RAMALLAH, February 9, 2015 (WAFA) – Member of the Fatah Central Committee, Mahmoud Al-Aloul, said Monday the Palestinian Authority is planning to ban the entry of products manufactured by six Israeli companies for consumption in the West Bank market.

During a press conference held at the Headquarters of the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate in Ramallah, al-Aloul said products manufactured by Israeli companies Strauss Group, Tnuva, Osem, Elite, Prigat and Jafora-Tabori will be banned in the West Bank markets as of February 11.

Al-Aloul said the decision came in response to a recent surge of Israeli violations, on top of which the takeover of large tracts of Palestinian lands for settlement purposes and Israel’s illegal freeze of Palestinian tax revenues, collected on behalf of PA.

He said boycotting Israeli products should be part of a long-term strategy to facing the unjustifiable Israeli procedures, calling on the Palestinian people to boycott Israeli products.

Israel has been withholding Palestinians tax revenues for two months now, in response to President Mahmoud Abbas’ accession to 20 international treaties, including the International Criminal court (ICC).

Abbas’ ICC move came in response to the United Nations’ failure to approve a draft bill calling for an end to the Israeli occupation and the establishment of the Palestinian state within three years by 2017.

Israel’s retention of PA’s tax revenues resulted in its inability to pay for civil servant wages and pensions for the second month in a row.

On Sunday, the Ministry of Financial Affairs announced that it was able to secure 60% of public employees’ wages for January. Civil servants also received 60% of their December salaries after the government announced it was compelled to seek a loan from local banks.

M.N/M.H