Gaza's only mobile phone company forced to close

Ahmad Abu Amer

Jul 3, 2015

Palestinian policemen loyal to Hamas stand guard outside closed Jawwal company headquarters in Gaza City June 30, 2015. The Hamas-appointed attorney general in Gaza shut down the offices of the territory's only mobile-phone provider on Tuesday, saying the company, Jawwal, had not paid its taxes. Jawwal is a subsidiary of the Palestine Telecommunications Co. (PalTel), the largest listed company in the Palestinian territories. It is the sole provider of mobile phone services in Gaza, with around 1.3 million c — Palestinian policemen loyal to Hamas stand guard outside the closed Jawwal headquarters in Gaza City, June 30, 2015. — REUTERS/Mohammed Salem

عربي

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — In an unprecedented move, Hamas-appointed Attorney General Ismail Jabr closed Gaza’s sole mobile phone provider, Jawwal, over charges of tax evasion.

In front of the company’s headquarters in central Gaza City on June 30, passers-by were shocked by notices on the walls and doors reading, "Jawwal Co. is closed upon the attorney general's order.” Police posted outside the offices prevented anyone from approaching.

The move came after the attorney general gave the company a 48-hour grace period starting June 27 to pay its taxes to the Gaza Ministry of Finance, the same way it pays taxes to the Finance Ministry in the West Bank.

Jabr refused repeated attempts to talk with Al-Monitor.

Gaza's only mobile phone company forced to close

The Gaza attorney general's shutdown of Jawwal for alleged tax evasion could affect hundreds of jobs and has been met by criticism by those who see the company as a victim of a political divide.

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