July 1, 2010 Special Dispatch No. 3077

Egyptian Columnist: 'What Siege Are They Talking About?'; 'The Egyptian People.... [Should] Pray to Allah to Smite Them With [Such a] Siege'

July 1, 2010
Egypt | Special Dispatch No. 3077

In his column in the Egyptian daily Rooz Al-Yousuf, dated June 29, 2010, Muhammad Hamadi gave statistics from a Hamas website showing that despite all the talk of a siege on the Gaza Strip, and in contrast to claims that Egypt has a role in starving the Palestinian people there, so many goods are streaming into Gaza that supply is greater than demand – and that as a result, produce, poultry, and beef are cheaper there than in Egypt.

He concluded that life under siege in Gaza is easier than it is in Egypt, where the people would love such a siege.

The following are translated excerpts from the article:

Hamas Has "Turned to Resistance Online and In the Media"

"After the [Hamas] movement abandoned the real resistance and turned to resistance online and in the media, one of Hamas's many websites published an important report comparing prices of goods and produce in Egypt and in Gaza.

"The report states: A kilo of watermelon in Gaza costs less than one Egyptian lira, while in Egypt it costs over two lira; a kilo of tomatoes in Gaza costs less than half a lira, while in Egypt it costs 1.5 lira; a kilo of potatoes in Gaza costs half a lira, while in Egypt it costs two lira; a kilo of onions in Gaza is one lira, while in Egypt a kilo of onions is 1.5 lira; a kilo of garlic in Gaza is 10 lira, while in Egypt it is 15 lira.

"A kilo of chicken in Egypt is 20 lira, and in Gaza it goes for only 10 lira. The average price of a kilo of beef in Egypt is 60 lira – while in besieged Gaza it goes for five lira. A tray of eggs in Egypt is 19 lira, while in Gaza it is only 10 lira."

"What Siege Are They Talking About?"

"This comparison of prices between Egypt and Gaza, which has been under siege for three years, as they say, shows that life under siege is cheaper, more convenient, and easier...

"So what siege are they talking about? Does the siege cause prices to drop? And how are goods flowing into Gaza despite the siege? ...

"These questions are not being raised [here] in expectation of an answer from Hamas, but they are directed at all Hamas supporters in Egypt who see nothing wrong with accusing their own country of betraying the Palestinian cause and of starving the helpless Palestinian people with the oppressive siege on Gaza.

"If this is what it's like in Gaza under siege, then the Egyptian people, who have been burned by the fire of prices and who peel off part of their limited income to save the besieged Gaza residents, [should] pray to Allah to smite them with [such a] siege, if the seige will lead to lower prices and make it possible for every common citizen to buy eggs, meat, and poultry like the Gaza residents do."

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