Soaring Livestock Prices in Palestine Dim Joy of Eid

The Palestinians have felt the pinch of a high cost of living as they celebrate the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha, or the Feast of Sacrifice, after the prices of the livestock soared in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

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In a crowded livestock market in the West Bank city of Nablus, most of the visitors balked at the prohibitive prices even though vendors were willing to accept monthly installments.

"All my efforts have failed because the people are really suffering from economic crises in our territories. It seems that I will incur losses this year," merchant Hassan Arafat said, adding that "it seems that I will incur losses this year," he lamented.

Emad Nobani, another merchant in the market, attributed the soaring prices of sacrificial animals to the higher cost of fodder, noting that three years ago, the fodder price per ton was US$400 dollars, now it stood at US$700.

"The purchasing activities this year are weak. People come to the livestock market to watch and inquire about the prices without buying anything," Nobani said.

In another market in the city of Ramallah, Hazem Ismail, a government employee, found that he couldn't afford the Eid sacrifice for the first time in years because of the high prices.

"I buy sheep and sacrifice every year, but the hard-living situation that my six-member family and I am struggling with this year deprives me of purchasing sacrificial animals," Ismail told Xinhua, noting he has been paid only 80 percent of his salary for years.

After hours of haggling in the market, Mohammed Abu Issa, managed to purchase a little sheep for US$600, but he said that if the "unbelievable" prices continue to rise, he might not be able to buy any sacrifice next year.

The situation is not much different in the Gaza Strip, where the high prices of livestock have prompted many to buy them in installments or split the cost with friends.

"Every year we slaughter the sacrifice, but this year we have to buy it in installments because of the bad economic situation," said Mohammed Badawi, a man who visited a livestock market in Gaza with his friends to co-buy a calf.

"The situation in Gaza is getting more and more difficult... I go out every day early in the morning and worked until the end of the day, but I can barely provide for the family members," said Hani al-Rifi, a 60-year-old owner of a fruit shop in Gaza.