THE BALLOON MAN

A circus comes to Gaza _ minus lions and ladies
 By DIAA HADID, Associated Press
October 26, 2012 

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — The circus came to Gaza on Friday, accompanied by blaring music, juggling clowns and fire blowers — but getting it there required its own high-wire act.

No women performers were included for fear of offending conservative Palestinians and the Gaza Strip's militant Hamas rulers, and the circus' lone lion and tiger were left behind because of the high cost of transporting them legally into Gaza.

The Egyptian National Circus put on its first show of a month-long visit to the impoverished coastal territory on Friday, a sign of warmer relations between Hamas and post-revolution Egypt, which is governed by the Islamic group's ideological parent, the Muslim Brotherhood.

Although it's not state-sponsored, the Egyptian circus could only come because the country's government loosened restrictions on the flow of passengers in and out of Gaza. More foreigners now enter Gaza, including the ruler of the resource-rich Gulf state Qatar earlier this week.

Once in Gaza, the Egyptians' faced an unusual situation — most Palestinians here don't know what a circus is.

"I think it's going to be really surprising for most people," said Riwa Awwad, 19, ahead of the opening night.

"Gazans are famous for not liking anything and I think they'll do the impossible to entertain us," said Awwad, who came with her extended family to the fairground on Friday.

In an ironic twist, the cheery circus with its flashing lights was held on the grounds of a notorious security prison that was destroyed during an Israeli offensive four years ago.
read more at--
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5imF8Glxt-OICxYvb-CTambIfNe-A?docId=8d9d695a544a4261a8c240c275492b8e