Jordan Islamists protest imports of fruit grown on 'land taken by Zionists' - Haaretz

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Last update - 19:41 11/10/2008

Jordan Islamists protest imports of fruit grown on 'land taken by Zionists'

By Reuters

Tags: Israel news, Jordan, fruit

Hundreds of Jordanian Islamist and left-wing activists on Saturday staged a sit-in at the country's wholesale food market to protest against exotic Israeli fruits and vegetables being sold.

The protesters, holding anti-Israeli banners, urged merchants to suspend imports from Israel of a variety of exotic fruits from mangoes, pineapple, avocado, to kiwi along with carrots and tomatoes sold in groceries and supermarket.

The organizers of the protest, the powerful Professional Associations who represent over 170,000 doctors, nurses and engineers, have been long-time bastions of dissent and opposition to the kingdom's pro-Western policies.

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They led popular opposition towards normalization with Israel after the treaty in 1994 that ended a 46-year state of war.

"We are protesting because these fruits are planted in our Arab land that was taken by Zionist settlers by forces," said Badi Al-Rafiah, head of a committee against normalization in the 14-member Professional Associations Union.

The association has threatened to expel any member who contacts Israelis or visits Israel but the authorities say their threat has no legal basis as the treaty has been anchored in Jordanian law after parliament endorsed it.

Crowds of protestors, including Islamist deputies in parliament, in a symbolic protest burned Israeli flags and empty cartons of Israeli mango, avocado and carrots and other produce. Imports are trucked daily by land from a northern border crossing with Israel directly to the wholesale market.

"Buying Israeli products helps support Israeli farmers who were paying taxes to the military effort to crush and oppress Palestinians," said Abdullah Yusef, a protester.

The feeling of enmity towards Israel is widespread among Jordanians, many of whom are of Palestinian origin, who fled or were evicted after the creation of Israel in 1948.

Jordanian businessmen remain reluctant to do business with their Israeli counterparts, either due to ideology or fear of being exposed to the public as "friends of the enemy."

Anti-normalization activists often run campaigns against companies that deal with Israel and urge the public to boycott their products.

Jordanian trade figures show bilateral trade is in fact on the rise, with the volume of exchange jumping from $1.6 million in 2003 to $14 million in 2007, representing a nine-fold increase.

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1.	Kingdom of Jordan.	20:28	\|	Jean Van Daem	11/10/08

2.	The "fruits" of the failed U.S. policies in the Middle East.....	20:34	\|	Swiss (Dino)	11/10/08

3.	Let Them Eat Sand	20:36	\|	Yishai Kohen	11/10/08

4.	Peace with Jordan, eh?	20:50	\|	Gershon Reed	11/10/08

5.	Yonatan Mango cheaper than onios in Amman	20:51	\|	Jad	11/10/08

6.	Hey Islamists Jordan was created by British in 1922.	21:22	\|	Ken Jurist	11/10/08

7.	To Jad	22:23	\|	Elianah	11/10/08

8.	WOW:They all sound the same	22:54	\|	Arie	11/10/08

9.	So eat grass.... that`s what	23:17	\|	Fred	11/10/08

10.	Are Israeli flags for burning also subsidized?	23:35	\|	MR	11/10/08

11.	Jad	23:38	\|	student	11/10/08

12.	Don`t forget people the majority of Jordanian`s are Palestinians!	23:44	\|	King David	11/10/08

13.	price of mangos.... quality	23:51	\|	judith	11/10/08

14.	Who needs this cold peace?	00:51	\|	Robert	12/10/08

15.	so they should eat something else	00:54	\|	steve from raleigh	12/10/08

16.	King Hussein was one of the greatest Arab leaders ever	01:05	\|	Conroy	12/10/08

17.	HA HA HA	01:11	\|	TOBIA	12/10/08

18.	Part of regional unrest !	01:54	\|	David James Vickery	12/10/08

19.	Israeli fruits	02:10	\|	Beit david	12/10/08

20.	Israeli fruit	02:14	\|	Beit DAvid	12/10/08

21.	Mangoes for everyone	03:16	\|	jake	12/10/08

22.	If the leaders of the PAU were smart ...	04:02	\|	Morris Valentine	12/10/08

23.	Screw them	04:12	\|	Mark Lincoln	12/10/08

24.	15 stevie from alabama	04:51	\|	Ben	12/10/08

25.	wrong fruit	05:01	\|	Mark	12/10/08

26.	So, they want to strangle West Bank Arab farmers?	06:44	\|	SDHD	12/10/08

27.	Yum!	06:44	\|	Yosemite	12/10/08

28.	Well, we got all of these and more fruits!	06:49	\|	Niva dos Santos	12/10/08

29.	JORDANIAN Drs & nurses start boycotting Israeli technology	07:08	\|	PETER SM	12/10/08

30.	DAOUD VICKERY. They do not need the current unrest	07:13	\|	PETER SM	12/10/08

31.	The Downhill Racer	10:24	\|	Clickfool	12/10/08

32.	# 23 Such stances are the reason we like the US Boys best	10:58	\|	Kris Lazar	12/10/08

33.	# 31 there seems to be a foolish jewish treat,	11:09	\|	Kris Lazar	12/10/08

34.	CFOOL.Syrian leadership allowed a TVprogram on peace with Israel	11:44	\|	PETER SM	12/10/08

35.	David James Vickery-#18-regional unrest	14:30	\|	Daniel Leopold	12/10/08

36.	Pity to waste the mangos!!!	16:06	\|	lily	12/10/08

37.	Nobody needs israeli fruits in Jordan	17:00	\|	german	12/10/08

38.	why Jordan has to buy Israeli produce	17:47	\|	Jacqui	12/10/08

39.	who occupied wb before israel? jordan.	19:30	\|	learn yo history foo	12/10/08

40.	jad 5	09:41	\|	potobac	13/10/08

41.	steve from raleigh 5	09:44	\|	potobac	13/10/08

42.	Israel deserves to live in isolation	03:09	\|	Zack	14/10/08

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