Israel says Türkiye under President Erdogan led hostile approach against Tel Aviv

ISTANBUL

Israel said Monday that Türkiye, under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has imposed diplomatic and economic measures against Tel Aviv over its war on the Gaza Strip.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said that Türkiye’s position toward Israel has gone beyond rhetoric.

“Türkiye, led by Erdogan, led a hostile approach against Israel,” including “not only hostile statements, but also diplomatic and economic measures,” Saar told a joint press conference in Budapest with his Hungarian counterpart, Peter Szijjarto, as cited by The Times of Israel news site.

Turkish President Erdogan has strongly denounced the Israeli war on Gaza, where over 68,500 people have been killed since October 2023, and called for Muslim unity against Israel.

On May 2, 2024, Türkiye completely halted all export, import, and transit trade operations with Israel across all product categories, ending all commercial activity, including customs and free-zone transactions, between the two countries.

The Israeli war came to a halt when a ceasefire agreement took effect on Oct. 10, under US President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan.