04 April 2014
Source: Middle East Monitor
Israel has begun a series of punitive measures against the
Palestinian Authority in response to the Palestinian request to join 15
international UN treaties, Haaretz reported on Wednesday.
The present economic sanctions come in the wake of latest crisis in
the political process which reached its climax on Wednesday. During an
emergency session between US envoy Martin Indyk and the Israeli and
Palestinian negotiating teams during which Israel's chief negotiator
Tzipi Livni demanded the Palestinian Authority back down from its
request to go to the United Nations organisations otherwise Israel will
not release the fourth group of Palestinian prisoners.
The newspaper quoted an Israeli official as saying that Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Moshe Ya'alon asked the
Coordinator of Activities in the West Bank Territories Yoav Mordechai
to submit proposals of punitive measures against the Palestinians.
According to the paper the suggestions included freezing the Wataniya
mobile company, which operates in the West Bank, from entering hardware
to the Gaza Strip to deploy its mobile communications network there,
and to impose restrictions on the activity of the Palestinian Authority
in the Area C in the West Bank which falls under Israeli security and
civil control.
The paper said a study of other economic sanctions is being
conducted. Options being considered include freezing the tax and customs
revenues which Israel collects on behalf of the Palestinian Authority
and collecting the Palestinian debt amounting to hundreds of millions of
shekels to the Israeli Electricity Company. No decision has been made
as to which measure will be implemented.
Link: www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/middle-east/10710-israel-to-impose-economic-sanctions-on-pa.
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