InfoAnda - Curbs make Gaza fete like turkey-less Thanksgiving

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Navigation Primary Navigation Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Top Stories Most Popular Secondary Navigation Africa Europe Latin America Middle East North America Search Search: Curbs make Gaza fete like turkey-less Thanksgiving By BEN HUBBARD,Associated Press Staff Writer AP - Monday, December 8 RAFAH, Gaza Strip - Salah Afana's cattle business usually booms with the approach of the Muslim feast of the sacrifice. But this year he's hit a snag: He's out of cows. Afana, Gaza's largest cattle trader, has been unable to import cows since Israel shut the strip's borders last month in response to Palestinian rocket fire. He has since sold all his stock _ less than half of what he sold last year _ and is turning customers away. The Gaza-wide shortage of cows and sheep for slaughter is one of many disappointments Gazans face before Eid al-Adha, the most important holiday in the Muslim calendar. For them it's tantamount to Thanksgiving without turkey. The four-day holiday beginning Monday is supposed to be one of the year's most joyful, but nothing is as it should be, Gazans say. An Israeli blockade on the ruling Hamas government has caused shortages of basic goods, and Palestinian political squabbling has kept thousands of would-be pilgrims from traveling to Mecca. On top of that, their banks have run out of currency, depriving thousands of civil servants of salaries. It's a sharp contrast to Bethlehem, in the West Bank, which after several bleak years is finally getting a Christmas season to cheer about. Hotels are booked solid, Manger Square outside Christ's traditional birthplace is already bustling with tourists, and Palestinian and Israeli security forces are working together to keep the peace. "We're under siege, the pilgrims can't get out, and there's no money. How can we celebrate the holiday?" said Mahmoud Khozendar, a Gaza doctor. Eid al-Adha commemorates the readiness of Abraham _ Ibrahim to Muslims _ to sacrifice his son as an act of obedience to God, who stays his hand and provides a lamb instead. Muslims traditionally slaughter an animal on the holiday to commemorate Abraham's sacrifice. The meat is split between the needy and family members. Gaza has about 10,000 sheep, half of the number needed for the holiday, said Ibrahim al-Kidra of the Agriculture Ministry. The price of a sheep has nearly tripled, to about $550, and there's little money available to buy them. For those lucky enough to find a cow, prices have jumped by a third, to about $2,000 each. Palestinians gathered outside the Bank of Palestine in central Gaza City Wednesday, which was supposed to be pay day, hoping to collect at least part of their salaries to cover holiday spending. "We're supposed to celebrate, slaughter animals and go out and visit relatives," said Mohammed al-Lissi, 30, who tried to withdraw money. "But if we can't get our salaries, we'll just sit at home." In a letter obtained by The Associated Press, Jihad al-Wazir of the Palestinian Monetary Authority begged Israel to allow his agency to send money to Gaza. He said Gaza's banks hold 47 million shekels ($12 million) _less than a fifth of what is needed to pay the public servants. Israeli officials say the request is being considered. Defense Ministry spokesman Shlomo Dror blamed Hamas, saying cash shipments could quickly resume if the near-daily rocket and mortar attacks on Israel stopped. On Sunday, police in the small port of Jaffa, near Tel Aviv, blocked an Israeli protest boat from trying to break through the naval blockade and carry activists and aid supplies to the Gaza Strip. The trip, organized by Israeli Arab political parties and private groups, was the latest in a series of similar attempts to attract attention to Israel's sanctions against Gaza by sailing there. Gaza has been isolated since Hamas militants violently seized control of it in June 2007 after routing the forces of the moderate Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas. Adding to Gazans' frustrations, Palestinian factional rivalry has prevented thousands of them from traveling to Mecca for the holy "hajj" pilgrimage, a traditional high point of Muslim life. Saudi Arabia granted visas only to Gazans approved by Abbas' Palestinian Authority, which rules from the West Bank, and rejected Hamas' list. So Hamas retaliated by refusing to let any Gazans make the pilgrimage. Khozendar, the doctor, said he had already paid $2,200 for the trip, only to find he couldn't go. This was his third attempt to perform the hajj, he said. Last year he wanted to take his ailing mother-in-law with him to Mecca but was turned down, and she died of pancreatic cancer two months later, he said. "I'll keep trying for a 1,000 years," said Khozendar, 47. "And even after that, I'll keep trying." ___ AP correspondent Ibrahim Barzak contributed to this report. Email Story IM Story Printable View Blog This Recommend this article Average (0 votes) Sign in to recommend this article » Most Recommended Stories » Related Articles: World 10 gunmen, soldier killed in shootout in MexicoAP - 25 minutes ago Endeavour delays return trip to Fla. until TuesdayAP - 1 hour 1 minute ago Democrat wins central Ohio congressional raceAP - 1 hour 4 minutes ago Actress and drama teacher Nina Foch dies at 84AP - 1 hour 28 minutes ago Year of failure in Darfur as ICC spectre looms over SudanAFP - 1 hour 36 minutes ago Most Popular – World Viewed Diamond thieves pull off 100-million-dollar Paris heist Girl, 8, among 17 dead in Manila shoot-out: police Vinnie Jones gets into bar fight over role in X-Men Oil price falls below $40 Climate change: Sci-fi solutions no longer in the margins View Complete List » Search: Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Top Stories Most Popular

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