RAMALLAH, West Bank — For the first time ever, the Palestinian government officially resolved, on March 22, to prohibit the entry of products from five Israeli companies — namely, Tnuva Dairy, Tara Dairy, Strauss Ice Cream, Tapuzina Juice and Zoglobeck Meats — to Palestinian markets. The government tasked the relevant authorities to immediately enforce the decision.

The government decision was adopted during its March 22 session, in response to the March 9 Israeli decision prohibiting the marketing in East Jerusalem of products made by the following five Palestinian companies: Hamoda Dairy, Al Juneidi Dairy & Food Products, Al Rayyan Dairy, Salwa Foods, and Siniora Food Products.

Once the Palestinian decision was adopted, an implementing committee was formed by members from the Ministries of Economy, Agriculture and Health, in addition to the Palestine Customs and Revenue Authority. The latter began enforcement of the decision on the day of its adoption by barring the entry of three truckloads of Tapuzina products destined for the central West Bank city of Ramallah.

In this regard, the spokesman for the customs authority, Abdel Hakim Basaiteh, told Al-Monitor that the customs authority began, on the first day of the decision’s adoption, deploying roadblocks at the entrances of Palestinian provinces to prevent the entry of trucks carrying the products of banned companies. It also gave the importers of said products 10 days from the decision’s date to dispose of any products that they have in storage, while refraining from importing any such products anew.