This one's tough. Smoking is bad...but since when do we care about the health of those who want to kill is? Perhaps we prefer Gaza to smoke after what they do to us daily.
Smoking in Gaza
Smokers in Gaza have another reason for concern. The price of cigarettes has soared in the last few months. Why? Because Hamas decided that cigarette taxes would be an excellent source of income for Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh's government.
"There are fewer cigarettes in Gaza now, and dodgy merchants have taken over and put stands at every corner where they sell cigarettes at insane prices. Hamas taxed the cigarettes that people who had been stuck in Egypt brought over. People thought they'd made a good deal to earn a few lira, then found themselves paying a steep price for the cigarettes they brought into the Strip after Hamas started charging 50-70 percent tax on the second pack," Abu Sayid said
And what about quitting smoking? "Yes, sure. Everyone knows from the first cigarette they smoke that its better for their wallet and their lungs not to smoke, but if we could quit we wouldn't be complaining about the price of cigarettes," Abu Sayid retorts. That's why he found an alternate solution: He smokes less and finds alternatives. "After all, there are kids at home that need to eat," he says.
"Listen, a heavy smoker will continue smoking. I know people like me that smoke less, but very few have stopped. But if all the smokers vote in the elections, Hamas is going to bite it. Actually first there even have to be elections, because Hamas objects to them. Until then, we'll keep rolling," says Abu Sayid, sealing his words with a strong expletive. YNET
Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael
