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.
In the second phase, the Israeli Border Police will oversee the demolitions and evacuate rightist protesters, while the army will secure the perimeter. The army will move in only in cases of extreme violence.
Physical force would have to be used against the occupiers, since it is assumed they would not peacefully stop work and evacuate construction sites when ordered to do so, the document states.
The occupiers believe the moratorium is the start of a second disengagement and will do everything possible to prevent the demolitions, the document said. There is no concrete information that the occupiers intend to take up arms, said the document, but it added that anything was possible.
The document goes into great detail, outlining different scenarios that could occur. It also distinguishes between moderate and violent settlements, such as Yitzhar, to the south of Nablus.
Initially, the army would try to come to a verbal resolution with the occupiers, but if that fails, they would surprise the occupiers with what the army termed paralyzing force.
The Israeli air force is expected to get involved by doing reconnaissance flights over the area. The army plans to shut down cellular phone services during the enforcement operation and to ban reporters from the scene. ¬
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