Israeli curfew ruins bride's dream wedding

ISRAELI tanks rumbled in the distance as Jala Abu Ajamia flicked a drop of gritty coffee from her white satin wedding dress, straightened her bustle then left the kitchen to join dozens of women who came to wish her well. It was hardly the wedding of her dreams.

More than half of her invited guests failed to show up; there was no food to serve to the Palestinian party-goers because shops were closed or out of stock; and the gold or cash customarily given to the couple never came as most of the wedding guests were either out of work or out of savings.

"Today is my wedding day and I want to die," said 16-year-old Abu Ajamia who married her 27-year-old first cousin on Sunday during a curfew that all but cleared this West Bank enclave's dusty streets.