MPs in Britain have called on Paypal to extend its service to Palestinians, and are pushing for a parliamentary debate on the topic.
Members of the Scottish National Party, Labour politicos, and at least one Tory have so far backed the demands in an Early Day Motion, which has garnered 34 signatures.
It said: “this house notes with concern and surprise that the worldwide online payment system, PayPal, is not available to use for Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza, despite it being available to users in Israel and Israeli settlers living in the occupied West Bank.”
The MPs added that the motion:
Recognises that the situation is a significant obstacle to many Palestinian individuals and businesses, who are unable to use this trusted and reliable global service for conducting monetary transactions, and that this barrier hinders the Palestinian economy as a whole, including the IT sector which has real potential to thrive;
Believes that Palestine would be a profitable place for PayPal to do business in, with the Palestinian economy closely tied to the global and UK markets, and that the move would also be highly feasible, with PayPal already operating in 203 countries worldwide, including Somalia and Yemen;
And calls on PayPal to expand its service to Palestinians and their banks, a move which has the opportunity to make a positive contribution to Palestinians and their economy and alleviate the high rates of unemployment.
Activists launched a #PayPal4Palestine Twitter campaign in late August after the company seemingly ignored an open letter from Americans for a Vibrant Palestinian Economy (A4VPE) calling for the situation to be changed.
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