[Ha'aretz] Avi Issacharoff - New fitness centers have popped up all over Ramallah - dubbed the Palestinian "bubble," the Tel Aviv of the territories - attracting hundreds of members, mostly men, but also more than a few women. While Gaza is rapidly turning into a faded version of Afghanistan, and the northern West Bank is turning into a zealot stronghold for Islamic Jihad activists and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, Ramallah seems a world apart with its dozens of cafes, restaurants, designer stores, and wealthy properties.
2006-09-08 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive