Accord only serves Israeli economy, Jordanians say

Jordanian political and economic circles have said that the agreement to build an industrial zone in Irbid, north Jordan, which was recently signed on the sidelines of the Doha Economic Conference between Jordan, Israel and the US, will only help Israel's economy.

In a statement to the Jordanian daily al-Arab, Irbid deputy Mohammad al Batayneh said that this agreement is dangerous for the Jordanian economy and contributes to enlarging Israeli economic penetration in Jordan and the Arab region.

He continued that the agreement's provisions encourage Jordan to reinforce economic relations with Israel at the expense of relations with Arabs, who are convinced that the current Israeli government has hindered the Mideast peace process and refused to fulfill its commitments.

For his part Jordanian businessman Shehatih Abu Sharif said that Jordan's entrance into an economic partnership agreement with Israel will have a negative impact on the Jordanian economy especially since most of the Arab countries boycott Israel.