Rabbi Eliyahu calls to boycott dried fruits from Turkey

Safed's Chief Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu called on Israelis on Monday to boycott dried fruits imported from Turkey, in response to the recent anti-Israeli flare-up in the country.

"This is our way to protest Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan's expressions of hostility towards President Shimon Peres at the Davos Forum, and the support they received from the Turkish people," Eliyahu told Ynet.

In recent weeks there has been a sharp drop in the number of Israelis travelling to Turkey, and the rabbi hopes that the touristic boycott would be accompanied by an economic one.

"While IDF soldiers were fighting and defending the state, Turkey opted to side with our greatest enemies and threaten our troops.

"I prefer to see the thousands of tons of dried fruits exported from Turkey remaining on the shelves, and Israelis buying the high quality fruits grown and sold by Israeli farmers, who at this difficult time may be able to enjoy some relief," he added.

Rabbi Eliyahu said he hoped that other rabbis would join his call and agree that this was more than just a gimmick.

However, a great number of Israeli importers recently came back from Turkey with large quantities of fried fruit ahead of the Tu B'Shvat holiday, and if the boycott initiative is successful they might have to destroy the goods.

Rabbi Eliyahu is known for his controversial statements regarding Israeli Arabs and the Muslim world and has already faced several investigations for incitement in the past.