The Palestinian Authority (PA) is continuing to enforce a boycott of goods made in the Jewish communities of Judea and Samaria. The PA-based WAFA news agency reported that PA customs agents confiscated 20 tons of nylon sheeting intended for wrapping food, and destroyed it.
"We destroyed 20 tons of nylon that were seized in a warehouse in Nablus [Shechem], and are manufactured in the settlement of Naaran near Jericho,” the chief customs official in the Shechem area said. Naaran is a kibbutz, or cooperative community, in the Jordan Valley.
The government of the PA under Prime Minister Salam Fayyad recently launched a high-profile boycott of goods made in Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria. PA-government inspectors have reportedly begun combing PA marketplaces in search of goods made in the Jewish communities.
Two weeks ago, the PA confiscated and destroyed cleaning materials that were manufactured in Karnei Shomron. PA security forces found the cleaning materials in an Arab-licensed vehicle and reportedly impounded them. Their worth was estimated at NIS 20,000.
The PA continues its boycott of goods made in Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria even as the Israeli government seeks to assist the PA's economy by pursuing a policy that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu refers to as “economic peace.”
MK Uri Ariel (National Union) told the Knesset Wednesday that Israel should fight the boycott with a counter-boycott. He said that if the government fails to respond to the PA boycott, he will “make every effort so that Israeli citizens boycott all Palestinian merchandise and fire [Arab] workers. Then we will see who has the upper hand."