West Bank unemployment is high and the cost of living is rising, putting a traditional wedding out of reach for many. <br /><br />Nearly 300 couples jumped at the chance of an all-expenses paid wedding party in the West Bank city of Jericho.<br /><br />Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas presided over the mass wedding.<br /><br />His Fatah party funded the event and gave 4,000 dollars (about 2,900 euros) as a wedding present to each couple.<br /><br />One groom, Alla Abdul Fatah, described the mass wedding as a chance for all people: “I hope next year, and every year after that, such a wedding will be held,” he said. <br /><br />Amina Saideh, Fateh’s bride said: “The situation is not good, no work, all of us need help.”<br /><br />Over the years, mass weddings have mainly been performed by Hamas, providing Abbas, many say, with a chance to court popular support.
