The head of a leading trade organization in Turkey has said Turkey could restart trade with Israel if a ceasefire that began in the Palestinian enclave of Gaza on Sunday evolves into permanent peace, the Voice of America Turkish edition reported.
“The permanence of peace means that the reason for the interruption of trade has been eliminated. Therefore, trade can start again,” Nail Olpak, head of the Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEİK), which represents 152 business councils aimed at promoting Turkey’s economic relations worldwide, told reporters at a news conference in İstanbul on Tuesday.
The ceasefire, announced by mediators Qatar and the United States last week, took effect on Sunday and involves the exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, after which the terms of a permanent end to the war would be finalized.
The agreement followed months of fruitless negotiations to end the deadliest war in Gaza’s history.
In May 2024 Turkey halted all direct trade with Israel in response to mounting domestic criticism of Israel’s military actions in Gaza.
However, the Turkish government has faced protests and accusations for allegedly continuing trade with Israel while adopting a harsh anti-Israeli rhetoric, with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan repeatedly accusing Israel of “genocidal behavior” and comparing the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu administration’s actions to those seen in Nazi Germany.
A report by the Stop Fueling Genocide campaign revealed that 10 crude oil shipments were made from Turkey to Israel in 2024, violating Ankara’s announced embargo. The shipments, tracked via satellite imagery and shipping data, reportedly included Azeri crude oil transported through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, a key source of Israel’s crude imports.
Activists argue that crude oil refined in Israel contributes to fueling its military equipment.
There were instances when activists protesting Turkey’s alleged continuation of trade with Israel were subjected to police aggression, detained or arrested.
In addition, while official data showed a near cessation of direct exports to Israel, trade with Palestine has surged to unprecedented levels, raising questions about whether goods are being rerouted to Israel.
Critics accused Erdoğan of “hypocrisy” in his anti-Israel rhetoric.
Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza following a Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 that resulted in the death of 1,206 people and the taking of some 250 hostages.
According to the health ministry in Gaza, the Israeli military has killed at least 46,000 Palestinians and wounded more than 108,000 since October 7, 2023.
A report released by Amnesty International on December 5 concludes that Israel’s actions in Gaza qualify as genocide.