Qanawati, Mayor of Bethlehem, said that 4,000 Palestinians have left Bethlehem since the start of the war in Gaza, pointing to the decline in tourism in addition to the difficulties they endure under the tightened Israeli occupation. Qamsih said that many families are “really suffering” financially, as the city relies on income from tourism and the manufacture of wood-carved souvenirs.
Al-Atrash, Qamsih’s husband, was in the tourism industry until a few years ago, when the twin tragedies of Covid and war turned away millions of visitors.
Tensions remain high across the West Bank, with Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians reaching their highest levels since the UN Office for Humanitarian Affairs began collecting data in 2006.
Although the city is relatively quiet, it feels like a “big prison,” Al-Atrash said, citing Israeli checkpoints and soldiers restricting travel.
Israel has long argued that its security presence in the West Bank is necessary to protect Israeli settlements there.
The Israeli government is dominated by far-right supporters of the settlement movement. Over the weekend, the Israeli Cabinet approved a plan to build 19 new settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Meanwhile, there are questions about how long the Gaza ceasefire will last, as a number of important details of the second phase remain uncertain as both sides accuse the other of failing to fully meet their obligations.
Sticking points include plans to deploy an international force to stabilize Gaza, a technocratic governing body, the disarmament of Hamas, and a further withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Strip.