Middle East Monitor / November 21, 2022
Palestinian institutions in the city of Nablus have organized a campaign to attract shoppers back to the city in an effort to revive its damaged economy following weeks under Israeli siege.
A spokesman for the Nablus Chamber of Commerce, Yassin Dweikat, said the campaign is the outcome of concerted efforts by the city’s institutions, events and experts to revive its economy that was paralyzed as a result of the Israeli occupation’s practices.
Speaking to Quds Press, Dweikat added that Israel imposed a strict siege on Nablus for more than 20 days, destroying many economic sectors, exacerbating the already dire economic situation.
According to Dweikat, the campaign aims to attract Palestinian citizens of Israel and shoppers from across the occupied West Bank.
Praising the campaign, member of the Nablus Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Majdi al-Bizreh, said it will last several weeks, and will expand to include several sectors which would hopefully lead to economic recovery after weeks of pain as a result of the Israeli occupation’s crimes and its siege imposed on the city and its people.”
Free transport and parking is available to visitors, he added.
However Al-Bizreh warned: “These campaigns are not sufficient in order to reach an ideal economic reality, since the occupation is the one that controls the joints of life, and practices criminality in all its forms on a daily basis against the city, its residents, and its facilities.”
Israeli occupation forces imposed a strict 23-day siege on Nablus in October, banning entry and exit. Commercial activity declined by 60 per cent during the first ten days of the blockade, the Palestinian Ministry of National Economy said.
