Turkey\u2019s top diplomat announced on Friday that Ankara has closed its ports and airspace to Israeli ships and aircraft, with a diplomatic source telling AFP that the restrictions specifically target \u201cofficial\u201d flights. The move comes amid escalating tensions between Turkey and Israel, reflecting Ankara\u2019s strong stance in response to recent developments in Gaza. The decision is expected to impact diplomatic and official travel, while signaling Turkey\u2019s growing disapproval of Israeli actions in the region. Ties between Turkey and Israel have been shattered by Israel\u2019s war against Hamas in Gaza, with Ankara accusing Israel of committing \u201cgenocide\u201d in the tiny Palestinian territory \u2014 a term roundly rejected by Israel \u2014 and suspending all trade ties in May last year. \u201cWe have closed our ports to Israeli ships. We do not allow Turkish ships to go to Israeli ports\u2026. We do not allow container ships carrying weapons and ammunition to Israel to enter our ports, nor do we allow their aircraft to enter our airspace,\u201d Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told lawmakers in a televised address. Asked for clarification about the minister\u2019s remarks, a Turkish diplomatic source said its airspace was \u201cclosed to all aircraft carrying weapons (to Israel) and to Israel\u2019s official flights\u201d. It was not immediately clear when the airspace restrictions were put in place. In November, Turkey refused to let the Israeli president\u2019s plane cross its airspace, forcing him to cancel a planned visit to the COP29 climate conference in Azerbaijan. And in May, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cancelled a visit to Baku after Ankara reportedly refused overflight rights. Trade cut off: On Monday ZIM, Israel\u2019s biggest shipping firm, said it had been informed that under new regulations passed by Ankara on August 22, \u201cvessels that are either owned, managed or operated by an entity related to Israel will not be permitted to berth in Turkish ports\u201d. The information was made public in a filing to the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in which ZIM warned the new regulation was expected to \u201cnegatively impact on the company\u2019s financial and operational results\u201d. The ban also extended to other ships carrying military cargo destined for Israel, it said. \u201cSeparately.. vessels that are carrying military cargo destined to Israel will not be permitted to berth in Turkish ports; in addition, Turkish-flagged vessels will be prohibited from berthing in Israeli ports.\u201d Fidan\u2019s remarks were the first public acknowledgement of the ban. \u201cNo other country has cut off trade with Israel,\u201d he told Turkish lawmakers at an emergency session on the Gaza crisis. Turkish officials have repeatedly insisted that all trade ties with Israel have been cut, vowing there would be no normalisation as long as the Gaza war continues. But some Turkish opposition figures have accused Ankara of allowing trade to continue, notably by allowing oil shipments from Azerbaijan to pass through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline running through Turkey \u2014 claims dismissed by Turkey\u2019s energy ministry as \u201ccompletely unfounded\u201d. Although Azerbaijan has long been one of Israel\u2019s main oil suppliers, data published on its state customs website this year no longer showed Israel as one of the countries that purchase oil from Baku, Israel\u2019s Haaretz newspaper reported earlier this year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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