The restrictions, which come into force on Tuesday, would apply to products from 54 categories.
Türkiye has announced restrictions on the export of a wide range of products to Israel until a ceasefire is declared in Gaza.
“This decision will remain in place until Israel declares a ceasefire immediately and allows adequate and uninterrupted flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza,” the Turkish trade ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.
The ministry added, “Israel continues to violate international law flagrantly and ignores the international community’s numerous calls for a ceasefire and uninterrupted humanitarian aid.”
#Turkey's export restrictions will remain until "Israel" implements a ceasefire and allows sufficient aid to flow into the #Gaza Strip, according to the Turkish Trade Ministry.#Palestine https://t.co/HSuLeAPZh5
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) April 9, 2024
It said that resolutions by the UN Security Council, General Assembly and Human Rights Council in addition to the interim injunction decisions dated January 26 and March 28 by the International Court of Justice in The Hague within the scope of South Africa’s case for allegedly violating the 1948 Genocide Convention all “obliged Israel to reach a cease-fire.”
The ministry also said Türkiye “has not allowed the sale of any product or service that can be used for military purposes to Israel” for a long time.
The restrictions, which come into force on Tuesday, would apply to products from 54 categories, including steel, cement, iron, fertilizer, aviation fuel, construction equipment and products, and other materials.
How Does Netanyahu Differ from Hitler? – Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan
Israel Hits Back
Israel’s Foreign Ministry said Türkiye was “unilaterally violating” trade agreements with Israel, “and Israel will take all necessary measures against it,” according to The Times of Israel.
Katz ordered the Economic Division of his ministry “to prepare an extensive list of products that Israel will prevent Turkey from exporting to Israel,” the report added.
In recent weeks, Turkish President Recep Tayeb Erdogan has faced increasing criticism over his government’s continuing trade ties with Israel.
ERDOGAN: Our country will continue to support the Palestinians until the bloodshed in Gaza stops and a free Palestinian state is established.
ISRAELI FM: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sacrifices Türkiye's economic interests to support Hamas. Israel will impose its own… pic.twitter.com/0hSuvlizUf
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) April 9, 2024
Protests
On Saturday, dozens of protesters were arrested in Istanbul’s Taksim Square, demanding an end to trade with Israel, the Middle East Monitor reported.
Reports said 43 protesters, including women, were detained, with the Turkish Interior Minister announcing that two police officers were suspended, and a civil inspector was appointed to investigate the incident.
Reuters reported that while trade with Israel has fallen since October 7, exports to Israel have increased each month in 2024 so far, according to the data published by the Turkish Exporters Assembly (TIM). However, the report added, the data shows that total exports in the first quarter of the year amounted to $1.1 billion, down 21.6% year-on-year.
In a video message ahead of Eid ul Fitr celebrations, Erdogan said “Türkiye has shown that we stand by the Palestinian people in these difficult times with the aid material we have sent to the region, exceeding 45,000 tons in total.”
“We will continue our support to our Palestinian brothers and sisters until the bloodshed in Gaza stops and they live in a free Palestine, with East Jerusalem as its capital, on the basis of the 1967 borders,” Erdogan added.
Police in Istanbul detains Turkish protestors that ask for the end of commercial engagements between Turkey and Israel over Gaza war.
Turkish gov’t doesn’t tolerate much of an unscheduled protest on Istiklal Street, unless it sanctioned it
— Ragıp Soylu (@ragipsoylu) April 6, 2024
Over 33,300 Killed
Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 33,360 Palestinians have been killed, and 75,993 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.
Moreover, at least 7,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.
Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.
Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire’.
(PC, MEMO, Anadolu)
The Geneva Conventions and the Genocide Convention outweigh any trade agreements, in much the same way the laws against murder outweigh any irritation between any individual and their neighbour. Congratulations for Türkiye for doing what is right.