Muhammad Alrahman Hassan in Barta'a market
Photo: George Ginsberg
One man's price hike - another man's sales opportunity
While prices soar in Israel, merchants in Palestinian town of Barta'a are pleased. Sales are up as Israelis come to shop for bargains. 'Prices here are very cheap, I save NIS 1,500 a month' one shopper says
Recent price hikes
in Israel
are having a positive effect on the Palestinian economy: Merchants in eastern Barta'a told Ynet on Wednesday how sales have gone through the roof. Hassan, a store owner in the local market said: "A month ago we didn't feel the pressure. Now, we don't even have the time to eat or even go to the bathroom things are so busy. From our perspective, the price hike in Israel has improved the situation in local markets."
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The Barta'a market, which is on the Palestinian side of the town divided between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, has recently become a destination for Israeli Arabs. They come to the market to stock up on cheap produce and products at much cheaper prices – from fruit and bread to clothing.
Ali Badarne, a father of three from Sakhnin, came all the way from his house in the Galilee to the village in the Wadi Ara region. "The prices here are very cheap," he says. "If I buy everything I need here – I save NIS 1,500 ($410) a month. I first came to the market here becaue of the price hike. Sadly, the State of Israel is hurting many families. So long as they continue to raise the prices, they create more and more hungry people. I came to the Barta'a market to purchase products at a reasonable price."
The merchants can hardly disguise their satisfaction. Muhammad Alrahman Hassan, owner of a carpet store, said that sales were up by 40%. "Each person that comes into my store immediately complains about the price hike in Israel. Our prices are more convenient and allow families to deal with financial difficulties."
Barta'a market (Photo: George Ginsburg)
Apparently some are cashing in on the difference in prices between the Palestinian Authority and Israel. A clothing store owner said that Israeli Arab tradesmen purchase products in the Palestinian Authority and sell them for double the cost in Israel.
Pita bread prices are a good example of the major rate difference. Yosef Kabha who works at the Barta'a market bakery said that some buyers purchase NIS 100 ($27.38) worth of pitas – a month's supply. He said that in Barta'a 20 pitas are sold for NIS 9 ($2.46) compared with NIS 10 ($2.74) for 15 pitas in Arab towns in Israel.
But it isn't just food and clothing that you can find on the cheap in Barta'a – fuel is also cheaper there. A Kafr Kana resident told Ynet: "We're tired of whole price hike issue. We can't even afford fuel because of the price hikes. On days when I come to the Barta'a market I fill up six gas canisters and store them at home, to use as necessary."
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