The Palestinian Authority of "moderate" leaders Mahmoud Abbas and Salam Fayyad on Tuesday decided to indict four Palestinian Arabs accused of selling Jewish-made products in their stores.
Fayyad, the PA's current prime minister, recently enacted new laws forbidding the import, sale or promotion of goods or services that originate in Jewish towns and villages in Judea and Samaria (the so-called "West Bank").
Those found guilty of violating the boycott face a punishment of 2-5 years in prison and a $14,000 fine. They are also likely to have their business licenses revoked.
The Palestinian Authority is using the boycott to choke the economy of the Jewish settlements, which constitute the fastest growing sector of Israeli society. However, the new, which also bans Palestinians from working in the Jewish communities, is having a far bigger impact on the Palestinian economy. The 7,000-10,000 Palestinians that currently work for Israeli building contractors will soon be out of work, and stores are being forced to stock more expensive goods imported from neighboring Arab states.