Tomato Diplomacy’ Breaks the Ice Between Israel and Turkey

At the start of Israel’s war on Gaza, Israelis were angered by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, not only because he compared the war to Nazi crimes, but also because he announced an economic boycott of Israel.

The response was swift with a counter-boycott, raising tariffs on Turkish goods by 100%, and canceling flights between the two countries.

Suddenly, it was revealed in Israel that a directive from the Ministry of Agriculture, issued on August 26, allowed the import of tomatoes from Turkey through a third country, provided the transportation route was clearly documented.

How did ‘Tomato Diplomacy’ break the ice in relations? It turned out that, behind the scenes, large quantities of Turkish tomatoes had reached Israel, amounting to about 700 tons in one week. Similarly, large quantities of other goods also arrived.

Information indicates that Palestinian traders from the West Bank were managing this operation.