Israel to reveal 'parallel measures' to Türkiye's sanctions over Gaza

Israel has announced it will impose curbs on Turkish imports after Ankara placed restrictions on a wide range of Israeli products until a ceasefire is declared in Gaza. Israeli foreign minister Israel Katz has accused President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of "sacrificing the economic interests of the people of Türkiye for his support of Hamas."

Ankara has confirmed that under a new sanctions regime, a range of export goods across 54 separate categories will no longer be sent to Israel. This list is dominated by products used in the construction, aviation and heavy industry sectors.

Saying that "Israel continues to flagrantly violate international law" in Gaza, Ankara said the restrictions would also remain until a full flow of humanitarian aid into the besieged strip could be established.

Relations between Türkiye and Israel have deteriorated sharply since the Hamas attacks of October 7.

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Despite opposing the post-World War II partition plans for Palestine, Türkiye was the first Muslim majority nation to formally recognize the state of Israel in 1949. Over the decades since, trade and tourism ties have grown. In 2021 Israel was ranked Türkiye's 16th biggest export, with commercial links between the two countries valued at $4.7 billion, according to the World Bank.

However, diplomatic efforts have been hampered over Israel's record in Gaza. Events briefly came to a head in 2010, when a Turkish aid ship the Mavi Marmara was stormed in the eastern Mediterranean, while en route to Gaza, and its nine Turkish crew members shot and killed. A domestic Israeli commission concluded passengers were to blame for "resisting arrest."

Five years later, Erdogan publicly walked out of a World Economic Forum debate with his Israeli opposite number Shimon Peres, after air strikes on Gaza left 1,300 civilians dead. 

Despite widespread public anger over the assault on Gaza after October 7, Ankara had not imposed any penalties on Israel. But Erdogan, recovering from local elections last month in which his AKP party made significant losses, has faced protests calling for action.

As well as the smaller Islamist parties that made gains at the polls, Türkiye's opposition secular republicans (CHP) have called for a complete halt to trade with Israel and criticized the AKP response to the Gaza crisis.

After the announcement of new sanctions, Israel says it is assessing "parallel measures" on Ankara.

Its officials are appealing "to our friends in the American congress to examine the violation of the boycott laws and impose sanctions on Türkiye accordingly."

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