Nassar Nassar: We filed a complaint against the coordinator of the occupation government and the customs authority to stop the monopoly on supplying goods to Gaza.

Ramallah - Ofoq News - President of the General Federation of Palestinian Industries, Nassar Nassar, said that the Federation filed a lawsuit against the coordinator of the activities of the Israeli occupation government in the territories and the Israeli customs authority, to the Israeli court, against the backdrop of granting four Israeli companies a monopoly on the supply of goods to the Gaza Strip, in light of the continued prevention of Palestinian products from reaching the Gaza market directly.

Nassar added, during an interview with a Ufaq News correspondent, that preventing Palestinian products from entering the Gaza Strip has harmed Palestinian industry and trade, considering that these measures come in the context of economic restrictions on the Palestinians, at a time when the West Bank is suffering from high unemployment rates and declining job opportunities.

He explained that the restrictions imposed on the movement of Palestinian goods and markets are not the result of the war, but rather go back years, but they have worsened since the outbreak of the war on the Gaza Strip, noting that its repercussions have affected various sectors of the Palestinian economy.

Nassar said during his conversation with a Ofok News correspondent that the Union made efforts and contacts at the international and other levels, in an attempt to stop preventing Palestinian products from reaching Gaza, but he pointed out that these efforts collided with negative positions, which were justified by security considerations and the events of October 7, 2023.

He added that the continuation of these policies deprives Palestinian factories of access to their market in the Gaza Strip, and limits their ability to market their products, continue their work, and develop their production.

Four Israeli companies and suspicions of corruption

Nassar revealed that the union filed a lawsuit, about six months ago, related to the mechanism for bringing goods into the Gaza Strip, explaining that the complaint targets the coordinator of the Israeli occupation government’s activities in the territories and the Israeli customs authority, as they are the two bodies that, according to him, allowed the supply of goods to the Strip to be limited to four Israeli companies.

He pointed out that, according to his testimony, this mechanism does not allow Palestinian products to reach Gaza, which deprives Palestinian factories and merchants from dealing directly with the Gaza market.

Nassar accused the authorities responsible for this mechanism of allowing practices that he described as criminal, noting that the union raised suspicions of corruption in its lawsuit related to the arrangements for the entry of goods, in addition to what he said was a significant increase in prices and coordination costs necessary to enter the goods into the sector.

He added that the financial burdens associated with these arrangements are reflected in the final prices of the goods, and increase the suffering of the people of Gaza, in light of the difficult economic and humanitarian conditions in which they live.

Nassar said that what is happening is not limited to depriving the Palestinian industry of its market, but rather goes beyond that to exploiting the population’s need for basic goods and commodities, holding the parties that impose restrictions or benefit from them responsible for the damage resulting from this mechanism.

Judicial postponements and additional deadlines

Regarding the course of the lawsuit, Nassar said that the Israeli government requested the postponement of judicial procedures three times, explaining that the court had set September 14 as the date for submitting an acknowledgment of changing the applicable procedures.

He added that the government requested, on the last day, an additional period of 14 days to submit the documents in its possession, which led to a continued wait for developments in the case.

Nassar pointed out what he described as discussions within the Israeli government regarding the possibility of finding an outlet that would allow some Palestinian products to enter the Gaza Strip, but he stressed that this matter does not achieve the Union’s demand, which is to end the restrictions that prevent Palestinian products from reaching the Gaza market directly.

He said that allowing the entry of some products through exceptions or limited arrangements does not represent a solution to the problem, stressing that the union wants to enable Palestinian factories and merchants to deal with the Gaza market without the need for intermediaries.

Nassar: “Gaza is our market and our country”

Nassar stressed that the Gaza Strip represents a Palestinian market for factories and merchants in the West Bank, and that they have the right to access it and market their products there directly.

He said: “Gaza is our market and our country, and we have the direct relationship, and we will not allow us to be restricted or under anyone’s control. We want to work with our market directly, without intermediaries.”

He stressed that the General Federation of Palestinian Industries will continue its movements to defend the rights of Palestinian industrialists and merchants, and work to end the restrictions that prevent Palestinian products from reaching the Gaza Strip.

He considered that enabling the Palestinian industry to access the Gaza market does not only represent a commercial requirement, but is also linked to protecting factories, workers, and job opportunities, and preserving the ability of the Palestinian economy to produce and continue under the current circumstances.