Palestinians are reportedly outraged by celebrations marking the opening of a new mall in the West Bank city of Ramallah, as many believe such festivities are inappropriate given the ongoing Israel-Hamas War, according to Arab media reports this week.
The celebrations, which included music, dancing, and fireworks, were reportedly attended by Palestinian Authority officials.
"Gazans are being slaughtered while the people of Ramallah are dancing," Palestinians reportedly told media outlets.
"The blood of thousands of Gazans didn’t spur any protests in Ramallah, but for the mall’s opening, they’re running. What kind of blood flows through their veins," Gazan blogger Khaled Safi said in response to the celebrations, according to Ynet.
Three key figures were reportedly at the center of the outrage: Ramallah Governor Laila Ghannam, businessman Gandhi Jaber, and mall CEO Qassam Barghouti.
Barghouti is reportedly the son of imprisoned Fatah terrorist Marwan Barghouti.
Hamas-affiliated journalists have reportedly taken the opportunity of the outrage to further sow unrest, according to Ynet.
Many have reportedly said they would boycott the mall.
This is not the first time that Palestinians have sought tempered celebrations as a result of the war. Bethlehem, the birthplace of Christian messianic figure Jesus Christ, elected not to have a Christmas tree and to mute celebrations in light of the war.
The West Bank's economic struggles
Despite the outrage, many have hoped that the mall might bring opportunity to the struggling West Bank economy, which has seen a significant decline since the outbreak of the war.
A UN Trade and Development report in September found that the West Bank was struggling against soaring unemployment and widespread poverty.
96% of West Bank businesses reported decreased activity and 42.1% reduced their workforce, according to a report. A total of 306,000 jobs were lost, pushing the West Bank’s unemployment rate from 12.9% before the Israel-Hamas War to 32%.