Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish President, declared that Turkey has fully severed and is continuing to reduce commercial relations with Israel in response to the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
Speaking at the fifth conference of the Inter-Parliamentary Jerusalem Platform in Istanbul on April 26, Erdogan emphasized that Israel’s attempts to silence Turkey would not succeed.
He reiterated Ankara’s recent decision to impose trade restrictions on Israel, covering products such as cement, steel, and iron construction materials as a response to the Gaza conflict.
Erdogan rebuffed allegations of Turkey selling jet fuel to Israel as “immoral” and reaffirmed Turkey’s commitment to its stance on the Palestinian cause.
Describing Israel as a “modern pharaoh” due to the situation in Gaza, Erdogan criticized the Israeli government’s actions and referred to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as the “butcher of Gaza.”
He emphasized that Turkey stands against what he called genocide in Gaza and once again rejected recognizing Hamas as a terrorist group, comparing the group to the historic National Forces.
During a joint press conference with the German Chancellor on April 24, Erdogan dismissed claims of ongoing intense trade with Israel by stating that such relations are a thing of the past.
