JERUSALEMs, September 28, 2026 (WAFA) – The Jerusalem Governorate stated that Jerusalemite businesses, particularly in the Old City and the vicinity of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, are facing increasingly severe economic conditions due to closure policies, movement restrictions, attacks, and practices associated with Jewish holidays.
This comes at a time when merchants have been suffering from a crippling economic crisis since October 7, 2023, due to the sharp decline in tourism and the drop in visitor numbers.
In a statement, the Governorate explained that the repercussions of the Jewish holidays are not limited to road closures and restrictions on the movement of citizens, but also directly impact the livelihoods of merchants, restaurant owners, tourist establishments, hotels, artisans, traditional craftspeople, and those working in the transportation and tourism services sectors.
The statement noted that some merchants are forced to close their shops during the holidays, either due to the measures and restrictions imposed by the occupation authorities or out of fear that their shops and properties will be attacked and vandalized during the marches and gatherings organized by settlers in and around the Old City.
It added that the scene in Jerusalem's markets during the holidays has become alarmingly repetitive, with street closures, restrictions on movement, and limitations on access to the Old City.
This restricts citizens' ability to reach shops and markets, leaving Jerusalemite merchants with two costly options: opening their shops amidst a tense security situation, or closing them and incurring an additional day's loss of income.
The Jerusalem Governorate confirmed that these circumstances come at a time when the Jerusalem tourism economy is already suffering from an unprecedented crisis since October 7, 2023. The war, along with the accompanying security and political restrictions and the decline in tourism, has inflicted widespread damage on both the tourism and commercial sectors in the city.
It pointed out that the tourism sector is a cornerstone of the Jerusalem economy, and that the damage it suffers extends beyond hotels and tourist shops to include tour guides, bus and taxi drivers, restaurants, cafes, souvenir and handicraft shops, property owners, workers, and other sectors linked to tourism.
The Jerusalem Governorate explained that economic assessment data for the Old City revealed the extent of the damage inflicted on tourist shops, noting that tourism-related businesses were largely shut down after October 2023, with a significant percentage of souvenir shops remaining closed due to the sharp decline in tourist numbers.
It added that Jewish holidays add a new layer of hardship to an economic crisis from which merchants have yet to recover. These holidays coincide with road closures, tightened security measures, restricted movement of citizens, and impeded access to markets, in addition to fears of settler attacks on shops and property.
The Jerusalem Governorate warned that the continuation of this policy threatens to gradually empty the Old City of its Palestinian commercial and tourist function, weakening shop owners who have inherited their trades and businesses for generations, which will negatively impact the city's economy, social fabric, and cultural heritage.
It emphasized that Jerusalem merchants do not need more closures, but rather a genuine tourist season, a city open to visitors, roads open to citizens, and security that protects shops and property instead of becoming a tool to restrict their owners.
The Jerusalem Governorate called on the international community and international tourism and heritage organizations to consider the economic dimension of the crisis in Jerusalem and not reduce the situation in the city to security concerns alone. It emphasized that the continued decline in tourism, the closure of markets, and the imposition of movement restrictions threaten thousands of families who depend directly or indirectly on the economy of the Old City.
The Governorate concluded by saying: “Since October 7, 2023, Jerusalem merchants have been paying the price for a crisis in which they had no part. With each Jewish holiday, closures, restrictions, and losses are renewed. Jerusalem is not merely a passage for rituals and processions; it is a city where its people live, work, and trade. Its markets have the right to remain open, its merchants have the right to earn their living, and Palestinian tourism has the right to recover, free from closures, fear, and siege.”
K.T
