Turkey announced the suspension of all trade relations with Israel on Thursday, with allegations from Israel that Ankara is also preventing third countries from using Turkish ports for trade with Israel.
According to a report by Bloomberg, which cited two Turkish officials, all Turkish exports to and imports from Israel have been halted. Israel’s Foreign Minister, Israel Katz, stated separately that Turkey has begun to block Israeli goods at Turkish ports as well.
Katz accused Turkey of violating trade agreements and directed the Israeli Foreign Ministry to explore alternative trade strategies, emphasizing local production and imports from other nations.
As of now, the Israeli Foreign Ministry has not specified which ports are affected or if the blockade includes Turkey’s Ceyhan port on the Mediterranean, a critical route for Israeli oil imports from Azerbaijan. The ministry is assessing the economic impact of Turkey’s decision to halt exports, according to a diplomatic source speaking to Al-Monitor.
In April, Turkey had already imposed restrictions on 54 product groups, a measure believed to stem from domestic calls to cut trade ties with Israel due to the escalating humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Furthermore, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan declared on Wednesday that Turkey would join South Africa’s case against Israel at the International Court of Justice. The UN court is reviewing South Africa’s accusations that Israeli actions violate the 1948 UN Genocide Convention.
Last year, the trade volume between the two nations was reported at $5.4 billion.
