by Burak Akinci
ANKARA, May 7 (Xinhua) -- Türkiye's decision to freeze trade ties with Israel marks a decisive step in ties between the two non-Arab states of the Middle East as trade remained largely untouched despite ups and downs in bilateral relations in the past two decades.
Analysts said Ankara is aware that cutting trade ties with Israel will hurt Türkiye's ailing economy but wants to show that supporting the Palestinian cause goes beyond the money that exports generate.
Türkiye announced the suspension of all trade with Israel last week after the country imposed export restrictions on Israel in early April, covering products from iron to jet fuel.
Batu Coskun, a political analyst who specializes in Turkish affairs at Libya's Sadeq Institute, told Xinhua that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is taking a different approach to Türkiye's relationship with Israel, noting that trade relations once remained unaffected even during times of political strain.
For Coskun, the current position of Ankara on the Gaza conflict is to address all aspects of its ties with Israel without separating political and economic issues, even if it means that Türkiye will also suffer from a suspension of trade ties.
According to the Turkish Statistical Institute, Türkiye reported 5.4 billion U.S. dollars in exports to Israel in 2023 and 1.6 billion in imports.
The bilateral trade volume is largely in favor of Türkiye, and its companies are expected to take a hit from a ban on exports, especially those specializing in construction materials.
Erdogan has been a vocal critic of Israel's military operations in Gaza since last year.
In Coskun's view, the Turkish leader may want to continue the escalation with Israel as he resonates with his ruling Justice and Development Party's religious and conservative grassroots.
The Turkish president faced backlash at home from its allies and the opposition for not cutting all trade ties with Israel while the humanitarian crisis deepened in the Palestinian enclave.
Erdogan on Friday said his government's move to halt trade with Israel aimed at pushing the country to a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
"We have taken some measures to force Israel to agree to a ceasefire and increase the amount of humanitarian aid to enter" Gaza, Erdogan told a group of businessmen in Istanbul, Türkiye's economic hub, semi-official Anadolu Agency reported.
Türkiye and Israel restored diplomatic relations in mid-2022 following years of strained relations. However, the Gaza crisis led to renewed tensions and mutual accusations.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan also announced last week that his country would join South Africa's genocide case against Israel at the Hague-based International Court of Justice.
Time will tell how Ankara's decision will affect Israel's economy, and seeking alternative partners in times of crisis is not something new for the country, Serkan Demirtas, an Ankara-based foreign policy analyst and journalist, said to Xinhua.
"With a trade embargo, Türkiye is essentially seeking to set a precedent for other nations to twist Israel's arm for a permanent truce in Gaza," he pointed out.
"We will have to see the extent of the impact of the Turkish embargo on the Israeli economy and whether other countries will follow suit," he added. ■
