Turkey has tightened its embargo on Israeli goods, demanding that exporters ensure products intended for the Palestinian Authority (PA) are delivered solely to Palestinians and not to Israelis.
As part of the new regulation, Turkish exporters will now be required to obtain a signed declaration from the Palestinian Economy Ministry before shipping goods to the PA. These shipments are unloaded at Israeli ports in Haifa and Ashdod.
The move comes after reports that some importers were bypassing the Turkish embargo by importing goods designated for the Palestinian market but diverting them to Israel. The declaration obtained by Ynet's sister publication Calcalist, a formal document from the Palestinian Economy Ministry, obliges importers to commit that the goods will only be used in the Palestinian market. The importer assumes full responsibility, and failure to comply could result in legal action and the inability to submit future import requests.
Turkey imposed a trade embargo on Israel in early May in response to the ongoing Gaza war. In 2023, total trade between the two countries (excluding diamonds) amounted to $6.2 billion, with $4.6 billion in imports from Turkey and $1.6 billion in exports from Israel.
Since the embargo, goods from Turkey have been re-routed to Israel through third-party countries, and direct exports to Israel have ceased altogether. This recent step is aimed at preventing goods from entering Israel via the Palestinian Authority, which Turkey sees as a loophole.
Data supports Turkey's concerns about goods reaching Israel covertly. Since May, when Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced the embargo, direct exports to Israel have stopped. Meanwhile, exports to the PA surged tenfold, from $9-13 million per month in January-April to $128-138 million in July-August. Despite this increase, it has not compensated for the complete halt of Turkish exports to Israel, which plummeted from $300-400 million per month to zero.
Importers who spoke to Calcalist expressed concerns that this move could provoke a backlash from the Israeli government instead of calming tensions. “Let the ground create solutions. The Turkish route is crucial in fighting the cost of living,” one importer remarked.
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