8 ms·

Random observation: I'm always fascinated by how poverty and development can co-exist in a lot of places on earth. During conflicts between Israel and Palestine

Random observation: I'm always fascinated by how poverty and development can co-exist in a lot of places on earth. During conflicts between Israel and Palestine, you always see photos of the insides of Palestinian hospitals and the lack of sanitation and equipment is heartbreaking. But then this ice-cream shop has high tech equipment, high sanitation standards, and a seemingly relatively wealthy client base. And the street looks like it could be any street from any other relatively stable, developed nation in that area. I suppose it's also all a matter of the point that the media are trying to make with the article... A travel article is going to highlight the cool parts, while an article on the horrors of war is going to focus on the disasters.

shim2k 8y ago
You are mixing the Gaza strip with Ramallah, which is where this ice cream shop is. Ramallah is actually a pretty developed and secular city in the west bank.
- dbatten 8y ago
  Interesting. I knew Gaza and the West Bank were geographically separate, but I didn't know conditions on the ground were so different. Thanks!
deleted 8y ago
[deleted]
hackathonguy 8y ago
Ramallah in particular is a very westernized, modernized city. To illustrate, the city has KFC branches (which no city in Israel has), and coffee downtown can run you $6 (compared to $1 in cities like Nablus).
- dogma1138 8y ago
  KFC failed in Israel as the recipe without dairy didn't pan out and the franchise holders didn't want to run a non-Kosher restaurant while McDonalnd's didn't care. KFC is hugely popular in the Arab world in general but fried chicken never really became popular in Israel with or without buttermilk. Starbucks also failed in Israel since apparently the locals being used to actual coffee didn't not accept what they sold as coffee while "high-end" Israeli coffee chains like Aroma Coffee became hugely successful in Israel and expanded abroad.
  - compsciphd 8y ago
    I remember in the late 90s going to the KFC in the Ben Yehuda pedestrian mall section of Jerusalem. It was cute, but I didn't find it to be particularly special. perhaps now I understand why.
scrumption 8y ago
Well, the ice cream shop has Israeli clientele, while the hospitals mainly service people the Israelis have marked for death.
- golergka 8y ago
  Any israeli who goes there is risking his life - being injured and killed by an angry mob after taking a wrong turn is not unheard of. Israeli hospitals, on the other hand, routinely have patients both from Gaza and PA territories, not excluding Hamas leader's family members.
  - deleted 8y ago
    [deleted]
  - nanna 8y ago
    This is a misrepresentation. Human rights activists, lawyers, etc, who oppose the occupation are welcomed into the West Bank. I've experienced that first hand. The violence comes from the occupation forces - settlers, army, blockades, economic and politican control... I've been told by so many fellow Israelis this myth about 'taking the wrong turn' in the West Bank, and, frankly it's a myth that hides the real problem, which is the occupation. I had a similar icecream in Istanbul, and it was delicious. Thank to the OP for sharing.
    - WillPostForFood 8y ago
      How can you tell if someone is a lawyer, or pro settlement? Do you have to wear an armband?
    - dogma1138 8y ago
      It's not exactly a misrepresentation since the "wrong turn" happens fairly often, usually the Palestinian Police would stop the mob and escort them out, but there have been fatalities. And assigning violence to the occupation is simply naive considering the past 150 years, when the west bank was under Jordanian control there was still plenty of violence, before the formation of Israel there was plenty of violence and pogroms in the area even before the end of WWI and the British Mandate like those during the multiple Arab revolts under Turkish rule.
dirktheman 8y ago
Apparently there's a thriving startup scene in Ramallah: https://venturebeat.com/2017/06/04/404-not-found-how-silicon-valley-forgot-palestine/ https://venturebeat.com/2017/06/04/404-not-found-how-silicon...

shim2k 8y ago

You are mixing the Gaza strip with Ramallah, which is where this ice cream shop is. Ramallah is actually a pretty developed and secular city in the west bank.

dbatten 8y ago
Interesting. I knew Gaza and the West Bank were geographically separate, but I didn't know conditions on the ground were so different. Thanks!

deleted 8y ago

[deleted]

hackathonguy 8y ago

Ramallah in particular is a very westernized, modernized city. To illustrate, the city has KFC branches (which no city in Israel has), and coffee downtown can run you $6 (compared to $1 in cities like Nablus).

dogma1138 8y ago
KFC failed in Israel as the recipe without dairy didn't pan out and the franchise holders didn't want to run a non-Kosher restaurant while McDonalnd's didn't care. KFC is hugely popular in the Arab world in general but fried chicken never really became popular in Israel with or without buttermilk. Starbucks also failed in Israel since apparently the locals being used to actual coffee didn't not accept what they sold as coffee while "high-end" Israeli coffee chains like Aroma Coffee became hugely successful in Israel and expanded abroad.
- compsciphd 8y ago
  I remember in the late 90s going to the KFC in the Ben Yehuda pedestrian mall section of Jerusalem. It was cute, but I didn't find it to be particularly special. perhaps now I understand why.

scrumption 8y ago

Well, the ice cream shop has Israeli clientele, while the hospitals mainly service people the Israelis have marked for death.

golergka 8y ago
Any israeli who goes there is risking his life - being injured and killed by an angry mob after taking a wrong turn is not unheard of. Israeli hospitals, on the other hand, routinely have patients both from Gaza and PA territories, not excluding Hamas leader's family members.
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
- nanna 8y ago
  This is a misrepresentation. Human rights activists, lawyers, etc, who oppose the occupation are welcomed into the West Bank. I've experienced that first hand. The violence comes from the occupation forces - settlers, army, blockades, economic and politican control... I've been told by so many fellow Israelis this myth about 'taking the wrong turn' in the West Bank, and, frankly it's a myth that hides the real problem, which is the occupation. I had a similar icecream in Istanbul, and it was delicious. Thank to the OP for sharing.
  - WillPostForFood 8y ago
    How can you tell if someone is a lawyer, or pro settlement? Do you have to wear an armband?
  - dogma1138 8y ago
    It's not exactly a misrepresentation since the "wrong turn" happens fairly often, usually the Palestinian Police would stop the mob and escort them out, but there have been fatalities. And assigning violence to the occupation is simply naive considering the past 150 years, when the west bank was under Jordanian control there was still plenty of violence, before the formation of Israel there was plenty of violence and pogroms in the area even before the end of WWI and the British Mandate like those during the multiple Arab revolts under Turkish rule.

dirktheman 8y ago

Apparently there's a thriving startup scene in Ramallah: https://venturebeat.com/2017/06/04/404-not-found-how-silicon-valley-forgot-palestine/ https://venturebeat.com/2017/06/04/404-not-found-how-silicon...