Arab countries anxious to expand their maritime trade with the rest of the world have begun to establish rules that “evade” the Arabs’ economic boycott against Israel, it was reported here today.
The report, in the New York Times, stated that the Arab League’s Central Boycott Office, in Damascus, Syria, now explicitly permits foreign cruise ships carrying tourists to sail directly from an Israeli port to an Arab pert. Under a previous ruling, such ships were forced to stop at some “neutral” port before proceeding from an Israel port to an Arab harbor.
Another change reported by the New York Times affects foreign ships passing through the Suez Canal. Previously, ships blacklisted for having traded with Israel were denied fuel and water in Egyptian ports. Now such vessels are given that type of service “in an emergency,” the Times stated.
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