According to Arab media reports an IDF force on Monday morning raided the plant of toy manufacturer Rotem Toys in Tulkarem and confiscated a large part of the inventory. But the IDF denies this report, claiming that it’s a hoax, Walla reported.
According to Rotem Toys’ Facebook page, the factory specializes in manufacturing “Palestinian puppets,” including the popular doll “Yasser,” modeled after former Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat, and a woman named Xena.
The factory owner, Hossein Rassam, said that the soldiers confiscated almost 700 dolls from the warehouse, as well as all the fabrics used for making keffiyehs. Hussein also said that the soldiers damaged his machines. The factory has been in business for more than 20 years and apart from the two dolls it also makes for children’s rooms equipment and toys.
The report comes after last week Haifa Customs employees foiled the smuggling of 4,000 dolls with masked faces, dressed in the colors of the Palestinian flag and holding stones in their hands. The dolls were seized from containers that were imported to Israel from United Arab Emirates en route to the Palestinian Authority. Because of their colors, as well as the captions they bore, such as “Jerusalem is ours” and “Jerusalem, we are coming,” authorities suspect that this is propaganda material.