Israeli chutzpah just keeps growing. Israel has effectively locked down both Gaza and the West Bank. It destroyed Gazas only airport years ago and denies it the right to a seaport. It prevents any physical connection between the West Bank and Gaza. It has made the Palestinian economy entirely dependent on trade with or though Israel. And now it wants to charge the Palestinians an operating fee to move goods out of either territory. We need to invent a new term. Its beyond Kafkaesque. Haaretz: A draft law was prepared by the Defense Ministry this week that would allow it to impose a special fee on goods passing through crossing points between Israel and the West Bank and Gaza. The size of the fee has not yet been determined, but the aim of it is to cover the cost of operating the stations, of which there are more than ten, the Defense Ministry said on Thursday. It said the crossing points cost it some 200 million shekels ($54.7 million) a year to operate, not counting direct security expenses. “It includes a range of cargo handling services provided for free (unloading, loading, handling, weighing, etc.),” the ministry said in a statement. “These services are normally provided for a fee at all land, sea and air crossing points in Israel and all over the world.” If the law is approved, it would mean that all trade between Israelis and Palestinians would be taxed, including food and gasoline, that until now has moved freely. haaretz/news/middle-east/.premium-1.616688
Posted on: Fri, 19 Sep 2014 08:42:19 +0000
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