Israel's exports to Arab countries fell by 6.1% to $101 million in 1999.
Imports from these countries rose in the same period by 32.6% to $48 million.
This was announced by Manufacturers Association foreign trade division head
Moshe Nahum, citing a divisional periodic analysis.
The analysis revealed that Israeli export to Persian Gulf emirates fell by
47% to $735,000 in 1999. Export to Saudi Arabia decreased by 31% to $854,000.
Nahum drew attention to the correlation between the peace process and trade
with Arab countries. He said the backtracking of the peace process in 1999 led
to a backtracking in the volume of Israeli exports to Egypt and the Persian
Gulf countries.
The figures show that export to Egypt was up 1.8% to $54 million in 1999.
Nahum said Israel's exports to Egypt consist mainly of plastics, chemical
products, textiles, machinery, mechanical devices, and electric equipment.
Export to Jordan fell last year by 19% to $21 million, consisting mainly of
base metals and their products, machinery and mechanical devices, plastics,
non-pharmaceutical chemical products, agricultural products, and food.
Israeli export to Morocco also fell 31.6% in 1999 to $7.1 million. Export to
Tunisia jumped 450% in 1999 to $2.5 million.
Nahum noted that Israeli import from Egypt grew by 13.3% to $20 million in
1999. An increase of 19% to $20 million in 1999 was also posted in import from
Jordan. Import from Morocco, on the other hand, fell 1.8% to $1.2 million in
1999. Israeli imports from Morocco are mainly ready-prepared food, drinks,
tobacco, and non-metallic mineral products.
Published by Israel's Business Arena on February 1, 2000