Turkey halts all trade with Israel until permanent Gaza cease-fire

Turkey will not resume trade with Israel, worth $7 billion a year, until a permanent ceasefire and humanitarian aid are secured in Gaza, it said on Friday, the first of Israel’s key partners to halt trade over the conflict.

Turkey will not resume trade with Israel, worth $7 billion a year, until a permanent ceasefire and humanitarian aid are secured in Gaza, it said on Friday, the first of Israel’s key partners to halt trade over the conflict.

Israel’s “uncompromising attitude” and the worsening situation in Gaza’s southern Rafah region — where Israel has threatened to launch a new offensive — prompted Turkey to halt all exports and imports, said Trade Minister Omer Bolat.

Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz criticized Turkish President Reccep Tayyip Erdogan’s move, announced late Thursday, saying it breaks international trade agreements and was “how a dictator behaves.”

The militant group Hamas, which rules Gaza, praised the decision as brave and supportive of Palestinian rights.

“We decided to stop exports and imports to and from Israel until a permanent ceasefire is achieved (in Gaza) and humanitarian aid is allowed without interruption,” the minister Bolat said.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/turkey-halts-trade-israel-permanent-gaza-cease-fire-rcna150542

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