Recently, Turkey made a bold move by announcing a total trade ban with Israel until a permanent ceasefire in Gaza is agreed upon. This decision comes after years of a robust trade partnership between the two countries, with trade worth nearly seven billion dollars annually. However, Israel’s military actions in Gaza have strained this relationship.
The Turkish government has been vocal in demanding an end to the violence in Gaza, which has led to the deaths of nearly 35,000 Palestinians in seven months. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was particularly critical of Israel’s decision to block Turkish aid meant for Gaza last month. In response, he imposed the trade ban as a form of pressure on Israel to agree to a ceasefire.
Some speculate that Erdogan’s decision may have been influenced by domestic pressure, especially after a setback in local elections partially attributed to continuing trade with Israel. The ban raises questions about the impact it will have on the economies of both countries.
Hosted by Neave Barker, the discussion on this topic features political analyst and assistant professor at İbn Haldun University, Vehbi Baysan, author and columnist at Haaretz, Gideon Levy, and chief economist at international think tank GLOBSEC, Vladimir Vano.