The Palestinian Authority has confiscated from Arab shopkeepers in its jurisdiction thousands of shekels' worth of snacks which were produced in neighboring Jewish communities.
According to the PA news agency WAFA, PA militia forces and government representatives collected large quantities of the Israeli foodstuffs. The value of the confiscated goods was evaluated at NIS 20,000, the PA reported.
Clerks from the PA tax authorities are currently visiting stores and markets under their jurisdiction looking for the "contraband." Vendors caught with stock purchased from Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria face criminal charges.
The mass confiscation is part of the PA's effort to boycott any products from Jewish communities located in Judea and Samaria. According to Salam Fayyad, the PA prime minister, such products will disappear completely from PA markets in 2010.
The volume of products from those Jewish communities sold in PA stores every year is valued at about 500 million US dollars, according to the PA economics minister.
In addition to providing a variety of products sold by PA shop owners, Jewish towns and cities in Judea and Samaria provide employment for approximately 12,000 construction jobs for PA Arabs.