The Turkish government announced this Friday the closure of its air and sea space to Israel, more than a year after confirming the suspension of bilateral trade relations, in protest at its offensive in the Gaza Strip, where more than 63,000 Palestinians have died since October 7, 2023.
“We have completely cut off our trade with Israel. We do not allow Turkish ships to dock in Israeli ports. We do not allow Israeli planes to enter our airspace. (…) We will not allow container ships transporting arms and ammunition to Israel to enter our ports, nor will we allow aircraft to enter our airspace,” declared Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.
During an extraordinary meeting of the Turkish Parliament on Gaza in Ankara, he asserted that “no other country in the world has taken more measures than Turkey in terms of sanctions,” cutting off bilateral trade completely, for example, and stressed that they have “implemented numerous diplomatic, legal, and commercial measures” against the Israeli authorities, according to the Anadolu news agency.
Thus, he pointed out that the Israeli attacks against Gaza, Lebanon, Yemen, Syria, and Iran this year are actions that “ignore” international law and “could drag the entire region into chaos.” “This reckless attitude (of Israel) is the clearest indicator of a terrorist state mentality that challenges the international order and is far from assuming its responsibility,” he added.
In this regard, he asserted that “the atrocities committed in Gaza have already been recorded as one of the darkest pages in human history,” although he emphasized that the “resistance” of the Palestinian people “will change the course of history and become a symbol.” of the oppressed and will shake the foundations of a corrupt (international) order.”
Turkish authorities already suspended direct trade relations with Israel in May 2024 until the latter allowed the entry of uninterrupted humanitarian aid to the Palestinian enclave. Previously, as a pressure measure, it had banned the export of products such as steel and concrete.
