JERUSALEM (PIC)–“Ramadan in the streets of the Old City” is a recently launched initiative organized by a number of Palestinian youths in Jerusalem.
The initiative aims at reviving the streets of the Old City during the holy month of Ramadan by activating trade in the markets of the Old City and in Jerusalem in general. It also aims at easing the Israeli blockade that has been enforced on the City since the Apartheid Wall was built.
Zaid Abu Dalu a participant in the initiative said that the initiative aims to empower the Palestinian corporations in Jerusalem and to give them the space to affect the Palestinian society each according to its specialization. Moreover the initiative emphasizes a vision where all work for the Holy City.
Topics
Abu Dalu said the initiative covers different topics that include the cultural commercial and historical aspects.
The timetable for the initiative will be covering the cultural aspect on Thursdays the commercial aspect on Saturdays and the historical aspect (the Palestinian depopulated villages) on Sundays until the end of Ramadan.
The cultural aspect will cover the cultural and historical places and milestones inside the Old City by introducing them to the Palestinian public to make them more vivid. In the commercial aspect the initiative tries to revive the least active markets in the Old City to activate the economic movement creating more interactions between the Palestinian customers and traders in Jerusalem.
Abu Dalu pointed out that the cultural and commercial activities start from the Damascus Gate to the different markets of Jerusalem including al-Wa’ad al-Qattanin al-Khaldiyyah and Khan al-Zait markets.
The tour endeavors to identify the regions that the Israeli occupation plans to seize for settlement expansion and to clarify the importance of these regions. It also focuses on providing insights on the major Israeli settlements and organizations such as Ateret Cohanim.
Further the Palestinian public during the tour will be exposed to the Palestinian historical sites markets libraries mosques hotels and cafes. This aims at highlighting the Palestinian sites especially markets that have been isolated due to the Israeli blockade and control of businesses.
Depopulated villages
According to Abu Dalu the historical aspect (the Palestinian depopulated villages) is intended to introduce the Palestinians in Jerusalem to the City’s history in general and to the unknown displaced Palestinian villages in specific.
Therefore four displaced villages that have an important history were selected. These villages are al-Qabu Sataf Qalunya and Khirbat Al-Lawz. Visiting these villages as Abu Dalu stated is a sign for their indigenous Palestinian residents that Palestinians never forget their cause and land.
The tour particularly focuses on the least known Palestinian villages to revive the Palestinian return issue and to stress the Palestinian right of their own lands.
“We introduce a historical background on the villages of Jerusalem that were destroyed in 1948 and 1967. This whole city was occupied and 31 of its villages were destroyed in an attempt to obliterate the Palestinian landmarks”
Abu Dalu concluded.
