Tawfiq Al-Halawani, a shop owner in the Old City of Jerusalem, says fear of the virus, preventive measures and suspension of salaries have decimated the local economy. “Merchants living in East Jerusalem find themselves surrounded by trouble,” he says. courtesy: Atta Jabr/ICRC
Tawfiq Al-Halawani, a shop owner in the Old City of Jerusalem, says fear of the virus, preventive measures and suspension of salaries have decimated the local economy. “Merchants living in East Jerusalem find themselves surrounded by trouble,” he says. courtesy: Atta Jabr/ICRC
Ali Thweib, a barbershop owner from Bethlehem, is struggling. He has seen a serious decline in numbers of customers in light of the pandemic, as people prefer to cut their hair in their own homes to save money during the crisis. courtesy: Atta Jabr/ICRC
Ali Thweib, a barbershop owner from Bethlehem, is struggling. He has seen a serious decline in numbers of customers in light of the pandemic, as people prefer to cut their hair in their own homes to save money during the crisis. courtesy: Atta Jabr/ICRC
The Al-Manna’ bakery in the Old City of Nablus is owned by five brothers who support their families with the income. They are baking a fraction of what they usually bake. courtesy: Atta Jabr/ICRC
The Al-Manna’ bakery in the Old City of Nablus is owned by five brothers who support their families with the income. They are baking a fraction of what they usually bake. courtesy: Atta Jabr/ICRC
Many of the stores of the Old City of Jerusalem are closed. The streets are almost empty. Stores that remain open are struggling. courtesy: Atta Jabr/ICRC
Many of the stores of the Old City of Jerusalem are closed. The streets are almost empty. Stores that remain open are struggling. courtesy: Atta Jabr/ICRC
Waad Masalmah, earns his livelihood selling vegetables in the market in Bethlehem. But there are no customers. courtesy: Atta Jabr/ICRC
Waad Masalmah, earns his livelihood selling vegetables in the market in Bethlehem. But there are no customers. courtesy: Atta Jabr/ICRC
Bethlehem fruit and vegetable market is almost empty. courtesy: Atta Jabr/ICRC
Bethlehem fruit and vegetable market is almost empty. courtesy: Atta Jabr/ICRC
Tawfiq Al-Ama, owner of a coffee-grinding shop in Bethlehem, says: “There is no tourism at all, and citizens have reduced their purchase of coffee because it is not an essential commodity for them and because the current economic situation is very bad. Every day I open the shop, I bear operational costs at my expense and I don’t make any profit.” courtesy: Atta Jabr/ICRC
Tawfiq Al-Ama, owner of a coffee-grinding shop in Bethlehem, says: “There is no tourism at all, and citizens have reduced their purchase of coffee because it is not an essential commodity for them and because the current economic situation is very bad. Every day I open the shop, I bear operational costs at my expense and I don’t make any profit.” courtesy: Atta Jabr/ICRC
The markets of Hebron, already suffering due to the tensions in the city, are now almost completely devoid of visitors. courtesy: Atta Jabr/ICRC
The markets of Hebron, already suffering due to the tensions in the city, are now almost completely devoid of visitors. courtesy: Atta Jabr/ICRC
Sami Khamis’s coffee shop is a Bethlehem institution. It is mostly closed these days. Sami says: “War is much better than the coronavirus pandemic, because in war you know who your enemy is. I hope that things will return to their usual state.” courtesy: Atta Jabr/ICRC
Sami Khamis’s coffee shop is a Bethlehem institution. It is mostly closed these days. Sami says: “War is much better than the coronavirus pandemic, because in war you know who your enemy is. I hope that things will return to their usual state.” courtesy: Atta Jabr/ICRC
An old man runs this kiosk selling miscellaneous items near the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem. He sells nothing, but keeps it open out of hope. courtesy: Atta Jabr/ICRC
An old man runs this kiosk selling miscellaneous items near the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem. He sells nothing, but keeps it open out of hope. courtesy: Atta Jabr/ICRC
