Do Gaza’s melting-pot markets reflect identity crisis?
The Gaza Strip tries to maintain its own culture, even as the blockade forces it to embrace imports.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — The nine-year siege on the Gaza Strip has caused Gaza City to resemble anything but its old self. One can find Egyptian, Turkish, Israeli and Chinese cultural and commercial products — but rarely Palestinian products from either Gaza or the West Bank.
The siege, occupation and Islamic rule have altered Gaza City’s true character culturally and economically, but experts assert that these effects are not radical or permanent.
