Faisal is Gaza's only riding club, open for the past five years and, despite the Israeli blockade and its grim economic consequences, doing rather well. It started with a nucleus of Arabian horses bred in Gaza, but this has been recently supplemented with horses from Egypt and Syria imported through the tunnels dug beneath the border at the southern end of the Strip.A "tiny stratum" that is apparently enough to keep the riding club going--and growing.
"We choose the horses over the internet, looking at video clips," said chief trainer Ahmed Abd Ali. "We also take advice from our trading partners in Egypt."
The horses are led through the bigger tunnels, but even then it is sometimes a tight fit, according to Abd Ali. Some reach the Gaza end with minor scratches, and some appear a little frightened by the journey. "But we have no choice, there is no other way to get them," he said. The animals are already trained but the trainers allow them a few weeks to recover from the tunnel ordeal before putting them to work.
The club has built up its membership to around 120, with more riders coming for ad hoc lessons. Its monthly fees of around 300 shekels (£52) are a considerable commitment, even for Gaza's elite families. But, says Abd Ali, "we are in a good position" with numbers increasing.
The riding club is part of a circuit frequented by affluent Gazans. Next door is Crazy Water Park, a swimming centre with chutes and slides. There is a burgeoning number of seafront cafes, and a new shopping mall opened in July.
The Israeli government says all this attests to the lack of an economic crisis in the territory. But in reality, access to these facilities is limited to a tiny stratum of the population.
In any case, it's good to see that the media is beginning to note that Gaza is not the open air prison that the self-proclaimed human rights activists insist it is.
At the same time, no one is saying that Gaza is a paradise either--you have a terrorist government that has declared war on Israel, firing thousands of rockets which has resulted in a blockade. Hamas builds bunkers for weapons, but no protection for Gazans--while the leaders hide in hospital basements.
Still, there are hotels, resorts, fancy restaurants--and a riding club.
We have the beginnings of a recognition of what life is really like in Gaza.
Now if the media would only begin to address the role of Hamas in it.
Technorati Tag: Gaza and Hamas.
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