site.bta Turkiye Halts Trade with Israel worth USD 9.5 Bln, Says Turkish President Erdogan

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday that his government has halted all trade with Israel that amounts to some USD 9.5 billion, reported Turkiye's Anadolu Agency.

Speaking to reporters after Friday prayers in Istanbul, the Turkish president added that they “closed that door" on trade with Israel amid ongoing onslaught on the Gaza Strip, the Agency said.

According to Erdogan, the trade volume between Turkiye and Israel was worth USD 9.5 billion. "Ignoring this trade volume, we closed the door, the Turkish President said"

The Turkish Trade Ministry announced that Ankara suspended all export and import operations with Israel due to its "aggression against Palestine in violation of international law and human rights."

President Erdogan, blasting Israel’s ongoing aggression in the Gaza Strip, also said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s moves made a possible Turkiye-Israel rapprochement impossible, the Anadolu Agency said.

Erdogan also criticized the West for its ongoing support to Israel.

“All Western countries, led by the US, are supporting Israel and they are sparing no efforts to condemn the poverty-stricken Palestinians to death,” he said, quoted by Anadolu Agency.

Erdogan also added that the ongoing Israeli aggression against Palestine is "unacceptable."

"Israel has brutally killed 40,000 to 45,000 Palestinians so far. As Muslims, it is unthinkable for us to stand by and watch this happen," he added.