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Last update - 00:00 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
  43.   Israeli occupation of arab land. 00:18  |  terence Griffiths 22/06/09
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