Adalah to Israeli Government: Lift the Ban on West Bank Palestinian-Manufactured Products from Entering East Jerusalem
West Bank manufactured goods have been permitted into East Jerusalem for the past 16 years following the signing of the “Paris Agreements” which outline the trade relationship between the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the Israeli government.
In June 2010 the Israeli government decided to prohibit the entry of any West Bank Palestinian-made products from entering East Jerusalem on the grounds that they do not meet Israeli standards.
This decision is politically-motivated, Adalah argues, following the PA's decision to boycott products made in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
(Haifa, Israel) On 12 July 2010, Adalah sent a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Attorney General (AG) Yehuda Weinstein demanding that the Israeli government lift the ban restricting goods and medicine manufactured by Palestinians in the West Bank from entering occupied East Jerusalem. The letter was written by Adalah Attorney Sawsan Zaher in cooperation with the Civic Coalition for Defending Palestinian Rights in Jerusalem (CCDPRJ).
For the past sixteen years goods such as meat, dairy products and medicines manufactured by Palestinians in the West Bank have been permitted into East Jerusalem as a result of the signing of the “Paris Agreements”, which outline the trade laws between the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the Israeli government. Yet in June 2010, Adalah learned from various sources, including the media that the Israeli government decided to prohibit the entry of any of these products to East Jerusalem on the grounds that these products do not meet Israeli standards.
In the letter, Adalah argued that this decision is politically-motivated rather than legally based. The decision follows the adoption of the “Prohibition Act” in April 2010 by the PA, which boycotts goods manufactured in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
The letter also stressed that the decision is arbitrary; it affects all West Bank manufactured products, and does not require an examination and/or detailed explanation for each product.
The decision also violates international law, which holds the occupying power responsible for protecting the living conditions of the occupied people; by contrast this decision is aimed at damaging their economy. According to an Al Jazeera report on this issue from 5 July 2010, almost 60% of the dairy products manufactured in the West Bank are bought and sold in East Jerusalem. This move will directly affect 58 cattle ranches, 11 factories, and 4,500 families in the West Bank. The estimated damages to the Palestinian economy will amount to millions of dollars per month. “This decision does not only affect business owners but all those living in East Jerusalem, who have relied on purchasing these products for years. These products are sold at lower prices than those sold in Israel, and therefore this ban affects the entire population of East Jerusalem, a majority of whom live under a great financial strain," Adalah argued.
