On the eve of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, Jerusalem’s Old City bears few of its usual hallmarks of festivity. Streets leading to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam's third holiest shrine, are eerily empty and nearly half of the grotto-shaped gift shops are shuttered. Ramadan preparations have been subdued because the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
US President Joe Biden has warned that it would be “tough” to secure a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas by Ramadan.US President Joe Biden has warned that it would be “tough” to secure a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas by Ramadan.US President Joe Biden has warned that it would be “tough” to secure a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas by Ramadan.Parachutes delivering desperately needed humanitarian supplies floated down towards the Gaza Strip on Saturday.
“There is great fear among people about what Ramadan will look like this year and how the Israeli police will behave regarding the entry and exit ... into the city,” said Imad Mona, who owns a bookshop outside the Old City. The compound has long been a deeply contested religious space, as it stands on the Temple Mount, which Jews consider their most sacred site. It lies in east Jerusalem, a section of the city Israel occupied during the 1967 Mideast war and later annexed. Palestinians want to make it the capital of their own future state.
Some who would speak said that more Israeli police have been deployed in the Old City since October. Young Palestinian men are reguarly barred from entering the Al-Aqsa compound for noon prayers on Fridays since the war started, according to the store owners. This has fueled speculation about other possible restrictions. The Israeli police did not respond to requests for comment.
In the days leading up to Ramadan, West Bank Palestinians have been unsure whether they would be able to attend prayers.
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