Khudari urges release of Palestinian goods seized at Israeli ports

[ 06/01/2008 - 12:41 AM ]

GAZA, (PIC)--

Head of the popular committee against the economic siege MP Jamal Al-Khudari said on Saturday that Palestinian goods worth millions of dollars have been held at Israeli ports for nearly eight months now without justified reasons.

"These [Palestinian] commodities were held without legal basis in flagrant violation of international laws, conventions, and ethics, thus, inflicting heavy losses on the Palestinian businessmen", explained Khudari in a press statement he made in this regard and a copy of which was obtained by the PIC.

He also explained that the Israeli occupation authorities were imposing fines and taxes against the Palestinian merchants for those piled stocks, thus doubling their losses without allowing them to benefit from it.

"How could owners of those commodities pay fines and taxes without being able to make use of and benefit from their goods?", questioned Khudari.

He also affirmed that the seizure of those stocks forced hundreds of Palestinian workshops and factories to shutdown, prompting massive layoffs that raised numbers of the unemployed Palestinian citizens further.

The Israeli seizure of the goods, Khudari underlined, had made Palestinian businessmen unable to fulfill their financial obligations to foreign debtors and badly affected their credibility in local and foreign banks.

"We need fundamental solutions as the economic condition generally declines steadily amidst unstable business relationship in the Gaza Strip", Khudari added.

In this regard, Khudari called for the immediate and unconditional release of the Palestinian stock at the Israeli ports, urging all concerned parties to pressure the Israeli occupation government into releasing those materials.

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