The Manufacturer’s Association of Israel (MAI) sounded an alarm this summer about the demise of the textile industry there. Textile exports fell 3.3 percent to $250 million in the first half of 2008, while Asian textile imports rose 18.6 percent to $656 million. The Affiliation of Textile and Fashion Manufacturers reported that 850 textile employees lost their jobs in the first half due to trade inequality and economic slowdown and called upon the government to rescue an industry that employs an estimated 16,000 people.