ימי הקורונה וצום הרמדאן הורידו שקט עצוב על הרחובות
Al Fawar-Dura Junction, the town of Bani Naim
Hardly any yellow (Palestinian) taxis on road 60 and no cars in the Palestinian car park.
Although the State of Israel let Palestinian workers enter it for work, almost 50% of the permit holders did not use them. A combination of Corona-fears and the Ramadan month of fasting.
People complain of boredom and lack of livelihood. In Al Fawar the children do not go to school, so their boredom was the reason for throwing fire bombs at the army’s pillbox post at the junction. Immediately, as collective punishment, the army sealed the entrance to Al Fawar.
Hebron city
The soldiers manning the Hebron checkpoints wear masks. Both settler-colonist and Palestinian children pay in the streets. In the Kapisha neighborhood the grocery store is open and they say that the heart of the Corona crisis is the steep break in business and livelihood, and a sad Ramadan month. No one is hosting anyone else, no one is out on visits (traditionally an important part of this festive month). There have not been settler-colonist harassments of their neighborhood so quiet reigned.
A Hebrew sign in a shop tells us to “please wash your hands”. Corona makes for quiet.
The Jewish settler-colonists in Hebron have used this Corona crisis time to tighten their grip. In the disputed house on Zion Road, the settler-colonists are renovating apartments and the entire ground floor, building a car-park and more. The Cave of the Fathers plaza is deserted, no tourists, no one praying, no Jews nor Muslims.
Tel Rumeida
Noontime. The lighter instructions are in place but Ramadan fasting and the lack of work leaves people closed in their homes. As long as we were there, everything was quiet.
