Palestinian Authority Minister of Agricultural Riyad Atari announced Monday the Ramallah government has banned the entry of Israeli products into the local market.
Among the items included in the ban are Israeli vegetables, fruit, juices, carbonated soft drinks and mineral water.
The decision, which according to the official Palestinian Authority WAFA news agency goes into effect Wednesday (Feb. 5), comes in response to a decision by Israel’s Defense Minister Naftali Bennett to ban the import of agricultural products from the Palestinian Authority into Israel.
Israel Threatens Sanctions on PA Over its Boycott of Israeli Goods
That decision, however, was sparked by a four-month ban on the import of Israeli calves into the Palestinian Authority. As far back at October 2019, the IDF’s Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) informed the Palestinian Authority (PA) that unless it ceased its economic boycott of the purchase of calves and sheep from Israel, the majority of the agricultural produce coming from the PA into Israel would be blocked. COGAT is the IDF unit responsible for implementing the civilian policy within Judea and Samaria and towards the Gaza Strip.
But this is also not the first time the Palestinian Authority government has imposed a ban on Israeli products in the local market; that’s been tried as far back as 2015 — and failed.
PA Announces Total Ban on Major Israeli Products
PA security personnel visited local shops and punished merchants who violate the ban by dragging out offensive Israeli products and destroying them in the street in front of passersby. It did little to stop the flow of business.
