Jordan ends border enclaves land lease for Israeli farmers

[ForceFate]

Jordan ends border enclaves land lease for Israeli farmers

King Abdullah's decision not to extend the lease is seen as a sign of worsening ties with Israel.

www.bbc.com

The King of Jordan has announced the end of a lease agreement that gave Israelis access to two border enclaves.

Under a 1994 peace treaty, Israeli farmers could cultivate land in the Jordanian areas of Naharayim and Tzofar - known as Baqura and Ghamr in Arabic.

The lease governing them was for 25 years, but could have been extended.

However King Abdullah announced last year that he planned to end the lease - in what was seen as a sign of worsening ties between Jordan and Israel.

At the time, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had said that he still hoped to negotiate an extension to the arrangement.