{"id":14420,"date":"2010-07-22T04:14:29","date_gmt":"2010-07-22T12:14:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/198.46.88.49\/?p=14420"},"modified":"2010-07-22T04:16:46","modified_gmt":"2010-07-22T12:16:46","slug":"gaza-strip-mall-opens-to-controversy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/198.46.88.49\/living\/travel\/gaza-strip-mall-opens-to-controversy","title":{"rendered":"Gaza Strip Mall Opens to Controversy"},"content":{"rendered":"
There’s usually a lot of fanfare surrounding store and mall openings in the Middle East these days. Normally, one marble-floored store outdoes another, with more space or a higher floor. One recent mall opening in an unlikely location has drawn attention not for its luxurious amenities, but for the fact that it exists at all.<\/p>\n
You may be familiar with the recently eased Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip. The easing came after activists on a Turkish ship attempting to deliver aid to the region were killed by the Israeli military. The Israeli government says the blockade is to prevent supplies which can be used as weapons from getting to Hamas, the Gaza Strip government which is also considered a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union. Controversy has arisen in the past as seemingly benign things like jam were included with concrete and building materials on the list.<\/p>\n
So it may be a bit of a surprise to see a 2-level mall with air-conditioning, full service supermarket and food court open for business. Shoppers who visit the mall’s website can even order some products online, and receive home delivery. {True\/Slant<\/a>}<\/p>\n While some Pro-Israeli bloggers have used the mall opening to challenge the frequent images of poverty that many associate with the Gaza Strip, many of the items – brought in through Israel’s Kerem Shalom crossing or smuggled in to the area through tunnels, are out of reach for a large part of the population. In 2009, unemployment was estimated to be at 40% and 70% of the population was estimated to be living below the poverty line. Electricity production was 212th out of 213 countries in the world. {CIA World Factbook<\/a>}<\/p>\n