The United States on Monday called on Turkey and Israel to resolve their differences after Ankara vowed to halt trade in a bid to force a Gaza ceasefire, Agence France-Presse reported.
“They are both allies of ours, and we would encourage them to work through their differences,” State Department Spokesman Matthew Miller said when asked about the trade freeze.
He declined to comment further. The United States is often cautious in public comments on Turkey after past rhetorical feuds quickly escalated with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Erdoğan, a strident critic of Israel, said Friday that Turkey would try through the trade boycott to “force Israel to agree to a ceasefire” and increase aid.
Turkey is one of the few Muslim-majority countries to recognize Israel, and Erdoğan had faced criticism domestically for not taking action sooner.
