Published: 30 November 2021
Last updated: 4 March 2024
A can of Coke for $0.63, a dental filling for $63: The calm in the West Bank in recent years has created a booming economy, with bargains on toys, tents and repairs
THE SMALL PALESTINIAN town of Husan sits very near the ultra-Orthodox settlement of Betar Ilit south of Jerusalem. Culturally, religiously and demographically they’re completely separate worlds.
But on a Thursday afternoon in early November, a few ultra-Orthodox Jews were at the improvised market at the entrance to Husan, where fruits, vegetables, eggs, shoes and other products are sold at bargain prices.
A kilogram of tomatoes, for instance, costs 10 shekels ($US3.16). It would be hard to match that price in Israel even at the height of the tomato season, when prices are at their lowest.
A little way into town you’ll find garages, car washes, hardware stores and a spate of clinics. All have signs in Arabic, but also large signs in Hebrew.
“Somebody recommended this place to me, so I came; you can rely on them,” says Avraham, an ultra-Orthodox Jew from Beit Shemesh across the Green Line separating Israel and the West Bank. He was at the largest garage, right at the entrance to town.
Not far away is a small garage and car wash owned by Atallah (not his real name). He lives in nearby Wadi Fukin, which is between Betar Ilit and the Green Line. His son runs the day-to-day operations.
Atallah charges 30 shekels to wash a car inside and out, while in Israel the price is 50 to 60 shekels. A lube job and other standard care for a car that has rolled its first 10,000 kilometres costs 300 shekels, while in Israel it’s almost double that.
FULL STORY: Israelis found a way to beat the high cost of living: The West Bank (Haaretz)
