RAMALLAH, Palestine

The Palestinian government on Wednesday said it has engaged in negotiations with Israel through international mediators in a bid to lift its ban on Palestinian exports, mainly agricultural products. 

In a statement, the Palestinian Ministry of Economy said that both "Minister of Economy Khaled al-Osaily and Minister of Agriculture Riyad al-Atari confirmed, during their meeting with agriculture sector suppliers, conducting negotiations in a bid to end the Israeli ban through international mediators."

The statement did not give further details on the nature of the negotiations.

Last week, Israel announced it imposed a ban on Palestinian agricultural exports through Jordan.

Israeli media reported the decision to impose a ban on Palestinian exports came in response to the Palestinian government’s decision of banning the import of Israeli calves last September.  

* Ahmed Asmar contributed to this report from Ankara