Israeli who crossed into Jordan sentences to 4 months

A Jordanian court sentenced an Israeli man on Monday to four months in prison and fined him $1,450 for illegally crossing into the country and possessing drugs, the state-run Petra news agency reported.

Konstantin Kotov, 35, crossed into Jordanian territory on Oct. 29. He pleaded guilty to crossing the border into Jordan illegally but pleaded not guilty to the drug possession charge, saying it was meant for personal use. Kotov did not say why he traveled to Jordan and wrongly claimed that having a small amount of marijuana was legal in Israel.

Israeli law doesn't allow any possession of marijuana, though amounts smaller than 15 grams are considered to be for personal use and carry a lesser charge.

The Jordanian state security judge rejected Kotov's argument, saying he had violated Jordanian law.

Israel and Jordan signed a peace treaty 25 years ago, but relations have cooled in recent years over the stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace process and Israeli policies in annexed east Jerusalem, where Jordan has custodianship over Muslim holy sites.

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