Down with the Israeli mango!

Sophie Team Observers — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 12:32:50 +0200

A demonstration of farmers and unionists ended in 11 arrests on Sunday. Jordan and Israel might have signed a peace agreement in 1994, but these Jordanians take no heed of it in their protest over fruit and vegetable imports from the Jewish state.

The demonstrators gathered in front of the Ministry for Agriculture and chanted anti-Israeli slogans, brandishing photos of Palestinian children killed during the January offensive in the Gaza Strip. They also called for the dismissal of the minister for agriculture, Said Masri, for failing to protect local products by allowing the import of Israeli products. In response, the minister told state news agency Petra that Jordan had indeed imported 1,930 tonnes of Israeli agricultural products from Israel this year, but that it refused to accept fruit and vegetables from Jewish settlements.

Nevertheless, Israel is benefiting far more from the trade between the two countries. According to Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics, the state garnered 207 million euros from exports delivered to Jordan, while only 76 million went in the other direction.

YouTubers will be let down by the Queen of Jordan

Julien — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 16:05:29 +0200

The latest member of the YouTube community is none other than Queen Rania of Jordan. In an effort to challenge western stereotypes about the Arab world, the net-surfing monarch decided to launch an online debate. Yet, after attracting almost 5000 responses, she seems to have lost interest in the scheme.