Preparing for 'Eid in Gaza

By Rami Munir Almeghari

IOL, November 25, 2009 Muslims worldwide mark their second annual event with 'Eid Al-Adhaa. Capable adult Muslims follow this through the religious ritual of slaughtering a goat/sheep etc., in honor of the tradition set by Prophet Ibraham thousands of years ago.

For the past three years in the Gaza Strip, the situation has been increasingly difficult, as a result of the Israeli blockade imposed on Gaza, contributing to higher poverty rates, which make people unable to afford a sheep.

"I have been looking for a cheap goat since the early morning. As you see this goat costs 180 Jordanian Dinars ($US280), yet I still feel that I cannot buy it, and look for another," said 'Abu Razzaq Abu Etawi.

'Abu Etawi is a 65-year-old man, who spoke to me while looking for a goat at a local live stock market in the central Gaza Strip refugee camp of Alburaij. He and others circulate around the sheep and scapegoats, arguing with those selling the live stock at the market. Tradesmen, whether big or small, invite customers to look at their livestock.

"Since the early morning, I have been showing off my live stock to customers, but I have only sold 3 sheep out of the 40 I have. We do hope that with the flow of government employees' salaries soon, selling would improve", said Marwan 'Abu Medain, a live stock tradesman said.

Another trader from the Jabalya refugee camp in northern Gaza Strip has been staying at the market, in the hope he would be able to sell some of his live stock over there.

"The prices for the live stock are high and unaffordable by many residents. Trade is very tight under these circumstances. Look, the fodder for the live stock is sold for high prices for the needed quantities of fodder are not that available because of the borders closure during the past three years," said Ahmad Sa'adallah, merchant of live stock.

Some Meat is Even Unaffordable!

Kamel Abu Jazzar, a resident of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, has been unable to follow the Islamic ritual of slaughtering a sheep for the past few years.

"Unfortunately, I can no longer afford buying a sheep for 'Eid Al-Adhaa, because of the deteriorated humanitarian situation in Gaza," said Abu Zazzar, who is responsible for a 20-member family.

"Can you imagine, even if I want to buy some meat for my children in the 'Eid, I need at least 10 kilos, which cost me a lot of money, yet I cannot afford that, as the meat prices are so high. In the past few weeks the prices got lower, but they are still unaffordable", Abu Jazzar added.

Bad Business

In Gaza city, butcher Atiya Alshawa, owner of the well-known Alshawa butchery and restaurant in Gaza city, complained of the people's inability to purchase cow meat, saying that for the past three years, the situation has been difficult, as the majority of customers have turned to low priced frozen meat instead.

"I have been in business for almost 20 years now. In the past three years, only less than 30 percent of my customers were able to afford meat, while others could not buy it. For example, during the years before the current Israeli blockade, I used to sell at least 200 kilos of meat, but nowadays I can hardly sell 40 kilos a day", said Al Alshawa.

He added that the quantities of cows allowed in Gaza from time to time do not meet the actual needs of the population.

"With the shortage of meat, one kilo of meat costs about 45 shekels (US$12). Prior to the recent flow of cows into Gaza, one kilo of meat used to cost about 70 shekels (US$15)," said Al Alshawa.

On Thursday midday, which is the beginning of the weekend in Gaza, only few customers entered Atiya's shop. Ehab Ahmad, an accountant, complained of the high prices for meat.

"Before meat prices got high in the past couple of years, we in the family used to purchase at least 6 kilos of meat per week, but now we can only afford two kilos no more", added Ahmed, while buying some meat.

No Room for Independency

In the past two weeks, Israeli occupation authorities have allowed more than 4000 cows into Gaza. This was a precedent throughout a crippling Israeli blockade of the coastal enclave since June 2007. However, agricultural officials in the Hamas-ruled Gaza asserted that such quantities cannot meet the real needs of Gaza's residents especially that the 'Eid is coming soon.

"Since 2007, the Israeli occupation has denied access of live stock or cows into the region. Sources of protein in Gaza have been scarce, as the residents suffer from sharp shortage of live stock or cows for the past period", explained Dr. Ibrahim Alqedra, Assistant-deputy minister of agriculture in Gaza.

Dr, Alqedra said that the Israeli authorities used to allow some limited quantities of live stock of cows into the Gaza Strip throughout the past three years.

"Having been pressured by some international bodies, the Israeli occupation authorities have allowed only 4000 cows into Gaza in the past two weeks. Nevertheless, such quantities are inadequate, as we need 1500 cows and 20000 live stock for the four-days of 'Eid alone. Seventy per cent of the allowed quantities have been depleted already for households' use these days," he added.

Asked by IOL whether the agriculture ministry has attempted to depend on producing live stock or cows locally in order to compensate the widespread loss of such goods, Alqedra made clear:

"Actually, our capabilities have been limited because of the closure that has prevented regular or smooth entry of fodder, and other essential components for breeding live stock locally."

Commenting on entry of live stock through underground tunnels on the Gaza-Egypt border line in southern Gaza, Alqedra mentioned that even if there are some quantities that come through underground tunnels, they are limited and of poor quality.

For more than three years now, Israel has been enforcing a blockade on Gaza, sealing off 6 major border crossings, with frequent irregular openings, allowing some goods and commodities into the coastal territory.

According to local estimates, unemployment here in Gaza has hit a high of 65 per cent of Gaza's labor force, while poverty has hit the highest records, with an estimated poverty rate of more than 70 per cent.

"In previous years, I used to make good business during 'Eid Al-Adhaa, but nowadays, I can hardly sell any live stock", said Ahmad Sa'dallah, merchant of live stock at the central Gaza Strip's market!