Despite harsh criticism over the past several years by the Turkish government of Israel, due to repressive and violent policies against Palestinians, statistics have shown a surge in bilateral trade between Turkey and Israel.
In Davos, 2009, tensions between Turkey and Israel escalated at the World Economic Forum when Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan walked out of a panel discussion after directing fierce criticism onto Israeli President Shimon Peres.
Tensions increased in 2010 when the Israeli Navy attacked the Mavi Marmara, a Turkish aid ship bound for Gaza. Israeli naval forces killed eight Turkish citizens on board the ship.
Despite these events, trade between the two countries has been increasing.
Official statistics show the bilateral trade volume between the two countries exceeded US$5.6 billion in 2014, a rise of about 50 percent compared to 2009, despite ongoing diplomatic tensions between the two countries.
The Turkish Statistical Institute, known as TurkStat, reported that the volume of trade between Turkey and Israel was $2.6 billion in 2009. Turkish exports to Israel jumped to $2.92 billion in 2014, compared to $1.5 billion in 2009, according to TurkStat.
Imports from Israel rose to $2.7 billion compared to $1 billion in 2009.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
