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Israeli imports to Jordan drop 30 per cent in 2010

Israel Materials 17 June 2010 17:35 (UTC +04:00)

Jordan's imports from Israel dropped by 30 per cent in the first four months of the year, official figures showed Thursday - apparently due to a campaign by opposition parties and trade unions to boycott Israeli products, DPA reported.

According to figures from the Department of Statistics, imports from Israel shrank to a value of 31 million dollars between January and April this year, from 44 million dollars in the same period of 2009.

The drop was mainly in the import of vegetables and fruits, following a decision by the Jordanian ministry of agriculture to stipulate place of origin on goods.

That was the result of pressure from activists, according to importers.

The Israeli ambassador in Amman has reportedly complained about the scheme, and asked the government to reverse its decision.

The boycott campaign culminated last month with the burning of symbolic boxes containing Israeli fruits and vegetables at an Amman market last month.

The campaign has been boosted by the deadly raid last month on a flotilla of aid ships heading for the blockaded Gaza Strip, in which Israeli navy commandos shot dead nine activists after apparently coming under attack.

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday, King Abdullah accused Israel of plunging relations between the two countries to their lowest point since the two countries signed a peace pact in 1994.

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