Turkey halts trade with Israel over 'humanitarian tragedy' in Gaza
Ankara: Turkey has announced the suspension of all trade with Israel in response to the ongoing offensive in Gaza. Citing the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the region, the Turkish trade ministry stated that trade will remain halted until Israel permits an uninterrupted and sufficient flow of aid into Gaza. Last year, trade between the two countries amounted to nearly $7 billion.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz criticized Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, accusing him of disregarding the interests of the Turkish people and businesses and ignoring international trade agreements. In response, Israel has pledged to seek alternative trade partners and reduce economic ties with Turkey, including those with the Palestinian Authority and Gaza.
Turkey's Trade Minister Omer Bolat condemned Israel's uncompromising stance on a ceasefire and the dire humanitarian conditions in Gaza. He emphasized that Turkey's trade suspension is contingent upon the establishment of a permanent ceasefire and uninterrupted aid flow into Gaza.
The decision reflects the escalating tensions between Turkey and Israel, whose relations have deteriorated over recent decades, marked by diplomatic rifts and confrontations, including the 2010 Gaza flotilla incident. Erdogan's government has faced domestic pressure to take a firm stance against Israel, particularly after a significant electoral setback for his party earlier this year.
The announcement comes amid mounting international criticism of Israel's actions in Gaza, with the United Nations warning of a looming humanitarian catastrophe. Efforts to address the crisis have included the reopening of aid routes, but challenges persist in delivering essential supplies to those in need.
Meanwhile, the United States has urged both Israel and Hamas to agree to a ceasefire and negotiate the release of hostages held in Gaza. A proposed deal reportedly involves a 40-day ceasefire and a prisoner exchange, though Hamas' response is awaited.
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'Last rites' of INDIA bloc: BJP on Cong-DMK fallout in Tamil Nadu
New Delhi (PTI): The BJP on Wednesday took a swipe at the Congress for extending support to Vijay's TVK in forming the government in Tamil Nadu and breaking away from its long term ally DMK, saying the party has a history of "betraying" its allies.
The saffron party also attacked the opposition INDIA bloc, claiming the alliance is "falling apart like a pack of cards" and lacks any common ideology or vision.
The Tamil Nadu Congress has decided to support TVK leader Vijay in forming a secular government in the state, sources said.
The decision to support the TVK was taken at an urgent meeting of the Political Affairs Committee (PAC) of Tamil Nadu Congress late on Tuesday night.
Reacting to the development, BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla claimed the INDIA alliance had effectively come to an end after the declaration of assembly election results on May 4.
"There is nobody whom the Congress has not deceived. Imagine what they will do to the Samajwadi Party if they have done this to the DMK," he wrote in a post on X.
Calling it the "last rites" of the INDIA bloc, Poonawalla, in a video post, said, "It has become a Bharat free of the DMK, TMC and the Left, and now Congress has dumped the DMK for the TVK."
The BJP spokesperson alleged that the opposition bloc was formed solely out of political compulsions and personal ambitions.
"The INDI alliance never had any mission or vision. It was only about ambition for position, corruption, commission and obsession against Modi ji that they came together. But now it is all falling apart like a pack of cards," he said.
Questioning the unity of the opposition parties, Poonawalla said the alliance was absent in several states during the election.
"Where was the INDI alliance in Bengal, in Kerala, in Gujarat, in Punjab, in Delhi, in Haryana, in Karnataka? There is no INDI alliance," he said.
The DMK on Wednesday described the Congress move to extend support to TVK as a "backstab" by its long-time national ally.
Speaking to PTI videos, DMK spokesperson Saravanan Anadurai said, "The Congress party has decided to ally with the TVK, pledging their support to the party. I think they have backstabbed... They have backstabbed the people of Tamil Nadu. They've backstabbed the mandate given by the people of Tamil Nadu."
He said that the decision came even before the electoral process had fully concluded.
"Even before the ink on the returning officer's signature on the victory certificate dried up, they've chosen to go ahead with an alliance," he said.
Vijay's TVK won 108 seats in the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly, falling short of the halfway mark. He needs the support of 10 MLAs to form a government with a simple majority. The results were declared only on Monday.
The Congress has won five seats, while the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) has bagged four seats. The CPI and CPI-M have two seats each. The outgoing ruling party, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), has won 59 seats while the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) has won 47 seats.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has won only one seat, and so have the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) and the Amma Makkal Munnettra Kazagam (AMMK), while the VCK has won two seats.
The Congress had fought the assembly polls in a pre-poll alliance with the DMK, while the BJP had a tie-up with the AIADMK.
