Gazans unpleasant as economic recession shadows Ramadan
                 Source: Xinhua | 2017-05-31 22:31:14 | Editor: huaxia

A Palestinian father buys Ramadam lights at a market in Gaza City, as the faithful prepare for the start of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan, on May 26, 2017. (Xinhua/AFP Photo)

GAZA, May 31 (Xinhua) -- In the main market in Downtown Gaza City, Nabil Ayoubi's store was, as usual, full of all kinds of food products and goods that his customers would need during Ramadan, the annual Muslims' fasting month.

However, Ayoubi, 24, complained that during Ramadan, which began on Saturday, very few customers come to his store that his grandfather opened 40 years ago.

"Compared to last year and the years before, the purchasing power this year is very weak due to a worst economical situation the Gaza Strip has ever witnessed," Ayoubi told Xinhua, adding "In previous years, I stayed in my store with three other workers until midnight to meet the needs of our customers."

The Gaza Strip has been under an Israeli blockade imposed on the coastal enclave after Islamic Hamas movement won the Palestinian parliamentary elections in January 2006. Israel tightened the blockade after Hamas violent takeover of the enclave in the summer of 2007.

However, in 2010, Israel began to ease the blockade following international criticism and pressure depending on the humanitarian needs of more than 2 million residents of the enclave. The Israeli measures and the closure of crossing points had caused high rates of poverty and unemployment.

Ayoubi said this year, he has one worker only who works until 9 o'clock in the evening, adding that he also reduced orders of more products for the store. He expected that there will be a 30 percent drop in the total sale for this year.

During the first four days of Ramadan, streets and markets in Gaza City, which used to be full of customers and traffic, were almost empty. "Only sadness and frustration can be seen on faces of the people because they wanted to buy stuff, but their pockets are empty," said Ayoubi.

The merchants and storekeepers in the downtown market believe the reason behind the difficult situation in the Gaza Strip is mainly the Israeli blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip, which has crippled the economic situation there and hindered livelihood opportunities.

Meanwhile, they believe that internal feuds and division between Hamas rulers in Gaza and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Fatah Party in the West Bank were the reason behind other difficulties, like severe shortage of electricity and lack of medical and other services.

Two months ago, Abbas and his Palestinian (National) Authority decided to cut 30 percent of the salaries of thousands of employees in the Gaza Strip. The PNA has been paying full salaries to around 70,000 civil servants and security officers since Hamas violent takeover of the Gaza Strip.

"The sharp reduction of the salaries the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah paid to its employees in Gaza has negatively influenced daily commercial movement," Maher Taba'a, the public information officer at Gaza Chamber of Commerce, told Xinhua.

He added that these salaries not only support tens of thousands of families, but also support large segments of the Palestinian economy in Gaza, noting that unemployment rate in the Gaza Strip reached more than 40 percent and that 70 percent of citizens there depend on humanitarian assistance."

Talking about the ongoing electricity crisis in the Gaza Strip beside the salaries crisis and the deteriorating economic situation, Ayoubi said "Gaza Strip residents have been forced, for so many years to have only less than half of electricity they need on daily basis."

Due to the political-economic dispute between Hamas rule and the Palestinian Authority, the power plant in Gaza has been disabled for weeks, resulting a disruption in the daily life at homes and hospitals, and also disrupted wastewater treatment and desalination plants.

"Shortage of electricity in the Gaza Strip has actually a negative impact on business interests and industries," said Taba'a, who called on the two rivals, Hamas and Fatah to end their feud and division, make a real reconciliation and resolve the horrible daily life difficulties.

Ayoubi shop is also specializes in making and selling grinder coffee, but he can't grind coffee all the time because the coffee grinder is off most of the time due to the power cut.

In order to operate the shop at the lowest level, Ayoubi is obliged to subscribe to an additional electricity network that provides electricity to several stores through a large generator with an additional charge of NIS 140 (about 39 U.S. dollars) per month.

