Turkey: No trade with Israel until Gaza truce

ISTANBUL, May 3

Turkey said on Friday it will not resume trade with Israel, worth $7 billion a year, until a permanent ceasefire and humanitarian aid are secured in Gaza, becoming the first of Israel's key commercial partners to take such a step.

Israel’s “uncompromising attitude” and the worsening situation in Gaza’s Rafah region, a refuge for displaced people that Israel has threatened to storm — prompted Ankara to halt all exports and imports, Trade Minister Omer Bolat said.

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz criticised Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan's move, enacted late on Thursday, saying it breaks international trade agreements and was “how a dictator behaves”.

The militant group Hamas, which rules Gaza, praised the decision as brave and supportive of Palestinian rights.

It marks Ankara's strongest step after months of sharp criticism of Israel's military campaign, which has laid waste to the densely populated Palestinian enclave. Erdogan had faced growing domestic calls for more tangible action.

Turkey could not remain idle in the face of "Israeli bombardment of defenceless Palestinians", Erdogan said after Friday prayers. Israel says it is targeting militants hiding in residential areas. — Reuters

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