Abdul Sami’ Abdul Rahim Eseileh, from the Old City of Hebron, is 68 years old, and he works in upholstery. Abdul Sami’ says: “The stage we are going through now is one of the most difficult ones, and we have been affected a lot by this disease. This year is considered one of the most difficult we’ve experienced so far.” courtesy: Firas Al-Hashlamon/ICRC
Abdul Sami’ Abdul Rahim Eseileh, from the Old City of Hebron, is 68 years old, and he works in upholstery. Abdul Sami’ says: “The stage we are going through now is one of the most difficult ones, and we have been affected a lot by this disease. This year is considered one of the most difficult we’ve experienced so far.” courtesy: Firas Al-Hashlamon/ICRC
Ziad Shweiki works in a bakery near the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem. Ziad says: “The economic situation is very difficult, the city is almost empty, and movement in the market in general has stopped. I hope that the pandemic cloud will pass, and life will return to normal soon.” courtesy: Atta Jabr/ICRC
Ziad Shweiki works in a bakery near the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem. Ziad says: “The economic situation is very difficult, the city is almost empty, and movement in the market in general has stopped. I hope that the pandemic cloud will pass, and life will return to normal soon.” courtesy: Atta Jabr/ICRC
Tawfiq Mustafa Al-Tamimi, aged 73, sells antiques and gifts in the Old City of Hebron. “In the year 2020, we did not make any profits!” he says. “Even during the season of Ramadan, we only worked 20 days, and we did not receive any aid.” courtesy: Firas Al-Hashlamon/ICRC
Tawfiq Mustafa Al-Tamimi, aged 73, sells antiques and gifts in the Old City of Hebron. “In the year 2020, we did not make any profits!” he says. “Even during the season of Ramadan, we only worked 20 days, and we did not receive any aid.” courtesy: Firas Al-Hashlamon/ICRC
Haj Abdul Rahim Abu Ghazaleh, is the owner of a small grocery store in the Old City of Nablus, which once teemed with visitors from other Palestinian cities. Haj Abdul Rahim says “the middle class has been crushed” by the coronavirus pandemic. courtesy: Atta Jabr/ICRC
Haj Abdul Rahim Abu Ghazaleh, is the owner of a small grocery store in the Old City of Nablus, which once teemed with visitors from other Palestinian cities. Haj Abdul Rahim says “the middle class has been crushed” by the coronavirus pandemic. courtesy: Atta Jabr/ICRC
Young Jerusalemite Walid Ghneim, owner of a souvenir shop in the Old City of Jerusalem, only opens his shop to ventilate it. courtesy: Atta Jabr/ICRC
Young Jerusalemite Walid Ghneim, owner of a souvenir shop in the Old City of Jerusalem, only opens his shop to ventilate it. courtesy: Atta Jabr/ICRC
Bethlehem was the first West Bank city to be hit by the virus, which has destroyed its main pillar of economic activity, tourism. Nasri Obaidullah, a taxi driver in Bethlehem, is pessimistic: “Life here has stopped with the suspension of tourism. We have been suffering from a lack of demand for taxi service for months, and we can barely meet our needs and those of our families, not to mention the costs of licensing and insuring the car.” courtesy: Atta Jabr/ICRC
Bethlehem was the first West Bank city to be hit by the virus, which has destroyed its main pillar of economic activity, tourism. Nasri Obaidullah, a taxi driver in Bethlehem, is pessimistic: “Life here has stopped with the suspension of tourism. We have been suffering from a lack of demand for taxi service for months, and we can barely meet our needs and those of our families, not to mention the costs of licensing and insuring the car.” courtesy: Atta Jabr/ICRC
Sami Abu Subaih owns a sweetshop in the Old City of Jerusalem. “My customers have decreased by 75%, the streets are empty, and people are afraid,” he says. courtesy: Atta Jabr/ICRC
Sami Abu Subaih owns a sweetshop in the Old City of Jerusalem. “My customers have decreased by 75%, the streets are empty, and people are afraid,” he says. courtesy: Atta Jabr/ICRC

