Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirmed on Wednesday that his country has cut off trade and relations with Israel, and that it stands with Palestine until the end. This came in press statements upon his return from his visit to Saudi Arabia to attend the extraordinary joint summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Arab League.

Erdogan said: “Trade restrictions and embargoes on Israel are a form of struggle. It is important to pursue active diplomacy that will besiege Israel in all areas in order to increase diplomatic pressure on it. We are in the midst of a great test for humanity that can be passed if we are part of the humanitarian alliance. Otherwise, history will judge those who stand by Israel and remain silent in the face of injustice.”

Erdogan addressed allegations that Türkiye continues its trade with Israel, stressing that the aim of these allegations is to weaken the current government in Türkiye.

He stated that Türkiye is the country that has shown the strongest response in the world to Israel's injustice, and has taken concrete steps, including stopping trade dealings with it.

He said in this regard: "We have cut off trade and relations with Israel, and we stand with Palestine until the end."

Erdogan stressed that the "People's Alliance" (the ruling Turkish party that includes the Justice and Development Party and the Nationalist Movement Party) is determined to sever relations with Israel, indicating that Turkey will continue to do so during the next stage.

He added: "We will hold the oppressor called Netanyahu and his gang accountable for what they did before the law."

He stressed that Ankara is working hard to keep pressure on Israel going and take action based on international law.

Erdogan explained that Turkey ranks first in the volume of humanitarian aid sent to the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. He pointed out that 52 countries and two international organizations expressed their support for the initiative launched by Turkey at the United Nations to prevent the supply of weapons and ammunition to Israel.

categorical denial

Last Monday, Turkey categorically denied allegations of Turkish trade activities with Israel, noting that it had completely halted all exports and imports with Israel since May 2, 2024, according to the Turkish newspaper Daily Sabah.

According to the statement issued by the Anti-Disinformation Center of the Turkish Communications Presidency, all the allegations circulating about the continuation of trade between Türkiye and Israel are incorrect.

The center stated in a statement published on the X platform, "Since May 2, 2024, Turkey has completely stopped any export or import with Israel, including all types of goods, and has not registered any customs data for this purpose since then."

The center continued, explaining that the statistics relied upon by some media publications, which indicated the continuation of trade exchange under the code 624 for Israel, are inaccurate, as this data pertains to transactions until May 2024.