A Human chain in Rafah protests high prices under the siege

Sunday April 06, 2008 15:18 by Rami Almeghari - 1 of International Middle East Media Center - IMEMC Editorial Group

Scores of local Palestinian residents in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah, organized on Sunday a human chain in protest of prices of goods , made high, because of the Israel-enforced closure of commercial crossings.

illsutration photo/ Maan News Agency

Organized by the local civil societies network in Rafah, the rally carried a message of protest against the high prices of essential goods like sugar, cooking oil and bread.

The network's officials told media outlets that such a protest comes in rejection of the unprecedented high prices in a time the Palestinian population suffer from a crippling Israeli closure since June of last year.

Head of the national local society for democracy and law, Ibrahim Mo'amar, that such demonstrations will continue in the days to come until prices become lower.

Ashraf Jom'a, a Rafah lawmaker of Fatah, was quoted as saying " the high prices of essential goods poses a real problem for the local residents".

The human chain participants expressed outrage towards such conditions, warning of flooding once again into the nearby Egypt to bring in cheaper goods.

Abu Mahmoud, 43, a local family head said " the extremely high prices will prevent me meeting the basic needs of my children like food, cloths and medicine. Continuation of such a situation will lead crowds to flood again into Egypt".

On January23, hundreds of thousands of Gazans flooded into the nearby Egypt, after breaching the border lines, amidst a crippling Israeli closure of the coastal enclave, in place since June2007.

rafah | miscellaneous | news report rami at imemc dot org