Turkey Imposes Immediate Export Bans on Israel, Escalating Bilateral Tensions

In a new low for bilateral relations, Turkey announced immediate export restrictions on dozens of products to Israel on Tuesday, prompting Israel to prepare reciprocal trade measures.

The announcement came a day after Turkey’s foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, criticized Israel for blocking Turkish aid planes from Gaza, stating there was “no excuse” for such actions.

Following through on its threat to sever economic ties until a cease-fire is reached, Turkey’s ban will cover 54 products, such as aluminum, steel, jet fuel, and fertilizer.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, supported by a rural, Islamist base sympathetic to Palestinians, has sharply criticized Israel’s actions against Hamas in recent months.

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz on social media platform X condemned Turkey’s move, accusing Erdoğan in Hebrew of “sacrificing the economic interests of the people of Turkey for his support of the Hamas murderers in Gaza who raped, murdered, and desecrated the bodies of women, girls, adults, and burned children alive.”

Katz also appealed to “our friends in the American Congress” to probe alleged Turkish breaches of international trade law.

Erdoğan, still reeling from significant local election losses, including Istanbul’s mayoral race where he first emerged politically, is facing domestic challenges such as high inflation and a struggling economy. Despite the popularity of the trade barriers against Israel in Turkey, exports to Israel reached $5.4 billion in 2023, according to the Turkish Statistical Institute.