ANKARA — Turkey is blocking ships carrying explosives, radioactive materials or military gear to Israel from all Turkish port services — including docking, repairs and refueling — under a memo issued by Turkish authorities and a copy of which seen by Al-Monitor.
New rules: Under the new rules, when requesting to dock, the ship’s agent or operator must also provide a written declaration that the vessel and its operators have no ties to Israel, Reuters first reported on Thursday.
According to the memo sent to all Turkish ports, ships carrying restricted cargo to Israel that make false declarations will face fines and expulsion from Turkish waters. Officials will track the declarations digitally and ask the ships’ agents for more information as needed.
Why it matters: Turkey’s port cities have seen a series of demonstrations by pro-Palestinian groups over the past two years against Israeli vessels using local ports.
The restrictions mark another escalation in Turkey’s measures against Israel over its war in Gaza since 2023.
Turkey and Israel downgraded their diplomatic relations immediately after the outbreak of the Gaza conflict. Last year, Turkey also banned trade with Israel, cutting roughly $7 billion in annual trade. Ankara conditioned its resumption on a permanent truce between Israel and Hamas.
Turkish-flagged ships have been banned from docking at Israeli ports in a bid to prevent traders from bypassing the ban by labeling cargo destinations as the Palestinian territories, a Turkish source familiar with the matter told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity.
Know more: Turkey and Israel fully normalized their diplomatic relations in 2022 after a four-year hiatus, but Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks and the ensuing war shattered the nascent Israel-Turkish detente.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has labeled Israel’s war in Gaza as genocide, a claim Israel strongly rejects.
