Jordanians rally against Israeli gas deal

Hundreds of Jordanians took part in a demonstration Friday in the centre of Amman to protest a deal signed this week to import natural gas from Israel.

Demonstrators carried banners reading "No to financing the Zionist entity from the pockets of Jordanian citizens" and "No to gas imports from the Zionist enemy."

The protest was called by trade unions and political parties opposed to the 1994 peace treaty between Israel and Jordan, half the population of which is of Palestinian origin.

"Gas from the Zionists is a disgrace," demonstrators chanted.

A US-led consortium leading the development of Israel's offshore gas reserves announced the signing on Monday of a deal to sell natural gas from its Leviathan field to Jordan.

US firm Noble Energy, the lead partner, said the contract with the National Electric Power Company of Jordan (NEPCO) was for 300 million cubic feet (8.5 million cubic metres) per day over a 15-year term.

It includes an option to purchase a further 50 million cubic feet, up to a total of 350 million daily.