Jordan continues olive exports to Israel despite objections

Some Jordanians want their country to stop exporting olives to Israel, citing political and economic reasons. Jordan officially opposes Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories, and many of its citizens are of Palestinian origin. Those protesting olive exports say the practice is a form of normalization and benefits Israel, which resells the produce under Israeli brand names.

Manaf Majali, a Jordanian dentist and member of the Jordanian Anti-Normalization Committee, told Al-Monitor that exporting olives to Israel goes against Jordan's national interests. 

"This is a crime against Jordan and Palestine, and a gift to Israel," Majali said. In addition to the political aspect, exporting raw olives hurts the local economy, as Jordanians would otherwise be hired to run local presses to process the fruit.

Rand Haddadin, spokesman for the Jordanian Ministry of Agriculture, rejected the committee's claims, saying Jordan exports very little of its olive production to Israel.