Turkey imposes restrictions on exports – and Israel's counter move

Promised and fulfilled: Turkey announced today (Monday) restrictions on trade with Israel in dozens of different products "until the announcement of an immediate cease-fire in Gaza and the uninterrupted entry of humanitarian aid." The announcement by the Turkish Ministry of Commerce includes 54 types of products on which the new restrictions are imposed, including iron, cement, blocks, aluminum products, optical fibers, forklifts, chemical fertilizers, forklifts, plastic pipes, jet fuel and cranes.

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"The Palestinian people, who are trying to survive in the Gaza Strip, are facing hunger and all kinds of poverty in an unprecedented way in our lifetime, and Israel is preventing their access to basic food products, medical aid and supplies," the Turkish statement charged. "Israel continues to blatantly violate international law and ignore the international community's calls for cease-fires and the introduction of humanitarian aid without interruption," the statement continued.

"Turkey has repeatedly stated that it will follow the implementation of the resolutions of the Security Council and the International Court of Justice," the statement continued. "In this context, Turkey has decided to limit the export of products starting today, in the first phase. The decision will remain in effect until Israel, within the framework of its obligations under international law, declares an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and allows an effective and uninterrupted flow of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip."

In response, Foreign Minister Israel Katz replied: "Israel will not submit to violence and extortion and will not condone the unilateral violation of trade agreements and will take parallel measures against Turkey that will harm the Turkish economy. I ordered to contact countries and organizations in the US, to stop investments in Turkey and prevent the import of products from Turkey, and to our friends in the American Congress to examine a violation of the boycott laws and impose sanctions on Turkey accordingly." He also added that: "Erdogan is once again 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."

This is after it was reported yesterday in the country that Israel rejected Turkey's request to participate in the aid drop in Gaza, and that they will take a new series of steps. Turkish Foreign Minister Haku Fidan said at a press conference: "We also submitted our request to participate in the humanitarian aid operation with cargo planes of the Turkish Air Force, and today we learned that the request was rejected by Israel, despite the positive attitude of the Jordanian authorities."

He added that Israel "has no excuse to block our attempt to drop aid to the starving Gazans." He further stated "these measures, approved by the president, will be implemented without delay". According to the foreign minister, "the measures announced by the relevant institutions will continue until Israel declares a ceasefire and allows humanitarian aid to reach Gaza without interruption."

We will recall that last month, on March 12, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, at a dinner breaking the fast with foreign ambassadors in Ankara, called for increased international pressure on Israel to allow additional humanitarian aid. Even then he threatened: "We need to put pressure on Israel." He also said: "No matter what the Israeli leadership and government does, it cannot hide the reality. It is a murderer, cruel, criminal, liar and fascist. We all know that as long as the war continues and there is a siege – the amount of aid is not enough. We need to increase the number of trucks passing through the crossing Rafih".

Earlier today , French President Emmanuel Macron, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Jordanian King Abdullah II issued a joint statement in the Washington Post and called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

In the main points of the letter, they called for the implementation of a two-state solution, for the immediate implementation of the UN Security Council resolution regarding the cessation of hostilities, and emphasize the need for a permanent solution in Gaza. They added that UNRA has a significant role, they called for the provision of aid in the north of the Gaza Strip, for the cessation of construction in the settlements, and prevent settler violence. They also warned from the entrance to Rafah: "There is a threat of regional escalation."