Posted on 10/23/2006 5:45:22 AM PDT by Alouette
GAZA CITY (AFP) - In Gaza City's Firas market the stalls are laden with gift items and toys, fireworks and new clothes, cooking utensils and fish, as people crowd around, looking, touching and walking on.
As the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan draws to an end and people look ahead to the Eid al-Fitr holiday that follows, there is little thought of feasting, except to look back fondly to Eids gone past.
Amid the din of shopkeepers hawking their wares over loudspeakers, Abdulkarim says "people are coming, but they're not buying ... They don't have any money."
"I only get paid 1,500 shekels (360 dollars, 280 euros) and I have a family of 10," says this member of the Palestinian presidential guard who has come to the market with his two children.
"This year, there will be no presents."
Abdulkarim is one of the 170,000 civil servants in the Palestinian territories who have not been properly paid since the Islamist movement Hamas formed a government in March. The United States and European Union, who have blacklisted Hamas as a terror group, cut off financial aid to the Palestinians.
The crisis, which spreads across the economy, is compounded by Israel's freezing of millions of dollars a month in customs revenues it collects on behalf of the Palestinians.
It is not just a shortage of cash that promises to put a damper on one of the two major holidays in the Muslim calendar.
The territories are also plagued by a wave of deadly internecine fighting, pitting Hamas partisans against those of the former ruling party Fatah.
At the same time, scores of people have been killed in a four-month campaign by Israel to prevent militants from firing rockets on its territory and to recover a captured soldier.
Eid as it is commonly known, marks the end of Ramadan, a month in which the devout take no food or drink from dawn to dusk. Fitr means "to break" and symbolizes the breaking of the fasting period and of all sinful habits.
After special prayers to mark the day, festivities and merriment traditionally start with visits to the homes of friends and relatives.
Traditionally, everyone wears new clothes for Eid, and the children look forward to gifts, usually cash.
The last few nights of Ramadan it is almost impossible to get into the shops, as everyone is buying their clothes.
It won't be a joyful Eid for Umm Iyad, 37, whose husband is out of work because of a back ailment and who has a family of 10.
"The feast costs a lot, and I don't have enough money," she says. "I feel sad when my children come to me every day and ask me to buy some new clothes. But the money I have is just enough to feed them."
Her seven-year-old daughter Aida is philosophical about it.
"I would like to have new clothes like other children, but I think that I will wear for the feast the clothes some neighbours gave to my mother."
Umm Iyad tries to put a brave face on it.
"The only thing we can do is rely on God and hope things will be better tomorrow. But I'm not very optimistic for the future."
UNWRA, the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, is trying to help out by providing 100 shekels for each school child.
Abdulkarim says that "with this money, you can just barely buy new shoes for the children."
At a nearby stall of colorful toys, Hassam Kalussa, 35, picks out a plastic car for two shekels, that he will give to one of his children.
"I have to buy toys for the children," he says. "In past years, I would give them something like 100 shekels worth of gifts. This year it won't be even 40," says the employee of a telecoms firm.
"We hope that each year Eid will be a better one. But today, the joy has gone. This might be the most difficult holiday we've had in many years."
Ashraf al-Mamluk, 28, stands in front of his clothing shop.
"It's not normal to go through an end to Ramadan like this. We'll just have to follow (Palestinian prime minister Ismail) Haniya's recommendation," he says mockingly: "'be happy with some olive oil and herbs.'"
Warning! This is a high-volume ping list.
Undoubtedly a lot of these people don't give a damn one way or another about Israel. They just want to feed and clothe their kids. Too bad the cloth-head scum Hama value killing Israelis more than feeding their brothers. I wonder which one their so-called Allah would condone more - bloodshed or food on the table for the needy?
Maybe the great Islamic nation can help out with Ramadan donations to the Palis, who are resisting the "sons of cows and pigs" for the glory of the Muslim Ummah.
Just like they helped so generously after the Indonesian tsunami. /sarc
So why did they vote overwhelmingly for Hamas who ran on a platform of KILL JEWS?
Honeybaked Ham, anyone?
Cry me a river....they can call us "the Great Satan" and still want us to send them the money to stay afloat. They must think Satan is really dumb...and sadly, we have behaved stupidly in the past by propping up this lot of misfits and murderers.
God loves you very much. But your culture has chosen to worship Him with the 'martyrdom' of its own children and the deaths of random Jews. So ... tough titty, Pali scum.
This may be mean but an observation i made over the yrs... The pallie moms are all overweight... Things that make u say hmmmmmmmmm....
F' em. Eat your weapons, you scum.
Other Ramadan traditions, such as the traditional slaughter of the Jew, no longer take place. "In previous years, we could go up to the border and see a large selection of Jews and pick out the one we wanted to kill. Now, with the wall, my sons will not participate as I did in my youth, and the satanic Americans refuse to send us any Jews to kill, even though they have plenty" said a saddened Amal al Jamaat. "These are hard times but we must struggle to preserve our traditions, so we have resorted to going back to killing each other."
If ya can't afford 'em, don't have em!
They would rather starve than recognize Israel.
They would rather starve than free that Israeli soldier they kidnapped.
How bout asking your 'buds', Saudis,Qatarites,etc for a little help?.....Some charity as they say they practice?
Boo effing Hoo!
[Here's a quarter]????
Anyone have change for a penny?
They can call someone who cares.
I just don't feel like donating a prepaid Tracfone.
Leni
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