Jordan: Fruit of wrath

AMMAN- Eleven people, including union leaders, who participated Sunday in Amman in an unauthorized demonstration against the importation of Israeli products, were arrested by Jordanian police, according to participants and an journalists.

•     They were arrested about half an hour after the start of the rally near the Ministry of Agriculture and brought to a police station in the west of the capital.
  
      “The demonstration was illegal, the organizers had not obtained the green light from authorities”, explained spokesman of the police, Mohammed Khatib, without confirming the arrests.
  
      Fourteen unions had signed a joint communiqué in which they demanded “the prohibition of importation of fruit and vegetables from the Zionist entity”.
  
      In the procession, participants brandished pictures of Palestinian children killed during the Israeli offensive of 22 days in the Ghaza Strip in December-January, which resulted in over 1,400 deaths.
  
     Anti-Israeli slogans were chanted.
  
      In their communiqué, the unions believe that the Minister of Agriculture, Said Masri should be “dismissed for failing to stop such imports and protect domestic products.”
  
      But according to the minister, only fruit not grown in the Kingdom are imported from Israel.
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      “We have agreements with Israel and it is up to Cabinet to decide, not only the Minister of Agriculture,” Masri said, quoted by the agency Petra. He also stressed that Jordan refused “all products from Israeli colonies.”
  
      According to the Minister, 1930 tons of Israeli fruits and vegetables have been imported since the beginning of the year.
  
      Jordan is the only Arab country in the region with Egypt to have signed a peace treaty with Israel.
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• Ennaharonline/ M. Oudina