Ramallah: Israeli occupation forces have imposed a ban on selling of toy guns in the occupied West Bank.
Copies of the order were seen plastered on all main streets and market places in Ramallah.
Israeli forces say the guns ‘pose a threat’ to Israeli soldiers.
The forces raided several shops in Ramallah earlier this week in a bid to enforce the order.
Palestinians say the raid was just a show by Israelis to prove that Palestinian security forces have no real control in the West Bank, even in Area A, which supposedly comes under full Palestinian administrative control.
Area B is under Israeli control even though the Palestinian National Authority runs its administrative affairs.
Area C, which comprises more than 60 per cent of the West Bank, is under full Israeli administrative and security control.
Palestinian vendors say the majority of their toy gun stock is smuggled from nearby Israeli colonies who cash in on selling such items during Muslim celebrations and holidays.
Despite the ban on selling the toys, Israeli authorities have turned a blind eye to the 40-plus Israeli colonies smuggling products into the West Bank and selling them to Palestinians.
In 2010, the PNA banned Palestinians from purchasing products from Israeli colonies and instituted hefty penalties on anyone caught selling such items.
The West Bank houses more than 150 Israeli colonies, deemed illegal under international law, and more than 100 colony outposts deemed illegal under Israeli law.
