Israeli, Jordanian economic ministers meet, talk trade, ties

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel and Jordan’s economic ministers have met for the first time in more than a decade in another sign of warming relations between the neighboring countries. Israel’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement Wednesday that Economy Minister Orna Barbivai and her Jordanian counterpart, Yousef Alshamali, signed an agreement to increase caps on Jordan’s exports to the Palestinian Authority, among other measures aimed at strengthening ties between the countries. Israel and Jordan made peace in 1994. But over the past decade, relations soured somewhat over issues related to conflicts between Israel and the Palestinians. Israel’s new government, led by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, has prioritized mending fences with Jordan.