Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan announced that Turkiye has completely severed economic and trade ties with Israel and has closed its airspace to its aircraft, in protest over the war in Gaza, reports Al Jazeera.
"We have completely cut off our trade with Israel. We do not allow Turkish ships to go to Israeli ports. We do not allow their planes to enter our airspace," Fidan made this remark while speaking at an extraordinary session of the Turkish parliament on Gaza on Friday.
He said Israel has been "committing genocide in Gaza for the past two years, ignoring basic humanitarian values right before the world's eyes".
Turkish Foreign Minister's remarks come at a time of mounting strain in Ankara's ties with Israel, Al Jazeera's Resul Serdar commented.
"It's not only about the humanitarian crisis that's unfolding in Gaza; Turkiye gradually is perceiving Israel as a national security threat," Serdar explained, pointing to Israel's expansionist policies and military actions across the broader Middle East as key concerns.
In Syria in particular, Ankara has accused Israel of deliberately disrupting the country's reconstruction following the end of a 14-year civil war and the ouster of longtime leader Bashar al-Assad last December through a swift rebel offensive.
"Diplomats in Ankara are seeing that if Israel is not stopped, eventually there might be a direct military confrontation between these two countries," Serdar said.
He further noted that the Turkish minister's statements highlight Ankara's call for the Global South and other powers to act, given Washington and Brussels' continued backing of Israel.
In May last year, Turkiye suspended direct trade with Israel, insisting on a permanent ceasefire and unrestricted humanitarian access to Gaza. In 2023, bilateral trade amounted to $7bn.
Meanwhile, Turkish media outlets reported last week that maritime restrictions on Israel had been introduced, though officials have not confirmed it. According to those reports, Israeli vessels are barred from Turkish ports, while ships flying the Turkish flag are prohibited from docking in Israel.
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