VZCZCXYZ0013
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHJM #1245 2011427
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 201427Z JUL 09
FM AMCONSUL JERUSALEM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5490
INFO RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC PRIORITY

UNCLAS JERUSALEM 001245 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NEA FOR NEA/IPA AND NEA/PPD; JOINT STAFF FOR LTGEN SELVA; 
PLEASE PASS TO USAID FOR ANE/MEA:SBORODIN; NSC FOR 
SHAPIRO/KUMAR 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON ETRD EAID PGOV KWBG IS KPAO
SUBJECT: SHOPPING FESTIVAL OPENING DAY REFLECTS ECONOMIC 
RESURGENCE IN NABLUS 
 
REF: JERUSALEM 1079 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary:  On July 18, the Consul General attended 
the opening-day events of the Nablus Shopping Festival, 
joining Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and Nablus Governor Jamal 
al-Muhaysen in a ribbon-cutting ceremony.  Tens of thousands 
of Palestinians thronged the city center, celebrating a day 
of shopping, cultural events, and entertainment, including an 
attempt to certify a 75 meter-long kunafe (an Arab dessert 
made famous in Nablus) as a Guinness world record.  The 
Consul General also toured a new shopping mall and a new 
cinema, the first to open in the West Bank since all closed 
during the first intifada.  Festival organizers and Nablus 
business contacts said that the festival celebrates the 
strong security and economic progress achieved there over the 
past two years.  End Summary. 
 
Shopping Festival Celebrates Progress in Nablus 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
¶2. (SBU) The Consul General traveled to Nablus on July 18 for 
the opening of the Nablus Shopping Festival.  According to 
festival organizers, the month-long event celebrates economic 
and security progress in Nablus in the past two years.  The 
organizers also noted the recent easing of access and 
movement restrictions at checkpoints surrounding the city 
(reftel).  Event organizers said they hope to attract 
Arab-Israelis and investors back to the city. 
 
First Nablus Movie Theater Opens Since First Intifada 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
 
¶3. (SBU) The Consul General joined Prime Minister Fayyad and 
Nablus Governor Jamal al-Muhaysen in a ribbon-cutting 
ceremony for a project to upgrade traffic infrastructure in 
the center of the city, followed by a tour of a new 
multi-level mall that includes a newly-opened cinema.  The 
cinema, a USD two million investment, currently shows Arabic 
language (mostly Egyptian) films, but owners say they are 
working to acquire U.S. movies.  The cinema's general manager 
Bashir al-Shaqah told the Consul General that he hopes this 
will be the first of many theaters, "not just in Nablus, but 
throughout the West Bank." 
 
Festival Reflects PA Security and Economic Achievements 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) A number of ConGen business contacts said that the 
festival reflects the significant, positive changes in 
Nablus' security and economic environment over the past two 
years.  They noted that such an event would have been 
impossible to organize before the deployment of PA security 
forces in November 2007 improved security in the city.  The 
festival, they said, is the latest sign of an economic 
revival in Nablus that has been assisted by the gradual 
easing at checkpoints surrounding the city.  They expressed 
hope that the positive economic momentum will be sustained 
and could lead to further easing of access and movement 
restrictions in the Nablus region.  The Consul General 
highlighted these themes in several print and television 
interviews during the day, in which he credited the PA for 
increasing security performance and promoting economic 
development over the past two years. 
 
WALLES