Jordan's King Abdullah II has demanded a closure of an Israeli pen at Kibbutz Eilot, north of Eilat, used to keep cows. He complained of bad odors that are blown over the border by winds last week and hindered his stay in Aqaba.

Following the complaint, Jordanian officials contacted Israel last week and requested the odors be neutralized. The Environment Protection Ministry also ordered the kibbutz to dispose of all pollutant materials on its property.

According to Ynet news, the pen is used to keep bulls imported from Australia in Israel for weeks for fear that they might be carrying diseases that could trigger off an epidemic among Israeli cattle. Some of the bulls die in the pen.

The two neighboring countries Jordan and Israel were enemies for decades but have signed a peace agreement in 1994 and now enjoy close ties.

According to AP reports, Environment Ministry spokesman Sharon Achdut said Israel has ordered the owners of the facility, where imported livestock is held in quarantine before being released to farmers, to clean up large amounts of animal waste that had built up at the site.

It also included spraying "deodorants" around the site to offset the smell affecting Abdullah's palace. However a thorough clean-up would begin within days.