Demonstrating Israel’s view that it can do anything it wants to Palestine, Israel announced that its response to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s announcement May 3 that he was cutting trade with Israel, is to cut off trade between Palestine’s and Türkiye. Israel will also impose sanctions on Türkiye. The Turks said their ban on trade with Israel would last until there is a ceasefire and the blockade against Palestine is lifted.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz snarled that “The dictator Erdogan who wants to be sultan is working in the service of Hamas, breaching agreements and seeking to harm Israel, but is in fact harming Palestinians he purports to want to help.” Katz declared what steps Israel planned to take: “Whoever takes unilateral steps against Israel’s economy will receive a painful and appropriate response. Israel’s economy is strong and Türkiye’s economy will be harmed far more.… Erdogan will come to regret this error.”
