Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan announced at an emergency parliamentary session a complete severance of economic and trade ties with Israel. He also confirmed the closure of Turkish airspace to government and arms flights from Israel, as well as a ban on Israeli ships calling at Turkish ports. Turkish ships will also no longer be able to call at Israeli ports.
Fidan stressed that the decision itself is already being partially implemented: the Turkish port authorities have required ships to confirm that they are not affiliated with Israel and are not carrying weapons.
Ankara previously suspended direct trade relations with Tel Aviv in May 2024 in response to its actions in Gaza.
Trade between the countries reached $7bn in 2023.Turkey accuses Israel of genocide in Gaza, which Israel denies. Ankara has also started preparing for humanitarian air flights to deliver aid to Palestine. Fidan said this, emphasising that the President’s approval has already been obtained for this and it remains to wait for Jordan’s permission.
Turkey is making a decisive geopolitical U-turn by completely cutting economic and logistical ties with Israel. The action covers the air, sea and trade spheres and deepens the gap in relations between the countries, highlighting the growing tensions across the region.