Ankara cuts trade ties with Israel and closes its airspace and ports to it: A Turkish escalation in protest against the Gaza war.

Arab Sea Newspaper - Special

Ankara cuts trade ties with Israel and closes its airspace and ports to it: A Turkish escalation in protest against the Gaza war. Arab Sea - Follow-ups Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan announced on Friday (August 29, 2025) that Ankara has ended all its trade relations with Israel, in a move he described as a protest against the continuation of the war in Gaza and its serious humanitarian repercussions. Fidan said, during an extraordinary session of the Turkish Parliament devoted to discussing developments in the sector, that his country had completely stopped trade dealings, closed Turkish ports to Israeli ships, and prevented Turkish ships from heading to Israeli ports. He added that the decision also includes preventing Israeli aircraft from flying in Turkish airspace, especially those related to military operations or the transport of weapons. According to the minister's statements, Ankara had already begun to stop trade dealings since the outbreak of the war on Gaza, but the new announcement establishes a clearer and more resolute phase in Turkish policy towards Tel Aviv. Fidan affirmed that "all countries that opposed the two-state solution are now convinced that there is no alternative to it," noting that Israel "seeks to bring the region into a state of chaos." Turkish diplomatic sources later clarified that the air embargo focuses on military and official flights related to Israel, while some commercial civilian flights remain under special arrangements, but this does not change the essence of the decision as a harsh political message.