The Ministry of Foreign Affairs held a special discussion following the decision of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to stop trade with Israel led by the Director General of the Ministry and with the participation of senior officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and senior representatives from the Ministry of Economy and Tax Authority. It was decided to advance a number of significant decisions in response to the unilateral move.
Among the main steps agreed upon were:
1) Action to reduce any economic relationship between Turkey, the Palestinian Authority, and Gaza (Turkey is the largest importer, importing about 18% to the PA).
2) Turning to international economic forums to examine sanctions against Turkey for violating trade agreements.
3) Building a broad bank of alternatives in cooperation with the Ministry of Economy in order to find alternatives in a variety of fields and products in the immediate future.
4) Assistance to Israeli export sectors that were affected.
In addition, it was reported that Foreign Minister Israel Katz contacted Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich to promote an aid package for export sectors in Israel that may be harmed by the Turkish decision.
