Multiple senators said on Tuesday that the U.S. should consider retaliatory measures, including potential sanctions, against Turkey in response to its decision this week to impose trade restrictions on Israel.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has denied that Hamas is a terrorist group, sparking backlash from some U.S. lawmakers already wary of the often-unreliable NATO ally.
Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-NE) said the U.S. “should consider putting sanctions on Turkey, in response” to the move.
Asked whether Ankara’s NATO status should be in question, Ricketts said that relationship should allow the U.S. to have greater influence over Turkey and make the case for Israel.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said he also thought U.S. trade restrictions could be an “appropriate” response to confront Turkey’s behavior.
“I was not aware of Turkey making that decision but it reflects Israel and Netanyahu’s intransigence.” Israel’s Foreign Ministry said that Turkey was unilaterally violating its trade agreement with Israel, and vowed a response.
Foreign Minister Israel Katz instructed the ministry’s economic department to prepare a list of Israeli products to stop exporting to Turkey.
Thirty-eight U.S. states have laws that prohibit states from entering contracts or investing in entities that boycott Israel.
A number of senators declared on Tuesday that the U. s. should think about taking punitive action, such as sanctions, against Turkey in retaliation for its decision to impose trade restrictions on Israel this week.
Following Israel’s rejection of Turkey’s attempts to take part in aid drops to Gaza, Ankara made the decision. According to Turkey, the ban would apply to goods like jet fuel, fertilizer, construction supplies, and equipment and would last until a cease-fire in Gaza is achieved.
Turkey’s decision has sparked retaliatory actions in Israel and is the latest blow to the Israel-Turkey relationship, which has been publicly harmed since October along with Israel’s other relationships in the Arab world. Seven terror attacks by Hamas and the ensuing conflict.
President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan has drawn criticism from some U.S. S. Lawmakers already leery of the frequently untrustworthy NATO partner. Several senior Hamas figures have resided in and operated out of Turkey in recent years, including Saleh al-Arouri, who was assassinated in Lebanon in January.
Mr. Pete Ricketts (R-NE) stated that the U.S. S. “should contemplate imposing sanctions on Turkey, as a reaction” to the action. When asked if the NATO membership of Ankara should be questioned, Ricketts stated that the alliance should permit the U. S. to advocate for Israel and exert more influence over Turkey.
We should be focused on destroying a terrorist organization because Israel is fighting for the advancement of civilization, according to Ricketts.
Mr. Republican senator from South Carolina Lindsey Graham stated that he also believed that U. s. Trade limitations may be a “appropriate” reaction to Turkey’s actions.
Mr. Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat from Connecticut, informed JI that the U. s. ought to “think about our appropriate response in the event that countries take military or economic action against allies.”. What that response should consist of, he did not say.
However, Blumenthal expressed optimism about the long-term outlook for Israel’s relations with the Arab world, stating that after the current war ends, there is a widespread desire to continue and expand normalization with Israel from Riyadh to Amman to Cairo.
“It will become more difficult the longer the Gaza War continues,” Blumenthal stated. But just to be clear, Israel is entitled to self-defense and must protect its borders from the kind of horrifying massacre that took place on October. 7 and to ensure that it never occurs once more. “.
Mr. Longtime Ankara critic Bob Menendez (D-NJ) disputed the idea that Turkey was entitled to criticism or retaliation against Israel.
Menendez told JI, “Turkey has unclean hands when it talks about sanctioning or restricting trade with anyone else, because it creates a whole host of challenges in the region and it violates human rights both of its people and others.”. They therefore approach any debate on this with dirty hands, which is why I think it is inappropriate. “.
Mr. After Turkey’s actions, John Kennedy (R-LA) expressed his desire to “see a reaction from Congress.”. Congress must support Israel’s demands to destroy Hamas. The Middle East won’t be at peace if we don’t take that action, he declared.
Sen. A hearing on the matter, according to Todd Young (R-IN), “would be merited,” and he plans to talk about it with the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Mr. Although Peter Welch (D-VT) had not heard of the news, he believed that such tactics were “an indication of the marginalization that Israel’s policies are imposing on itself, meaning the conditions in Gaza are horrific,” according to JI on Tuesday. “.
The world’s most densely populated region, Rafah, is where Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says military operations will start on a certain date. There is a general sense of horror about what is occurring because there will be disastrous outcomes,” he said. “I was unaware that Turkey had made that decision, but it shows how unyielding Israel and Netanyahu are.”. “.
Turkey is unilaterally breaking its trade agreement with Israel, according to Israel’s Foreign Ministry, and it has threatened to take action. Israel Katz, the foreign minister, gave the ministry’s economic department instructions to compile a list of goods that Israel should no longer export to Turkey.
According to Katz, Israel also intends to press Congress to investigate whether Turkey is breaking any laws prohibiting boycotts of Israel and to impose sanctions if necessary, as well as for American divestment from Turkey. “.
Katz claimed that Erdogan was supporting the Hamas killers at the expense of the Turkish people’s economic interests. “Israel will not submit to coercion and violence, nor will it remain silent in the face of Turkey’s unilateral breach of our trade agreement. “.
Turkey has demonstrated that it cannot be trusted, and it is working with Hamas, Qatar, Iran, and the Muslim Brotherhood to oppose Israel, according to Israeli Economy Minister Nir Barkat. “.
In an effort to “not lean on the terror-supporting Erdogan regime,” Barkat stated that his ministry, which is in charge of trade among other things, is searching for alternatives to Turkish imports, such as boosting domestic production and importing goods from other nations.
thirty-eight U.S. S. States cannot enter into agreements with or make investments in companies that boycott Israel according to state law. But they were unlikely to matter in this case, according to Israeli legal scholar Eugene Kontorovich, the head of international law at the Kohelet Policy Forum and a contributing author of several state anti-boycott legislation, as “state laws only apply to companies that contract with U. s. states, which the government of Turkey does not. It is federal law, not state law, if the company is boycotting in response to a national legal requirement. “.
