Indonesia Decides to Exempt Palestinian Imports from Taxes

Jakarta, MINA — The Indonesian authorities decided to exempt Palestinian imports to their markets from customs taxes. Indonesia’s Trade Minister, Enggartiasto Lukita, said that Indonesia is ready to receive all goods and commodities from the State of Palestine and to bring them into the Indonesian market “without subjecting them to taxation.”, MEMO reported.

Lukita asserted during a meeting with Palestinian Ambassador to Indonesia Zuhair al-Shun, Wednesday, at the Ministry of Trade in Jakarta: “We are also ready to export our goods to the Palestinian markets according to their needs.”

For his part, the head of the Federation of Palestinian Chambers of Commerce, Khalil Rizk, stressed the importance of the Indonesian decision to strengthen the Palestinian economy. It would encourage traders and factories to export their goods to Jakarta, which would create new opportunities for investment.

Rizk clarified in an interview with Quds Press that the taxes imposed on Palestinian imports in the world are an obstacle to the export movement, in addition to the obstacles of the occupation and the restrictions imposed by it to strangle the Palestinian economy.

The head of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce in the West Bank said that “the Palestinian factories have the ability to export competitive goods to a number of countries and with a high quality according to international standards; but the occupation procedures and impediments are the biggest challenges to the trade and industry movement in the Palestinian territories.”

The Israeli Foreign Ministry announced, Tuesday, Indonesia’s decision to ban the entry of Israelis into the country, in response to the recent aggression against the Gaza Strip.

Jakarta’s positions come in response to the massacre committed by the Israeli army against Palestinian demonstrators who protested against the transfer of the US Embassy to Jerusalem, on 14 May, killing 65 Palestinians and injuring 3,188 others.  (T/RS5/RS1)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)