Trade between Turkey and Israel continues through third countries like Greece, despite Ankara's decision to halt trade with Israel over the war in Gaza, according to data released on Thursday.
Figures from Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) reveal that Israel imported $116m worth of goods from Turkey in May, marking a 69 percent decline from the $377m in the same month last year.
However, two Turkish businessmen facilitating trade between Turkey and Israel informed Middle East Eye that since early May, Turkish goods have been re-routed through Greece and other nearby countries to reach Israel.
TIM data indicate that Turkey’s exports to Greece surged to $375m in May, up 71 percent from $219m in the same month last year.
Israeli data from May doesn’t show an increase in the quantity of imports from Greece, despite the Turkish re-exports.
A second Turkish businessman explained that Turkish exports, although passing through Greece, are still recorded as imports from Turkey in Israeli statistics because they remain Turkish products.