JERUSALEM, Aug. 10 (UPI) -- Anti-normalization elements in Jordan are threatening economic and diplomatic ties with Israel, sources told The Jerusalem Post.
The Arab Spring, the stalemate in peace negotiations with the Palestinians and Palestinian efforts to gain statehood recognition in the United Nations in September are behind the upswing, sources told the paper.
Examples of the anti-Israel sentiment in the Hashemite Kingdom in recent months include the decision of a Jordanian insurance company to stop covering the cars of Israeli Embassy personnel in Amman, the newspaper said.
The company said it was forced to stop working with the embassy because of the increasing pressure from anti-normalization factions.
The sources also noted the Jordanian press has stepped up anti-Israel rhetoric, citing an article this week on the Amman news service Web site that referred to Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu as a criminal, and described Israel as a "snake" and Zionists as "despicable obnoxious group of people," sources told the Post.
There has also been a marked decrease in agricultural products exported to Jordan since the beginning of the year due to pressure on Jordanian importers, the sources said. Even Jordanians who sell olives to Israel have been subjected to harassment and told the olives sent to Israel are being used to make olive oil for export to Europe for further profit, the paper said.
