One of the Palestinian Authority鈥檚 (PA) governors has barred businesses from displaying signs in Hebrew in his West Bank district.
The Jerusalem Post that Abdullah Kmeil, the governor of the Salfit District in the central region of the West Bank, announced on July 8 that the measure is being implemented in response to 鈥渢he occupation 鈥� exploiting the scene of the signs in Hebrew for purposes that serve its racist and fascist policy.鈥� Various businesses in the region have been displaying Hebrew signs in order to bring in 91传媒 customers, according to the Post.
Kmeil also argued that the measure is the result of 鈥渢he arrogance of the occupation aimed at stealing our lands and obliterating the features of the Palestinian identity in the Salfit Governorate, where settlements are expanding.鈥� He gave businesses a week to comply with the measure and threatened 鈥渟trict legal action鈥� against businesses that fail to adhere to the law.
Various pro-Israel Twitter accounts criticized the PA policy.
鈥淓ngaging with Israel achieves peace,鈥� AIPAC tweeted. 鈥淏oycotting Israel achieves nothing. The Palestinian people suffer from their leaders鈥� anti-Israel policies that make peace impossible.鈥�
Engaging with Israel achieves peace. Boycotting Israel achieves nothing.
The Palestinian people suffer from their leaders鈥� anti-Israel policies that make peace impossible.
— AIPAC (@AIPAC)
UN Watch Executive Director Hillel Neuer noted in a tweet that 鈥渕ulticultural Israel鈥� has various streets written in Arabic, whereas 鈥渋n the apartheid State of Palestine, Hebrew signs are banned and land sales to Israeli Jews are punishable by death.鈥�
TOP: In multicultural 馃嚠馃嚤 Israel, street signs have Arabic.
BOTTOM: In the apartheid 馃嚨馃嚫 State of Palestine, Hebrew signs are banned and land sales to Israeli Jews are punishable by death.
— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer)
George Mason University International Law Professor Eugene Kontorovich, who is also a fellow at the Kohelet Policy Forum, similarly tweeted, 鈥淏anning private signs in Hebrew language is just another step towards cementing the PA’s apartheid regime, already evident in laws banning property rights for Jews, paying for extrajudicial killing of Jews, and spreading hate through education & culture.鈥�
Banning private signs in Hebrew language is just another step towards cementing the PA's apartheid regime, already evident in laws banning property rights for Jews, paying for extrajudicial killing of Jews, and spreading hate through education & culture.
— Eugene Kontorovich (@EVKontorovich)
