Turkey may resume trade relations with Israel if lasting peace is achieved, Nail Olpak, head of the Turkish Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEIK), said on Tuesday, according to Reuters.
Turkey cut off trade ties with Israel last year in response to its conflict against Hamas in Gaza. This week, Israel and Hamas began implementing a complex ceasefire agreement.
Turkey and Israel were headed towards reconciliation before Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel, but Turkish officials, and in particular President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, have resumed their attacks on Israel since that time.
In one speech, the Turkish President said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “committed one of the greatest atrocities of this century in Gaza and has already put his name down in history as the butcher of Gaza."
In July, Erdogan threatened to invade Israel, saying, "We must be strong so Israel won't be able to do these things to the Palestinians. Just as we entered Karabakh and Libya, we will do the same to Israel. There's nothing left to do, we must be strong."
He then continued to lash out at Israel, claiming that it "committed acts of barbarism" and that "Gaza has become the world's largest concentration camp."
In November, Erdogan boasted of the fact that Turkey had denied President Isaac Herzog permission to use its airspace to travel to the COP climate summit in Azerbaijan.
Erdogan has also openly expressed support for Hamas. Last April, he met then-Hamas political bureau leader Ismail Haniyeh in Istanbul.
The Turkish President said after the meeting that Palestinian Arab unity was “vital” and added, “The strongest response to Israel and the path to victory lie in unity and integrity.”
Weeks later, Erdogan boasted of the fact that more than 1,000 members of Hamas were being treated in hospitals across Turkey and also took issue with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ reference to Hamas as a terrorist organization.