by Keren Setton
JERUSALEM, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Near the controversial Israeli barrier that separates Palestinian villages and Israeli neighborhood, there stands a newly-opened shopping mall, Atarot Mall.
Surrounded by high concrete walls, barbed wires, watch towers and cameras, the venture, which was invested by 63-year-old Israeli businessman Rami Levy and will be officially inaugurated at the end of this month, has sparked debate from the beginning.
The mall is located in the territory where the majority of the international community does not recognize as the Israeli sovereignty.
The West Bank barrier was built in the start of this century as a response of Israel to repeated suicide bombings carried out by the Palestinians that killed many Israelis.
The construction has been a highly contentious move. Palestinians have condemned the move, saying it was an occupation of their land and that it undermines the negotiations on the future border between the two sides.
Levy was attacked by both sides. The Jews condemned him for hiring the Arabs, while the Arabs called for boycotting him as he is Jewish.
Marketing the mall to the merchants is also difficult at first, according to Osnat Zagrun, CEO of Moria YLY Properties and Investments, who marketed the project.
"Some of the chains and shops were hesitant because of the separation barrier right in front of the project but gradually they realized the potential here and more and more chains agreed to join," she told Xinhua.
Aside from making money, Levy is trying to send a message by opening the mall in the hotspot.
"If I open a mall in such a spot, I can prove to the world, which thinks there are wars here all the time, that it is possible (for Palestinians and Israelis) to live together, to co-exist," Levy told Xinhua.
In Levy's company, 45 percent of the total 7,000 employees were Arab, some of whom hold managerial positions.
"99 percent of the people want peace and they care about making a living, that's what really matters to them," he said.
In the mall corridors and at the supermarket cashiers, Arabs and Jews work and shop together. Hebrew and Arabic are heard. The bi-lingual signs on the walls, which are rare to see in West Bank, remind people that the mall serves both the Palestinians and the Israelis.
While arranging cucumbers on the shelves, Mahtaseb is content with his job.
Mahtaseb is a resident of Anata, a Palestinian town largely under Israeli control but separated by the West Bank barrier.
Haviv Amram, an 81-year-old resident from Jerusalem who lives near the mall, said he plans to shop here regularly and that he is confident with the security situation here.
