Dubai: New Year celebrations in most parts of the Arab world have been cancelled in a show of solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip following five days of a massive Israeli air offensive.
New Year events scheduled to take place in Egypt, Bahrain, Jordan and many other parts of the Arab world have been either postponed or cancelled.
Five days of fighting between Israel and Hamas in the tiny enclave has left at least 380 Palestinians dead and more than 1,800 injured, prompting angry demonstrations that have overtaken the festive mood typically behind New Year's celebrations.
A number of New Year's celebrations were canceled in
Jordan, where roughly half of the 5.8 million people are of
Palestinian descent from families displaced in two wars
with Israel since 1948.
Hotels, restaurants, malls and private parties in the
capital, Amman, as well as the Red Sea resort of Aqaba and
the ancient rose-rock city of Petra announced their New
Year's party cancellations in the local press. In Amman,
concerts featuring renowned singers May Hariri from Lebanon
and Tunisian Ahmad Sharif were also canceled.
Organizer Elias Nehme said Hariri and Sharif were
initially planning to go ahead with their concert to
benefit the war-stricken strip, but later felt it was more
appropriate to cancel the event saying it "a shame to have
a party while people are dying" in Gaza.
Egypt's culture and information ministries canceled
official New Year's celebrations, including a concert with
Egyptian superstar Mohammzd Mounir at the Cairo Opera
House, because of events in Gaza.
However, most private hotels and clubs appeared to be
going forward with their New Year events.
At one of the two Four Seasons Hotels in Cairo, guests
paying $271 per person could be treated to a five-course celebratory dinner set to classical music.
"We are not canceling any reservations," said Ahmad
Ghany, the restaurant manager at Seasons, where the dinner
was taking place. He added that none of their prospective
guests had canceled their reservations either. "The
situation is far from us."
At Sharm Al Shaikh, Egypt's main vacation resort on the
Sinai Peninsula, security was heightened but most clubs and
restaurants appeared to still be in the festive mood.
"In Sharm everything is still going on as planned," said
Ranya Barakat, who owns two newspapers that cover the Sinai
peninsula. However, she said there was more security than
normal in the area, and authorities appeared to be checking
every car that did not have Sinai plates. "There is very,
very high security."
The elite Red Sea resort of Al Gouna, where many of
Egypt's upper class will celebrate New Year's, organizers
said an 1,500 person sea-side bash under a massive tent
will go ahead.
In Baghdad, New Year's celebrations were canceled due to
the Islamic holiday of Muharram, and hotels and private
clubs that usually host such parties have called them off.
