- Title: Palestinians grow their own food during coronavirus lockdown
- Date: 13th April 2020
- Summary: HEBRON, WEST BANK (APRIL 9, 2020) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF MAN PLANTING SEEDLING VARIOUS OF RESIDENT OF HEBRON, MAHMOUD ALRAJABI, INSPECTING AND ORGANISING SEEDLINGS (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) RESIDENT OF HEBRON, MAHMOUD ALRAJABI, SAYING: "The coronavirus pandemic has spread all over the world. What can we do, we Palestinians? We can cultivate our gardens to feed our children and our grandchildren." VARIOUS OF ALRAJABI AND GRANDSONS CHECKING SEEDLINGS AND ORGANISING THEM VARIOUS OF ALRAJABI'S SON TAKING PLANT FROM ALRAJABI AND PLANTING IT (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) RESIDENT OF HEBRON, MAHMOUD ALRAJABI, SAYING: "Everyone is off work at the moment, the economy is bad. We can benefit from it (the garden) to produce eggplants, tomatoes, peppers, beans, okra and everything else." HEAD OF AGRICULTURE DEPARTMENT AT HEBRON'S MUNICIPALITY, BASHAR RAJABI, ARRIVE AT ALRAJABI'S HOME AND SALUTING ALRAJABI VARIOUS OF ALRAJABI PLANTING SEEDLINGS (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) HEAD OF AGRICULTURE DEPARTMENT AT HEBRON'S MUNICIPALITY, BASHAR RAJABI, SAYING: "We hope that our residents in Hebron will take care of their gardens and use these circumstances we are going through as an opportunity to strengthen the food security plan." EMPLOYEES OF AGRICULTURE DEPARTMENT AT HEBRON'S MUNICIPALITY DISTRIBUTING SEEDLINGS MAN CHECKING SEEDLINGS MEN TAKING SEEDLINGS FROM DISTRIBUTION CENTRE
- Embargoed: 27th April 2020 10:53
- Keywords: Health Hebron West Bank coronavirus farming food planting plants
- Location: HEBRON, WEST BANK
- City: HEBRON, WEST BANK
- Country: Palestinian Territories
- Topics: Health/Medicine
- Reuters ID: LVA001C9BQT05
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Palestinians grow their gardens at home to cover their daily needs for fresh vegetables during the coronavirus lockdown in the West Bank city of Hebron.
Like many others in the West Bank, Mahmoud Alrajabi has been without employment or an alternative source of income since the lockdown began. The 70 year-old Hebron resident usually works as a taxi driver, but today, he cultivates his garden along with his son and grandchildren.
The planting initiative is led by the Municipality of Hebron in co-operation with local authorities and businessmen. It aims to distribute plants and seedlings to around 1,400 families, and increase their food security during the coronavirus crisis.
Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic in the Occupied Palestinian Territories in March 2020, President Mahmoud Abbas ordered tight restrictions that left some West Bank towns nearly deserted, except for shoppers going to grocery stores and pharmacies.
Palestinian Finance Minister Shukri Bishara said the Palestinian Authority (PA) asked Israel to help it deal with the economic hardship caused by the coronavirus crisis.
A spokeswoman for Israel's Finance Ministry declined to respond in detail, saying: "We will not comment before a deal is signed". But she said Israel had already stated its willingness to loan the PA money to assist in the anti-coronavirus efforts.
COVID-19 has killed more than 100,000 people worldwide. 272 cases have been confirmed so far in the West Bank and Gaza, as well as 36 cases in East Jerusalem, with two deaths in total.
(Production: Yosri Al-Jamal, Mustafa Abu Ganeyeh) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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