While Hamas continues to complain that Gaza lacks building materials, a luxury mall in Gaza City held its grand opening over the weekend. Among the goods on sale are Israeli men's clothing, and items from Turkey, France, and the United States.
Photojournalist Tom Gross, who publicized photos from Saturday's event on his website, noted that the opening coincided with a visit to Gaza from European Union foreign policy director Catherine Ashton. "The BBC and other media have featured extensive reports all day long on what they term the dire economic situation in Gaza; why are they not mentioning the new shopping mall that opened there yesterday?” Gross asked.
Pictures of the new mall were featured on the Palestinian Authority Safa website and by the Associated Press.
A variety of stores sell cosmetics, clothing, office supplies, toys, shoes, appliances and more. The mall boasts air conditioning and a delivery service.
Hamas has often accused Israel of creating a “siege” by keeping its border crossings to Gaza closed. According to Hamas, Gaza lacks electricity and building supplies.
Bargain Prices for 'Zionist' Clothes in New Gaza Luxury Mall - A7 Exclusive Features - Israel News - Israel National News
But, I thought Gaza was a wrecked shell of an area completely without running water, electricity, and beyond hope!!
Means nothing, no matter where it is.Too bad 70% of Palestinians can't shop there anyways. That is a sad looking mall.....Now this is what a real mall looks like....
Anybody know where it is?
Means nothing, no matter where it is.
The Global Investment House reports that the Gaza strip tracks an unemployment rate of 29% of the people living there. The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics holds that 57% of employees in Palestine live below the poverty line. Obviously, poverty is a huge issue for several of the Middle Eastern countries, and more than 65% of children living in these regions lives below the poverty line- this accounts for orphans and children who are homeless, disease-stricken and without family or resources to find stable living quarters.
Read more at Suite101: Poverty in Palestine Poverty in Palestine
One year later, the number of Palestinian people living in poverty has jumped by 30 per cent, essential services are facing meltdown, and previously unknown levels of factional violence plague Palestinian streets. If this situation continues, the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) risk becoming a ‘failed state’, destroying the chances of achieving a two-state solution. Oxfam believes that donors and Israel should urgently resume direct financial transfers to the PA.
More than 1 million Palestinians, or one in four inhabitants of the occupied territories, are now mired in deep poverty as living standards deteriorate dramatically following the economic boycott of the Palestinian Authority this year, according to a United Nations report released today.
The report from the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) found that the number of people living in “deep poverty” – defined as an inability to meet basic human consumption needs – soared by 64 per cent during the first half of 2006.
An average of 1,069,200 Palestinians now live in deep poverty, up from 650,800 in the second half of last year. Consumption has therefore slumped as well, with the purchase food down by 8 per cent and non-food products down by 13 per cent.
But, I thought Gaza was a wrecked shell of an area completely without running water, electricity, and beyond hope!!
Too bad 70% of Palestinians can't shop there anyways. That is a sad looking mall.....Now this is what a real mall looks like....
Anybody know where it is?
A few streets from my home, and no it's not amazing at all.
What is amazing is people that are actually comparing between a prospering country such as Israel and a third world territory such as the Gaza Strip, or Yemen or Jordan or Egypt or the rest of the third world nations.
You get a strong feeling from the media and the pro-Palestinian bunch that Gaza is actually supposed to be a first-world territory.
As if Hamas wouldn't have thrown rockets into Israel it'd have been ****ing Manhattan.
The real issue is one of attribution. Gaza was Gaza before there was an Israel, and has never been a paradise. What, with the astronomical birth rates, corrupt leadership, infighting and committment to killing Jews over the creation of a viable society, OF COURSE the place remains less well off than some others. It may be fashionable these days to blame Jews, but good grief -- when are these people ever going to be held accountable for the THEIR actions?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?