect until the Israeli war on Gaza is stopped, a permanent ceasefire is achieved, and uninterrupted humanitarian aid is provided to the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
The statement stressed that such deliberate allegations aimed at misleading global public opinion “have no relation to reality.”
The statements of the Israeli Foreign Minister are absolutely fictional and have nothing to do with reality. We stand behind the decision we have taken as a government regarding trade with Israel. This decision remains valid. Stopping Israeli attacks on Gaza,…
— 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 Türkiye informed Turkish factories and companies of temporary approval to resume exports to Israel (Shutterstock)
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.”
The trade volume between Türkiye and Israel reached $6.8 billion in 2023.
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: Al Jazeera + agencies + Israeli press
