The PLO Executive Council decided last month to halt economic ties with Israel, reject Palestinian recognition of Israel and call for an end to security cooperation, yet Israeli-Palestinian economic relations remain steady in terms of imports, exports and new joint projects.

A source at the Palestinian Ministry of National Economy, who declined to be named, told Al-Monitor that, so far, Palestinian and Israeli "economic relations, including trade relations, haven't deteriorated," despite posturing after US President Donald Trump decided to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

In fact, Palestinian Minister of National Economy Abeer Odeh and Israeli Minister of Finance Moshe Kahlon jointly inaugurated a new cargo scanner Jan. 30 on the Allenby Bridge to promote the movement of goods among Jordanians, Israelis and Palestinians, and to increase trade volume by allowing 20 trucks carrying 40 tons each of merchandise to cross daily, instead of seven trucks.

Speaking to Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, a Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics source said trade activity statistics for December 2017 haven't been issued yet because work on clearance revenues (VAT, import taxes and other revenues) with the Israeli side hasn't been concluded. The source at the Palestinian Ministry of National Economy, however, said there were no significant changes in the import and export volume for December 2017 and January 2018.