Earlier this year while I was reporting from the West Bank, I visited the historic Palestinian city of Hebron where a craft that dates back to the times of the Phoenicians may be headed for extinction.
Pottery, glass and ceramic making are ancient industries in Hebron, Palestine. The city’s leather, stone, glass and ceramic goods are found throughout Palestinian, Israeli and Arab markets — but this is changing with the advent of economic globalization and fierce competition from inexpensive Chinese goods. Additionally, the political instability that has plagued the region for many years scares away tourists.
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Emad El Natche and his family own and operate a Hebron glass and ceramics factory. Mr. El Natche spends hours in front of a gas oven melting recycled glass bottles at high temperatures. No two pieces that Mr. El Natche creates are alike; he prides himself on the attention to detail each piece gets. He says all of his creations are unique because of the process that no machine can replicate.
Despite the challenges from globalization and a lack of master craftsmen, El Natche remains hopeful that this ancient craft is not going to disappear without a fight.
- Mohammad al Kassim
11/07/2009 :: 12:38:22 AM
JGE Says:
To Son of Al-Quds. You not only have your imaginary numbers wrong, but your facts wrong. There were the armies of your friends: Egypt, Jordan, Syria with support from Sadam’s Iraq, and Libya. All attacking Israel.
And it was Arafat, Islamic Jihad, Hamas, Fatah, AL Aqsa Murderers, introducing the new weapon: suicide bombers to blow-up civilian
Israelis , Jew or Moslem, maiming or killing thousands of innocents.
The suicide bombers were promised 500 virgins, and their families received from Saudi Arabia $25,000 dollars. And the Palestinians proudly showed videos of these fanatics, and distributed candies during the celebrations. Bibi predicted that these tactics will spread, and sure enough, now islamofascists are doing the same of blowing-up civilians in Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan and elsewhere in the islamic countries.
Israel build the wall to protect itself, and captures would be terrorists daily in the West Bank and Judeah and Samariah.
Israel will defend itself.