While Hamas continues to complain that Gaza lacks building materials, a luxury mall in Gaza City held its grand opening over the weekend. Among the goods on sale are Israeli men’s clothing, and items from Turkey, France, and the United States.
Photojournalist Tom Gross, who publicized photos from Saturday’s event on his website, noted that the opening coincided with a visit to Gaza from European Union foreign policy director Catherine Ashton. “The BBC and other media have featured extensive reports all day long on what they term the dire economic situation in Gaza; why are they not mentioning the new shopping mall that opened there yesterday?” Gross asked.
Why haven’t we heard about it? Because it doesn’t fit the template of poverty. After all, luxury malls don’t exactly say “poor!”