Graduating Jordanian students were angered over the weekend upon discovering that their graduation gowns were made in Israel. University officials defended themselves by saying the gowns themselves were made in Jordan, and only the bags they came in were Israeli-made. The incident, published in The Media Line , began at the Hashemite University in Zarqa, where graduates found “Made in Israel” stickers on their graduation gown packages. The issue quickly made the national news. Officials' insistence that the gowns were Jordanian and only the bags were made in Israel did little to assuage students' anger. Students held protests Sunday over the affair, and some even burned their gowns along with the Israeli flag. Members of the Muslim Brotherhood were present at the rallies. According to University President Dr. Arabiat, the Muslim Brotherhood was not only involved in protests, but actually staged the entire affair for its own political benefit. “Frankly speaking this is a politically motivated lie... The real motives behind this is that the Muslim Brotherhood lost the student elections on this campus and this is just part of their strategy for future elections,” Arabiat explained. Jordan and Israel have had open trade since signing a peace treaty in 1993. However, many Jordanians continue to oppose normalized ties with Israel. Israeli sales to Jordan have dropped in recent years, and boycott campaigns have gained popularity. The campaigns mirror a similar effort by the Palestinian Authority, which has kicked off an official boycott of Israeli goods produced in Judea and Samaria.
