Israel intends to impose 100% tariffs on all goods from Turkey until
The deterioration of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's term of office. This was announced by Bezalel Smotrich, the Minister of Finance of the Jewish State.
"100 percent customs duty on imports from Turkey until the end of Erdogan's term of office. Raising customs duties on imports from Turkey is the appropriate Zionist response to Erdogan," he wrote on his X page.
Smotrich expressed confidence that the Turkish leader is "at the forefront" of protecting the Palestinian radical Hamas movement and reminded that Ankara had earlier decided to stop trade with Israel. "His [Erdogan's] statement on the suspension of supplies to Israel is an economic boycott statement and a serious violation of international trade agreements, which Turkey has joined," the minister said.
The politician, who heads the far-right "Religious Zionism" party, added that he believes Israel "has been fighting Erdogan's anti-Semitism for too many years." "Not on my shift. We have national honor and national pride and a strong economy that needs no favors and certainly no support from those who fight against it. "If at the end of Erdogan's tenure, Turkish citizens elect a leader who is reasonable and does not hate Israel, then it will be possible to return to full trade with Turkey," said Smotrich.
At the same time, he noted that Israel should diversify imports and replace supplies from Turkey. He mentioned China, Eastern European countries, Germany and Cyprus as alternative destinations.
According to The Jerusalem Post newspaper, Smotrich has already submitted a plan for raising customs duties on Turkish goods for consideration by the Israeli cabinet. This, among other things, implies the termination of the free trade agreement signed by the two countries in 1996.