Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday signed a law banning Palestinians from working in Israeli settlements and selling settlement goods, with violators facing up to five years in prison and stiff fines.
The law marks the Palestinians' most determined campaign against the settlements Israel has built on lands they want for a state. The Palestinians vehemently oppose the settlements but many rely on them for work.
Nearly half a million Israelis live on war-won land claimed by the Palestinians, including nearly 300,000 Israelis in more than 120 settlements in the West Bank. Israel has resisted U.S. demands for a settlement freeze, agreeing only to a temporary slowdown.
Palestinian government officials estimate that between 20,000 and 30,000 Palestinians work in settlements and that between $200 million and $500 million worth of settlement goods are sold to Palestinians in the West Bank every year.
In recent months, Palestinian security forces began intercepting and confiscating shipments of settlement goods to Palestinian businesses. Products range from agricultural goods to cosmetics.
Hundreds of Jordanians have taken part in a demonstration in the centre of Amman in protest...
French fighter jets on Friday began launching attacks against the Islamic State in Iraq from...
Welcoming Abbas, as participants recorded the encounter on their cellphones, Netanyahu said of his attendance: “It’s...
Bulgaria's parliament has approved a nationwide law banning the wearing of face-covering veils from most public...
