On October 7, Palestinian Jerusalemites Reflect about the Year That Was and Its Impact

October 7, 2024, marks one year since Hamas’s al-Aqsa Flood Operation and Israel’s declaration of war on Gaza, a war that has devastated the entire Gaza Strip and been deemed to be a plausible genocide by the International Court of Justice.1

Over the past year, East Jerusalem, which under international law is considered to be part of the occupied West Bank, has been particularly fraught, its population uniquely vulnerable due to their precarious legal status as permanent residents, not citizens (see Precarious Status). As a consequence of emergency laws passed on October 7, 2023, and later, the precarity of Jerusalemites’ situation became immeasurably greater (see, for example, In East Jerusalem These Days, Moving around Is Perilous, Update on Human Rights Situation in Jerusalem: “We’re in a Very Dangerous Situation,” and Israel Muzzles Free Speech, Arresting Dozens and Creating Fear). The city was also subjected to many layers of closure by security forces—from the holy sites themselves, to the Old City, to the entire city of Jerusalem, through new restrictions on who can pass which point when, and prolonged closure of checkpoints (see, for example, Impact of Israel’s Gaza War: “Jerusalem Is Completely Isolated” and The Old City Shops Are Reeling after Weeks of Closure Due to War).

At the same time, a rapidly accelerated program of settlement building and an under-the-surface campaign to complete settlement of land title (SOLT) in ways favorable to those settlement projects has changed the face of the city under the cover of war (see Settlements).

How have Palestinian Jerusalemites fared in the midst of all this? And what do they see happening to their city and their community?

To gain insight, we reached out to various community members and posed the following question:

Jerusalem Story: In your view, what have been the top three most important impacts of October 7, 2023, on Jerusalem and Palestinian Jerusalemites?

Sadly, most people we contacted declined to comment at all, even anonymously, out of fear. Common themes we heard were, “We cannot plan any more. We are constantly on edge. We are scared to post anything online. In fact, we are scared of carrying our own phones or taking photos or videos of anything that could be construed as remotely political.” But no one wanted to go on record saying that. Such is the current level of intimidation and the chilling effect that’s been imposed upon Palestinian Jerusalemites over this past year.

Here are the responses we received to this specific question. At the end we also include comments that were more general.

1. Economic deterioration due to the cessation of tourism and tourism services in all its forms
2. The return of the Palestinian national sentiment increasingly due to the Zionist attack on everything Palestinian and Arab
3. The acceleration of the pace of colonial settlement in East Jerusalem due to the extreme right-wing government’s monopolization of Jerusalem and its loss of control and the absence of any international force or body that could curb it

The situation in Jerusalem was miserable before the events of October 7, 2023—racism and violence of the occupation, high fines and taxes in exchange for zero services, not to mention the demolition and confiscation of homes.

But since October 7:

1.⁠ ⁠Security: Security has completely disappeared. Slaughtering, especially for children aged 13 and 14, has become much easier and without logical justification. It existed before, but now there is no accountability or questioning, and the story has become much easier. Imprisonment for expressing your opinion on social media or because your personal phone might have videos or photos of the events in Gaza. Israelis walk around with weapons in the streets. And you might be the target—just because they feel that you threatened their security. And these are supposed to be civilians.

2.⁠ ⁠Economy: The closure that was imposed on Palestinian neighborhoods beyond the wall such as Kufr ‘Aqab, Shu‘fat camp, and ‘Anata led to people losing their jobs, their health care, and more. People were also imprisoned and fired from their jobs for expressing their opinions. Of course, the poverty rate in among Palestinians in Jerusalem was more than 70 percent even before the war. With the current high prices, closures, and long hours at checkpoints, poverty has worsened.

3.⁠ ⁠Municipal policies: The demolition of homes and the displacement of Jerusalemites has increased at an unprecedented rate to the point that they do not even wait for a court order. Racism is rampant, especially after the last municipal elections. Of course, the budget allocated for development in East Jerusalem within the five-year plan has evaporated! And other than that, you find that a neighborhood like Kufr ‘Aqab does not have water in the summer, and no one is able to hold the municipality accountable or question it.

