Jordan ends Israeli imports

Jordan will end the import of Israeli goods - mostly agricultural products - in response to the demands of a local boycott campaign, a senior Jordanian official told al-Araby al-Jadeed.

The government said it will halt imports of "damaged Israeli crops", according to the senior official. 

He added that Jordan would instead import food from Lebanon and other countries to cover the market demand.

Boycott campaigns in Jordan have intensified in recent days followed repeated Israeli attacks on Palestinian protesters, as well as the storming of the al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem.

Manaf Magali, chairman of the Jordanian Anti-Normalisation Committee, told al-Araby al-Jadeed that the government's decision to end the import of Israeli crops was a "victory" for activists. 

He added that there are many other "import partners" to choose from.

According to Magali, the committee recently documented the import of large quantities of Israeli goods, prompting activists to intensify their campaigns.

"The anti-normalisation committee will continue its work, in coordination with other anti-normalisation bodies, to continue imposing an Arab economic embargo on Israel," Magali said.

Another source in Jordan's Ministry of Industry and Trade said that Palestinian produce - such as potatoes, grapes, and dates - were beginning to replace Israeli goods in the local market.

According to the ministry's statistics, trade exchange between Jordan and Israel reached a total of $140 million in 2014, compared to $75 million in the first half of 2015, with a 10 percent drop.

Other countries have also banned the import of Israeli goods in response to Israel's illegal occupation of Palestinian territory.

Last week, the Icelandic capital's city council has passed a motion to boycott Israeli goods, affirming that it would not end until the occupation did.

BDS, which stands for boycott, divestment, and sanctions, is another major global campaign against Israel. The growing movement is considered by many a non-violent way to help the Palestinian people in their struggle to end the Israeli occupation and resolve the question of Palestinian refugees.