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Gazans unpleasant as economic recession shadows Ramadan

Source: Xinhua 2017-05-31 22:31:14

A Palestinian father buys Ramadam lights at a market in Gaza City, as the faithful prepare for the start of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan, on May 26, 2017. (Xinhua/AFP Photo)

GAZA, May 31 (Xinhua) -- In the main market in Downtown Gaza City, Nabil Ayoubi's store was, as usual, full of all kinds of food products and goods that his customers would need during Ramadan, the annual Muslims' fasting month.

However, Ayoubi, 24, complained that during Ramadan, which began on Saturday, very few customers come to his store that his grandfather opened 40 years ago.

"Compared to last year and the years before, the purchasing power this year is very weak due to a worst economical situation the Gaza Strip has ever witnessed," Ayoubi told Xinhua, adding "In previous years, I stayed in my store with three other workers until midnight to meet the needs of our customers."

The Gaza Strip has been under an Israeli blockade imposed on the coastal enclave after Islamic Hamas movement won the Palestinian parliamentary elections in January 2006. Israel tightened the blockade after Hamas violent takeover of the enclave in the summer of 2007.

However, in 2010, Israel began to ease the blockade following international criticism and pressure depending on the humanitarian needs of more than 2 million residents of the enclave. The Israeli measures and the closure of crossing points had caused high rates of poverty and unemployment.

Ayoubi said this year, he has one worker only who works until 9 o'clock in the evening, adding that he also reduced orders of more products for the store. He expected that there will be a 30 percent drop in the total sale for this year.

During the first four days of Ramadan, streets and markets in Gaza City, which used to be full of customers and traffic, were almost empty. "Only sadness and frustration can be seen on faces of the people because they wanted to buy stuff, but their pockets are empty," said Ayoubi.

The merchants and storekeepers in the downtown market believe the reason behind the difficult situation in the Gaza Strip is mainly the Israeli blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip, which has crippled the economic situation there and hindered livelihood opportunities.

Meanwhile, they believe that internal feuds and division between Hamas rulers in Gaza and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Fatah Party in the West Bank were the reason behind other difficulties, like severe shortage of electricity and lack of medical and other services.

Two months ago, Abbas and his Palestinian (National) Authority decided to cut 30 percent of the salaries of thousands of employees in the Gaza Strip. The PNA has been paying full salaries to around 70,000 civil servants and security officers since Hamas violent takeover of the Gaza Strip.

"The sharp reduction of the salaries the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah paid to its employees in Gaza has negatively influenced daily commercial movement," Maher Taba'a, the public information officer at Gaza Chamber of Commerce, told Xinhua.

He added that these salaries not only support tens of thousands of families, but also support large segments of the Palestinian economy in Gaza, noting that unemployment rate in the Gaza Strip reached more than 40 percent and that 70 percent of citizens there depend on humanitarian assistance."

Talking about the ongoing electricity crisis in the Gaza Strip beside the salaries crisis and the deteriorating economic situation, Ayoubi said "Gaza Strip residents have been forced, for so many years to have only less than half of electricity they need on daily basis."

Due to the political-economic dispute between Hamas rule and the Palestinian Authority, the power plant in Gaza has been disabled for weeks, resulting a disruption in the daily life at homes and hospitals, and also disrupted wastewater treatment and desalination plants.

"Shortage of electricity in the Gaza Strip has actually a negative impact on business interests and industries," said Taba'a, who called on the two rivals, Hamas and Fatah to end their feud and division, make a real reconciliation and resolve the horrible daily life difficulties.

Ayoubi shop is also specializes in making and selling grinder coffee, but he can't grind coffee all the time because the coffee grinder is off most of the time due to the power cut.

In order to operate the shop at the lowest level, Ayoubi is obliged to subscribe to an additional electricity network that provides electricity to several stores through a large generator with an additional charge of NIS 140 (about 39 U.S. dollars) per month.

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