(AFP File Photo)
By Jake Lippincott
Five Egyptian agriculture officials were charged with the illicit export of 15 tons of palm fronds to Israel on Monday. The five agricultural officials, Ahmed Mustafa Ahmad, Mohamed Aboul Naga the Mohamed Abdel Gawad Mohamed, Mohammed Ghareeb Ahmed and Abdullah Husni Abdullah are accused of mislabelling the palm products in order to ship them to Israeli interests in New York City and Israel.
The Egyptian government prohibited the export of palm fronds due to their proximity to the hearts of palm. Palm hearts are considered a delicacy in many cuisines and the legislation is intended to preserve the valuable resource.
As of press time no trial date has been set.
