Israel to Limit Turkish Trade With Palestinians
Israel on Friday said it would limit Turkish trade with the Palestinian Authority and seek sanctions against Ankara in response to Turkey’s decision to halt all trade with Israel.
The announcement came as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the move was designed to force Israel to agree to ceasefire in Gaza, where it has been fighting Hamas since the terror group’s October 7 onslaught.
“The dictator Erdogan who wants to be sultan is working in the service of Hamas, breaching agreements and seeking to harm Israel, but is in fact harming Palestinians he purports to want to help,” Foreign Minister Israel Katz said in declaring the steps Israel was taking.
“Whoever takes unilateral steps against Israel’s economy with receive a painful and appropriate response. Israel’s economy is strong and Turkey’s economy will be harmed far more… Erdogan will come to regret this error.”
Turkey’s decision, announced on Thursday, was the latest blow to deteriorating relations between the two countries.
Friday’s Foreign Ministry statement said Israel would take several steps in response to Ankara’s action, including acting to limit all trade between Turkey and the Palestinian Authority (noting Turkish products amount to 18 percent of PA imports); and petitioning international financial forums for sanctions against Turkey over its violation of trade deals with Israel.
In announcing the move, Turkey had said it would coordinate with Palestinian authorities to ensure they are not affected by the suspension of imports and exports.
