JERUSALEM (Dagbladet): – I don’t see any light at the end of the tunnel. This country has been at war for years now, and I think it will be even more years, says Anwar Muna (33) to Dagbladet.
– I think it will subside eventually, but it is like giving painkillers to a cancer patient. It won’t get better anytime soon.
– 100 to 0
The Palestinian from East Jerusalem sits by his two small shops in the labyrinth that makes up large parts of the Old City. Normally there is a buzz of activity here, with merchants trying to outbid each other to lure tourists – but now amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, it’s remarkably quiet.
A quick sweep indicates that well over half of the shops are closed.
CLOSED: The majority of the shops in the old town are closed as a result of the war. Photo: Magnus Paus / Dagbladet Show more
– It has gone from 100 to 0. This was supposed to be the high season, what we wait for all year. But because of the war, everything has changed; there is no tourism, and this is our only source of income, says the 33-year-old and adds:
– But we have nothing to complain about. It’s just money, there are people who suffer much more than us.
“If we give in, they will wipe out the whole country. It’s either us or them.”
Eyal, Israeli Jew
The more serious change resulting from the war between Israel and Hamas is the “emotional” one, as Anwar says.
– We feel it when we walk the streets and don’t know whether we will get home safely or not. And for the first time I feel that there is distance.
Stabbing and shooting
This Monday, the area of the city, which is sacred to three world religions, has been characterized by an almost state of emergency after a policeman was stabbed by a man who is said to be a resident of East Jerusalem.
JERUSALEM: On Monday morning there were reports of a knife attack in Jerusalem. Reporter: Ralf Lofstad. Video: Magnus Paus Show more
Dagbladet itself heard a series of shots at 11 o’clock, before sirens from a large number of emergency vehicles filled the air.
The stabbed man in his 20s, from the Israeli Border Police, was taken to the hospital with serious injuries, while the suspected perpetrator was “neutralized” by the police, according to i24 News.
The suspect’s condition is not known, but a video shows him lying motionless on the ground after the shots. according to Jerusalem Post The police suspect that the attack was a terrorist act.
At the scene, between the Shivtei tram station and the landmark Damascus Gate, the police presence was enormous when Dagbladet arrived a few minutes later. A large area was cordoned off, and a crowd of spectators, predominantly Orthodox Jews, flocked.
Thought they were safe
Dagbladet witnessed a man being roughly arrested at the tram station shortly afterwards. It is unclear what the background was, but he was apparently not armed.
– Beaten for no reason
Police activity was high for a long time after the episode. According to Palestinian media, access to the Old City and the Temple Mount was restricted for a period.
Anwar confirms that there was increased police activity after the attack, but says the big difference is between before and after the war started on 7 October.
– We get a lot more trouble from the police now. You can be beaten or searched for no reason, and according to the policeman in front of you, he both makes and implements the law. They take out their aggression on us, claims the 33-year-old.
ARRESTED: This man was arrested at the Shivtei tram station shortly after the knife attack nearby. The reason for the arrest is uncertain. Photo: Ralf Lofstad / Dagbladet Show more
– How is the relationship between Jews, Muslims and Christians in this city?
– To be honest: This is Jerusalem, this is the center of the conflict. It’s always tense, now it’s ten times as much. But this is not about Jews and Muslims, it is not a religious thing.
Anwar elaborates:
– We are not against a religion, we are not against Jews. We are against Israel, we are against Zionism. I don’t care who you pray to. Muslims and Christians are forever brothers.
Jewish friends
The 33-year-old says he also considers some Jews to be brothers – those who accept Muslims as brothers.
– They go door to door
– But we are against how the state of Israel treats us and our people.
– Do you have any Jewish friends?
– I have – before I also worked with them, but now they say that I am no longer welcome at work.
The 33-year-old also points out that the construction and restaurant industry, where many positions are usually occupied by Arabs, now no longer has its doors open to the group.
– Many are out of work now, so you can understand that it is tense, he says.
“Duality”
– What do you think about the war in Gaza?
– SAD: Anwar calls the war in Gaza “a sad fact”. Photo: Magnus Paus / Dagbladet Show more
– It is a very sad fact, and it is made even sadder by the way the media covers it.
Anwar believes the media coverage reinforces what he calls “the duality of the situation”.
– The comparison between our children and their children is just sad, we find it very discouraging, he says, referring to the number of people killed.
– Is there any support for Hamas here in Jerusalem?
– We do not support individuals. We support people who fight for freedom – that’s what we always support. As I said: Our conflict is not about one people against another – it is between us and the state that does not treat us well.
LITTLE ACTIVITY: Now it was supposed to be high season for the shops in the old town. Photo: Magnus Paus / Dagbladet Show more
The 33-year-old continues:
– Yes, people support them, even if actions are committed that some do not agree with. I also understand that.
Mouthwash
Anwar highlights what he calls “the duality of judgement”.
– When a child is killed in Israel, everyone cries over it. I get that – he’s a child. But when 1,000 children are buried in Gaza, they are certainly not of the same blood. They are certainly created differently.
Gaza demands: – Can’t continue
At this point in the interview, a passing Jewish woman begins to express strong opposition to Anwar’s claims. The whole thing develops into a vigorous barb, where alleged facts about the war are strongly contested by both parties.
– Doesn’t it matter that our children have their throats cut? almost shouts the woman.
– Where do you have the evidence for that? is Anwar’s excited reply.
– Condemned as Jews
A quarter of an hour later, at a shopping center just outside the wall surrounding the old town, Dagbladet meets Eyal, a middle-aged man with a polite and gentle demeanor.
A QUESTION OF EXISTENCE: For Eyal, the war is about Israel’s very existence. Photo: Magnus Paus / Dagbladet Show more
– My son has been drafted into the military and sent north, he says.
– Are you anxious about him?
– Of course I’m anxious.
Eyal has a rather different view of the relationship between the ethnic groups than Anwar. For him, Israel is the inferior party, surrounded by hostile Arab states and groups. The war is about Israel’s very existence.
– We are condemned as Jews. If we give in a little, they will wipe out the whole country, he says and adds:
– It’s either us or them.
2023-10-30 20:58:42
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