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A new snack chip has hit
the streets in Cairo in support of the Palestinian Intifada. “Abu
Ammar, hero of the
struggle,” the cover reads, referring to the Palestinian
President
Yasser Arafat by his
‘nom de guerre’.
The package has the
image of President Arafat in his trademark military uniform and ‘hata’,
the black and white
headscarf, and reads “Hand in hand, we are building our future”,
and
“The more you buy,
the more you build”.
Al Jawhara Food Group
launched the chip 3 weeks ago in three flavors, cheese, tomato,
and paprika. A company
executive, Mr. Ali Ghoneim, said that 3% of the profits from sales
of the snack would go to
help pay for the medical care of Palestinians wounded in the
uprising which has
developed since September 2000. Mr. Ghoneim told international
press agencies,
“It’s a message to the
children so that they become familiar with the
Palestinian cause and
the right of Palestinians to live in peace on their land”.
One Cairo shopkeeper
said demand was high for the snack. “They (Egyptians) buy it
because they see Abu
Ammar, and they are sympathetic with the Palestinian people,”
said shopkeeper Mursi
Mohammed. “They love this man. They love the people of
Palestine”.
Thousands of Egyptians
have demonstrated in support of the Palestinians, demanding
Egypt cut ties and expel
Israel’s ambassador. Egyptians have also called for a boycott of
U.S. goods and have
urged consumers to buy Egyptian. Abu Ammar chips are one of
several artistically
economic initiatives launched in Egypt to support the Palestinian
Intifada.
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