Israeli internet services banned in Gaza

The Palestinian Ministry of Communications and Information Technology in the Gaza Strip has announced a ban on dealing with Israeli communications and internet companies.

A statement from the ministry called on citizens of the Gaza Strip to stop dealing with the Israeli companies, especially the ones which offer wireless services. “The companies have a lot of suspicious materials which breach Palestinian law,” it warned. “The Israelis target the youth in the Palestinian territories and try to corrupt them.” The Palestinian government wants to keep the Palestinian territories secure and safe, the statement added.

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The ministry’s move is part of a campaign to protect Palestinians from pornographic websites and provide a competitive commercial atmosphere for Palestinian companies offering the same services. It follows many complaints from local citizens, said Kamal Al-Masri, the head of the Licensing Department at the Communications Ministry, who pointed out that foreign operators must be licensed by the Palestinian Authority.