2010 to be last year for settlements’ products

RAMALLAH. December 21. KAZINFORM. The Palestinian Minister of National Economy Hasan Abu Libdeh on Sunday said that $500 million worth of goods from West Bank Jewish settlements are "pumped into the Palestinian market annually"; Kazinform refers to Arab News.
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"The Ministry of National Economy took a decision to make 2010 the last year for settlements products in the Palestinian market," Abu Libdeh said during a meeting with representatives of the private sector in the Nablus Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture. Abu Libdeh added: "Consuming settlements' products is wrong, nationally, economically, politically and must stop right away." He added that about $1 million worth of merchandise was seized in November and another $66,000 worth of merchandise on Monday and that the campaign would continue. Targeted items include juice, canned goods and cosmetics.

Abu Libdeh urged the Palestinian private sector to "cooperate with his ministry to enforce the decision before the announced date." The Ministry of National Economy said early this month that it was enforcing a boycott of goods made in West Bank settlements. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced last month a 10-month partial moratorium on new housing starts in the West Bank settlements.

He said the move was a bid to revive the peace talks with the Palestinians.

Since then, Israel has been urging the Palestinians to make reciprocal steps. The Palestinian side has refused to engage in peace talks until Israel freezes all settlement construction in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, which the Palestinians want as capital of their future state.

Meanwhile, the Israeli army said will use air reconnaissance and photography to detect violations of the freeze on settlement construction in the West Bank, as well as Special Forces raids on violators.

The army said in an internal memo, which was published by several media outlets, that documented violations would be destroyed in lightning operations in which the army would create a closed military zone to bar the media.

Under the moratorium, occupiers and contractors working on projects in which the foundations had not been finished must stop work for 10 months. But many occupiers have vowed to continue building, anyway.

The army, therefore, is planning a second phase of enforcing the freeze, which will involve entering settlements to demolish all illegal construction work; Kazinform cites Arab News. See www.arabnews.com for full version.

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