Turkey has decided to sever all commercial and economic ties with Israel and close its airspace to Israeli government planes over Gaza War, according to AP.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Friday that his country has moved to close its ports to maritime trade between third countries and Israel.
“We have completely cut off our trade with Israel. We have closed our ports to Israeli ships,” Fidan told a special parliamentary debate on Gaza in Ankara.
This move follows reports that Turkish port authorities have started informally demanding shipping agents to submit letters confirming that vessels have no ties to Israel and are not transporting military or hazardous cargo destined for the country.
Decisive Moves against Israel
Turkey has been a harsh critic of Israeli since the beginning of its war on Gaza in October 2023, with Turkey announcing that it would join South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), reported Reuters.
Fidan said that Turkey has been thinking of a strong response to Israel’s violations during the war on Gaza after it has already taken serious steps against Israel, such as the restrictions on some exports.
“Upon completion of the legal text of our work, we will submit the declaration of official intervention before the ICJ with the objective of implementing this political decision,” Fidan stated in a joint press conference with Indonesia’s Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi in Ankara.
Fidan added that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has approved the officials’ plan which means that Turkey “will legally support South Africa’s case against Israel at the ICJ, and file our application to the court soon,” Fidan said.
He underscored that Turkey supports the Palestinians from the outbreak of the war and “Turkey will continue to support the Palestinian people in all circumstances.”
Related Topics:
Turkey Says SDF Breaching Deal with Damascus, Damaging Syria’s Unity
Al-Ahsa Launches First Direct Flight to Turkey
Putin Skips Ukraine Peace Talks in Turkey
