Turkey Halts All Trade Activities with Israel: Implications for the Strained Relationship between Two Countries

According to sources from Bloomberg, Turkey has halted all trade activities with Israel. Since Thursday, all exports and imports between the two countries have been suspended. The value of trade between Turkey and Israel was reported to be 6.8 billion dollars in 2023, with Turkish exports to Israel accounting for about 5.4 billion dollars.

The trade restrictions were initially imposed by Turkey in early April due to the conflict in Gaza, with the Ministry of Trade banning the export of certain materials to Israel. This action has strained the already contentious relationship between Turkey and Israel, which has seen diplomatic tensions in recent years.

In 2018, Turkey recalled its diplomats from Israel and expelled Israel’s ambassador, normalizing relations in 2022 before deteriorating again during the conflict in Gaza. Last October, Israel withdrew its diplomats from Turkey after President Erdoğan accused Israel of acting like a war criminal. The ongoing trade suspension further complicates the relationship between the two countries.