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Al Jazeera correspondent Fatima Khamaysi said that economic activity during the month of Ramadan is scarce within the Old City of occupied Jerusalem compared to previous years, due to the restrictions imposed by the Israeli authorities on the people of the West Bank.
In this context, the head of the Jerusalem Tourism Association, Raed Saadeh, says that Jerusalem pays a huge price that affects its economic situation in any changing political situation in Gaza, Lebanon, or Jordan, noting that the suffering doubled after the war on the Gaza Strip.
Speaking to Al Jazeera Window from Jerusalem, Saadeh explained that Jerusalemites face three challenges: Al-Aqsa Mosque, housing, and the survival of institutions in the city, revealing that the number of hotels in the city has decreased from 40 hotels in 2000 to only 24, and the rest have been closed.
He added that 30% of the town's shops were completely closed, and more than 70% of the volume of cultural activity had diminished, while the Palestinian educational and medical institution faces a challenge with the Israeli institution.
Saadeh pointed out that the wall built around the city of Jerusalem deprived it of its natural markets, forcing it to rely on tourism, which is seasonal and sensitive, as it is affected by any changing political situation.
He touched on the direct economic losses incurred by Jerusalem in the First and Second Gulf Wars, and the visit of former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to Al-Aqsa, all the way to the current Gaza war, which he said created direct losses and may lead to the closure of tourist, commercial or cultural institutions.
He warned of the danger of marginalizing the Holy City by eliminating the population and reducing institutions, stressing that efforts are focused on preventing Jerusalem from becoming a neighborhood within Greater Jerusalem by preserving its Palestinian identity and investing in it, in light of the “Israelization” of all institutions to the Israeli system and law.
He stressed that the economic situation in Jerusalem is difficult, citing the occupancy rate in the tourism sector, which used to reach 75% but has fallen today to 20%, in addition to the presence of closed tourist facilities, estimating the size of the losses in this sector at 750 million dollars, without counting other services.
It should be noted that Jerusalemite families are living in difficult conditions due to the occupation policies, as 80% of Jerusalemites are at risk of poverty, according to the Jerusalem Center for Economic Rights, and the commercial and tourism sectors in Jerusalem are considered among the most affected by the security unrest.
Many Jerusalemites were also dismissed from their jobs on charges of solidarity with Gaza and expressing support for the resistance, and 78% of Jerusalemites find it difficult to cover their families’ monthly expenses, according to the same source.
Source: Al Jazeera