Coronavirus: businesses suffer as second wave set to hit West Bank, ICRC says

The economic situation in the occupied West Bank is worsening day by day following the outbreak of virus

Mina Aldroubi
Mina Aldroubi
Abu Dhabi

September 24, 2020

  • English
  • Arabic

Countless Palestinian business owners are facing ruin as a second wave of the coronavirus ravages the West Bank, the International Committee of the Red Cross said on Wednesday

Officials imposed a partial lockdown to battle a surge in new cases, forcing many businesses to close and increasing unemployment among communities already struggling to cope.

“A return to some kind of normalcy will depend on Palestinian authorities getting the virus under control,” the ICRC said.

Markets in the occupied West Bank have fallen silent, specifically in Nablus, Hebron, Bethlehem and the Old City of Jerusalem.

“Worried shopkeepers keep their empty stores open, clinched in a merciless double-bind: only by staying open do they stand a chance of rebuilding business, yet every day they open their doors they haemorrhage money,” the ICRC said.

Yasser Subha, a dairy seller in the Old City of Nablus, said he has never seen an economic crisis like this before.

“The situation of my city is like a siege. Movement is very limited, and fear that coronavirus infection will spread is everywhere,” Mr Subha, who has been working in the profession for years, said.

The coronavirus crisis could cause an already constrained Palestinian economy to shrink even further.

In Jerusalem’s Old City, Walid Ghneim, a souvenir shop owner, said he cannot recall what the market was like before the city was hit with the pandemic.

“I open the shop only to ventilate it, because the movement is very little in general, and the tourist movement is non-existent,” Mr Ghneim said.

The shop owner desperately hopes the situation will not extend beyond the end of the year.

To add to their worries, an ICRC survey found that compliance with prevention measures in the West Bank is significantly lower than in Gaza and East Jerusalem.

“In June, 28 per cent reported that they still weren’t wearing masks, 22 per cent said they weren’t avoiding crowded places and 21 per cent weren’t staying home when feeling sick.”

Palestinian authorities have reported 272 deaths and over 37,000 Covid-19 cases since the outbreak first began.

India squad

Virat Kohli (captain), Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, K.L. Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Rishabh Pant, Shivam Dube, Kedar Jadhav, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Deepak Chahar, Mohammed Shami, Shardul Thakur.

Dhadak 2

Director: Shazia Iqbal

Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri 

Rating: 1/5

About Proto21

Date started: May 2018
Founder: Pir Arkam
Based: Dubai
Sector: Additive manufacturing (aka, 3D printing)
Staff: 18
Funding: Invested, supported and partnered by Joseph Group

Our commentary on Brexit
Conflict, drought, famine

Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.

Band Aid

Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.

England squad

Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Dominic Bess, James Bracey, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Joe Denly, Ben Foakes, Lewis Gregory, Keaton Jennings, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Saqib Mahmood, Craig Overton, Jamie Overton, Matthew Parkinson, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Dom Sibley, Ben Stokes, Olly Stone, Amar Virdi, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood

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Where to donate in the UAE

The Emirates Charity Portal

You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.

The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments

The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.

Al Noor Special Needs Centre

You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.

Beit Al Khair Society

Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.

Dar Al Ber Society

Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.

Dubai Cares

Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.

Emirates Airline Foundation

Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.

Emirates Red Crescent

On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.

Gulf for Good

Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.

Noor Dubai Foundation

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).

FIXTURES

UAE’s remaining fixtures in World Cup qualification R2
Oct 8: Malaysia (h)
Oct 13: Indonesia (a)
Nov 12: Thailand (h)
Nov 17: Vietnam (h)
 

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The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo

The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
​​​​​​​Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km

Youth YouTuber Programme

The programme will be presented over two weeks and will cover the following topics:

- Learning, scripting, storytelling and basic shots

- Master on-camera presence and advanced script writing

- Beating the algorithm and reaching your core audience

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
War and the virus
On Women's Day
While you're here
Three ways to get a gratitude glow

By committing to at least one of these daily, you can bring more gratitude into your life, says Ong.

  • During your morning skincare routine, name five things you are thankful for about yourself.
  • As you finish your skincare routine, look yourself in the eye and speak an affirmation, such as: “I am grateful for every part of me, including my ability to take care of my skin.”
  • In the evening, take some deep breaths, notice how your skin feels, and listen for what your skin is grateful for.
Biog

Age: 50

Known as the UAE’s strongest man

Favourite dish: “Everything and sea food”

Hobbies: Drawing, basketball and poetry

Favourite car: Any classic car

Favourite superhero: The Hulk original

Drishyam 2

Directed by: Jeethu Joseph

Starring: Mohanlal, Meena, Ansiba, Murali Gopy

Rating: 4 stars

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What sanctions would be reimposed?

Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:

  • An arms embargo
  • A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
  • A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
  • A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
  • Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
The specs

AT4 Ultimate, as tested

Engine: 6.2-litre V8

Power: 420hp

Torque: 623Nm

Transmission: 10-speed automatic

Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)

On sale: Now

The Voice of Hind Rajab

Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees

Director: Kaouther Ben Hania

Rating: 4/5

Infiniti QX80 specs

Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6

Power: 450hp

Torque: 700Nm

Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000

Available: Now

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