Israel Matzav

Free trade, 'Palestinian' style

The 'Palestinians' discovered an Arab car driving around with 'contraband' several days ago. The 'contraband' consisted of approximately NIS 20,000 (a little more than $5,000) worth of cleaning products manufactured in the Samarian Jewish city of Karnei Shomron. The 'Palestinian police' confiscated the 'contraband' and destroyed it. but get this: The plant that manufactured the 'contraband' cleaning products is not even owned by Jews: It's owned by 'Israeli Arabs.'

The operation was carried out by a joint team of PA police, tax officials, customs agents, and PA Preventive Security personnel. They banded together to carry out a recent PA Finance Ministry decision to prevent all use of products made in the Jewish towns of Judea and Samaria.

The cleaning-products factory, located in the Karnei Shomron industrial zone, is owned by Israeli-Arabs.

The destruction operation was described in the PA as a “Palestinian national moral obligation” in safeguarding PA “interests and its economy.”

In early January, PA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad took part in a mass burning of Israeli products made in Judea and Samaria. Food, books, cosmetics, clothing, and handicrafts were incinerated. A PA official said at the time that they had found and destroyed one million dollars’ worth of Israeli products in PA stores.

The picture at the top of this post is the 'moderate' Fayyad at the bonfire described in the last paragraph.

This is your (and my) tax dollars at work. We finance virtually the entire 'Palestinian Authority' budget. If you're American, your taxes are paying for training the 'Palestinian police' and 'preventive security personnel.' Aren't you glad you're promoting 'free trade' in the 'Palestinian Authority'? What could go wrong?

UPDATE 11:56 AM

The 'Palestinian Authority' is going to try merchants who are selling Jewish-made products on criminal charges. (It's not clear whether this refers to the same merchandise as above or not).

The Palestinian Authority (PA) is trying merchants on criminal charges for selling goods made in the Barkan industrial area of western Samaria, according to a Sunday report by the PA's WAFA news agency. WAFA says officials of the PA customs and consumer offices confiscated 13.5 tons of merchandise manufactured in Jewish communities.

The PA Economic Office issued a statement saying that plastic and chemical materials from Barkan were seized in Ramallah and Hevron.

'Peace' is at hand. Not.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 11:03 AM