Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan claimed that Turkey has significantly reduced trade with Israel, at a pro-Palestine conference of foreign and Turkish lawmakers amid Israel’s military campaign in the Palestinian enclave of Gaza.
After Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7, killing some 1,200 Israelis and taking some 250 hostages, Israel’s military response has resulted in more than 34,400 deaths in Gaza, which has exacerbated anti-Israel sentiment in Turkey and led to calls for a halt to trade with Tel Aviv.
The League of Parliamentarians for Al-Quds (LP4Q), based in İstanbul, is a foundation supported by approximately 1,500 parliamentarians worldwide that advocates for Palestinian rights in accordance with United Nations resolutions.
At the conference Erdoğan referred to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as the “butcher of Gaza” and attributed the deaths of over 15,000 children to Israeli actions in the region.
The Turkish government officially imposed trade restrictions on Israel on April 9, a move seen as a response to both public outcry and the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
However, the effectiveness and thoroughness of these restrictions have been questioned.
Despite Erdoğan’s assertive statements, trade between the two nations is significant, with Israel being one of Turkey’s most important trading partners.
In 2023 bilateral trade amounted to $5.42 billion, a decrease from $7 billion in 2022, but still significant.
This ongoing trade relationship has sparked criticism within Turkey, particularly from those who see it as a contradiction to Erdoğan’s vocal support for Palestinian rights.
At the conference, Erdoğan also addressed criticism of Turkey’s response to Israel, including accusations that Turkey had supplied jet fuel, one of the items restricted by Turkey, to Tel Aviv during its war on Gaza, implying that Turkey had been exporting jet fuel to Israel up until that point.
Despite Ankara’s trade records, Erdoğan categorically rejected the accusations, describing them as part of a smear campaign against his government.
Erdoğan also criticized the United States for vetoing a UN resolution that would have recognized Palestine as a full fledged member state and condemned what he saw as unilateral US support for Israeli military action.
This comes after Erdoğan’s remarks during a joint press conference with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Wednesday, when he emphasized Turkey has limited its trade relations with Israel, saying, “Turkey no longer trades much with Israel, this chapter is closed.”
The measures taken after six months of destruction in Gaza were seen by many as overdue, given the significant loss of life and general public outrage in Turkey at Israel’s actions.
Justice and Development Party (AKP) Deputy Chairman Nihat Zeybekçi has recently spoken out in favor of maintaining trade relations with Israel, citing the economic benefits despite the conflict.
Zeybekçi’s remarks, which he made during an event in İzmir, drew significant backlash as they seemed to contradict the Turkish government’s general condemnation of Israel’s actions.
The trade between Turkey and Israel, which is partly conducted by individuals close to President Erdoğan despite his anti-Israel rhetoric, was first exposed by investigative journalist Metin Cihan in late November. Since then, Cihan has been reporting on trade between the two countries, relying on official statistics and websites on maritime traffic, all of which are publicly available.
Erdoğan, who has long marketed himself in the Muslim world as a champion of Palestinian rights and a fierce critic of Israel, has repeatedly accused Israel of being a “terrorist state” and of committing “genocide” due to Israel’s ongoing attacks on the Palestinian enclave in Gaza.