Israel's exports to the Arab states increase at 68%

The Israeli exports center to the Arab states announced that exports to the Arab states in the first half of this year increased by 68% in comparison with the same period of 2003.

An official statement indicated that these exports reached 85 million dollars and continued calm will increase this inclination. The center announced that its declared figures do not include exports and imports taking place illegally or through a third party.

The statement stressed that Israel exported officially and for the first time to Iraq ( security and consumer products to the American army there) at a cost of 2.5 million dollars. The statement said that the increase is not only in the exports, rather in the imports from the Arab states, as imports increased at 27% and reached 42 million dollars.

The increase on the trade exchange with Jordan constituted the base as a result of bringing some of the Israeli textile industries to Jordan. The increase in the first half of this year reached 68% of 64 million. However, the Israeli imports from Jordan increased at 23% and reached 25.5 million. Exports to Egypt reached 14 million and imports from Egypt reached 15 million; an increase of 35%.

Israeli official exports to the Gulf states in this phase increased at 14 % and reached only one million and exports to Morocco increased in this period at two folds in comparison with the parallel period of 2003 and reached 2.5 million. Exports to Tunisia increased for three folds but its total value did not exceed half a million.