Israel halts Palestinian produce exports

JERUSALEM — The Israeli military blocked Palestinian agricultural exports Sunday in the latest escalation of a monthslong trade war that comes amid fears of renewed violence.

Following Defense Minister Naftali Bennett’s instruction, the military said it would not allow the Palestinians to transfer their products through their land crossing to Jordan, the West Bank’s only direct export route to the outside world.

The Western-backed Palestinian Authority said Israeli forces at checkpoints blocked vegetable shipments that were on their way to export abroad. The Ministry of Agriculture said vegetable exports to Israel were worth $88 million last year, comprising 68% of the West Bank’s overall vegetable exports.

The crisis broke out in September when the Palestinians decided to stop importing beef from Israel. The Palestinian Authority claimed that most of the 120,000 head of cattle they imported monthly from Israel were actually imported and they preferred to import directly from abroad. The move appeared aimed at reducing the Palestinians’ economic dependence on Israel.

Shortly after the September announcement, Israeli cattle ranchers saw a drop in their market and pressured Israeli authorities to take action. Bennett retaliated with a ban on Palestinian beef and other products, triggering the Palestinians to expand their boycott and stop importing Israeli vegetables, fruits, beverages and mineral water.