RAMALLAH, June 21 (JMCC) - The Palestinian cabinet resolved Tuesday to take to court Israeli companies it says have been stealing Palestinian fuel.

A source says that as much as $25 million dollars worth of fuel is believed to have been skimmed off the top of petrol sales made by the company Paz to the Palestinian Authority over the last seven years.

Palestinian workers at the fuel transfer point point in Nilin village discovered hidden storage areas on the Israeli trucks that were purportedly used to hide and then spirit away petrol.

The Palestinian Authority said in a statement Tuesday that it had initiated proceedings on July 9 to prosecute companies in the transport and supply business, in the context of incidents of theft of fuel stores in Nilin.

The trucks were owned and operated by the Israeli company Scheffer, said the statement.

The statement went on to say that  the Palestinian government had suspended fuel delivery and was determined to pursue the legal process to hold accountable those responsible for this crime and to compensate Palestinians.

A source familiar with the case told JMCC.org that the losses exceeded $25 million over the past seven years, possibly as much as $28 million.

Thirty million liters of fuel are imported by the Palestinian Authority from Israel monthly. The hidden storage areas were able to accommodate 2,000 liters each.