Israel's Economy and the Arab Spring: Isolation Serves as a Buffer

Although geographically very much in the Middle East, history has left Israel’s economic exposure to its neighbors’ political fluctuations limited. Of Israel’s total global in $89 billion exports in 2011 (excluding exports by Israeli startup companies or their acquisition by foreign buyers) the vast majority went to Europe and the United States. Estimates indicate that indirect Israeli exports to members of the Gulf Cooperation Council, shipped through third countries and listed on official external trade statistics as exports to those third parties, make up around $500 million of the total, while Egypt and Jordan account for a modest $200 million each.