This is nearly obscene.
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Economist Jeffrey Sachs estimates that malaria, which kills 2 million children annualy, could be contained for a mere US$3 Billion per year. Think about it. $100 Billion to kill 200,000 people in Iraq each year, or $3 Billion to save 2 million children in Africa each year. Hmmmm.
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9 comments:
well - yes, the price is. just go over yourself and then come back and use wood from the US. but - if they really are made in bethlehem - close to the church of the nativity - then it's likely they are made by palestinians... unless they are products of settlements. hmm. i think i'll have to send a comment and ask. :)
It is highly likely these are made in the workshops of Bethlehem - it just isn't worth the while of Israelis to make junk like this and the labour and skill is in Bethlehem.
Unfortunately this happens with many products - they're labeled as being 'made in Israel' when they're actually made by Palestinian subcontractors.
I've got a much nicer one, which was a whole lot cheaper - I almost felt it wasn't a fair price - and it was made in Beit Sahour, "the shepherds' field", near Bethlehem. Of course it may be smaller, I'm not sure how big that one is, and it would have travelled less far to the UK than the US, but all the same.
In answer to Joe, the blurb says,
"This masterpiece standing Cross is hand caved from Holy Land olive wood in Bethlehem by Christian artisans at the Nissan Brothers olive wood workshop. The Nissan workshop and store (Bethlehem New Store) is located a short distance from the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem."
As SOME (but by no means all) Americans have a poor sense of geography they may not realise Israel and Palestine are different states. SOME Americans are very confused about countries in Europe and where Britain fits in to all that, too. However, I am aware that some Palestinian goods are also passed off as 'Israeli'.
In answer to myself it seems this cross is 56" tall, which is pretty big. It's probably aimed at a church congregation rather than a private household.
To each their own, but I don't even think it's very attractive. I could see it costing $649 instead of $6,498. But it is handcrafted and all that. Maybe if it had little lights all around the outside and a clock in the middle . . .
Karin, regardless of what the blub says, many olivewood products are exported as products from Israel.
And Palestine is not a state - though by international agreement, Palestinian products should not be labeled as Israeli.
I've been to the Nissan shop several times. It isn't really true to say that the olivewood is carved by 'christian' artisans, although the owners are Christian. As with everything else now, most workers in Palestinian olivewood factories are Muslims.
As I said, Joe, "However, I am aware that some Palestinian goods are also passed off as 'Israeli'." Which is a bit strange as people boycott things made in Israel, but not things made in Palestine, as a rule.
Palestine is meant to be a self-governing entity, is it not, and one with borders that separate it from Israel, sometimes more than Palestinians want to be? Perhaps they are not technically a state, but they are a separate political entity,in theory at least.
I get the impression that as Christians tend to be better educated they are more likely to be the bosses than the artisans, so I expect you are right, especially as there are so few Christians left in the West Bank.
The main market for Palestinian exports is Israel. The biggest Palestinian export products are mainly marketed by Israeli companies - eg Jerusalem Gold limestone, which is not quarried in Israel. Very few Palestinian businesses export directly to anyone outside of Israel.
Palestine is not a state in many ways, not least in that it does not have definable borders which it controls. You do not cross any passport control borders to enter.
There is a complex relationship between Muslims and Christians in Bethlehem which I've not totally worked out. The main issue is that proportionally more Christians have left than Muslims, and those that remain tend to be those with an economic reason to stay - hence those owning businesses etc. There is no difference in educational level that I know of.
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