1. The ingenuity and creativity in expelling Jerusalemites from the capital, through checkpoints and much worse delays. Now it requires twice the time we used to spend, which is unfair to begin with, which forces Jerusalemites to stay in a certain area and avoid going to Jerusalem, and thus forced expulsion. The arbitrary closure of shops in the city, and adding more sadness to the city than before, as they now close around four in the afternoon. As for the Old City, there are shops that open three days a week, until two in the afternoon, due to police closures, and have very few customers due to the absence of locals and tourists.
2. The sharp increase in attacks by Jewish radicals in the Old City, as well as the spread of the phenomenon of hatred and racism against Christians—assaulting them and preventing them from performing their prayers during Easter (the occupation government’s refusal to allow that performance of the rituals of the Feast of the Transfiguration), as well as assaulting Muslims and weekly confrontations at al-Haram al-Sharif every Friday before and after prayers, and preventing worshippers from entering al-Aqsa Mosque [by virtue of restrictions on access to the city and age limitations for those who can reach the holy sites—Ed.].
3. ⁠Refusal to grant permits to some couples with one spouse from the West Bank and one from Jerusalem, thus limiting their ability to live their lives normally and with full dignity

1. Increase in the pace of demolitions and evictions
2. Turning Jerusalem into a military barracks and tightening military checkpoints
3. Preventing young men from praying in al-Aqsa Mosque, especially on Fridays
4. Stationing of Israeli forces in the courtyards of al-Haram al-Sharif coinciding with Friday prayers, a procedure that did not exist before October 7, 2023

1. I believe that the most important impact of October 7, 2023, and the subsequent events is the tremendous shock and trauma that Jerusalemites felt. Simply by following the ongoing genocide in the Gaza Strip through TV stations and social media, while being unable to prevent it or even contribute to that, the shock hit them hard.
2. In addition to that, Israel conducted a strict silencing policy against Palestinians in Jerusalem and other parts of Palestine. A number of Palestinians were imprisoned, tortured, and beaten in the streets by police forces simply for expressions on social media or content on their phones. The news coming out about Palestinian prisoners indicated savage Israeli practices of torture in prisons, which increased the fear and feeling of severe assault on their dignity.
3. Israel increased its activities to displace and dispossess Palestinians from their homes and lands in Jerusalem. Suddenly, Palestinians witnessed an accelerated pattern of displacement in the West Bank including Jerusalem, of course while watching the mass displacement in Gaza Strip. This was coupled with rising rates of violence and terrorism from Israeli settler militias and individuals, in some cases coordinated with the army or other state institutions.

1. The Palestinians, especially the youth, faced aggressive measures and a lot of brutality by the Israeli police who dealt with them in a very aggressive way. There was a massive campaign of looking at every mobile phone. And that was really amazing the way it happened. For weeks and months after October 7, 2023.
2. There were measures taken that affected Jerusalem a lot, especially the construction workers who come from the West Bank to work here. So everything was halted in Jerusalem. Palestinians who used to work in Jerusalem and in many institutions were not granted permits to come to work. And that was a major blow to the East Jerusalem economy.
3. Israel did not want Palestinians to express themselves. They basically told them, “You have to prove that you are loyal to the State of Israel otherwise you would lose your job.” These measures were implemented with intimidation and real pressure and force on any Palestinian worker.

1. First, the international popular sympathy for what the Palestinian people are exposed to, with marches supporting their rights in all the capitals of the world, especially the European capitals, the American states and British cities
2. Second, it brought the Palestinian issue to the surface after it reached its lowest point in attempts to obscure the issue.
3. Third, it thwarted all the plans aimed at ending the Palestinian issue.

As for the effects on Jerusalem and the people of Jerusalem:

1. Increasing the pace of practices of Israeli institutions and imposing a painful reality
2. Hitting the commercial, economic, and tourist movement in the city, which harmed the economy
3. Psychological effects, including dispersion of social communication
4. Economic effects, including reduced low income and an elevated unemployment rate

The current war on the people of Jerusalem and Jerusalemites is large and complex, and is manifested in several aspects, including:

1. Security situation: Jerusalem lives under tight security measures in light of the escalating tensions. Checkpoints, military barriers, and the deployment of Israeli forces are increasing in Jerusalem’s Palestinian neighborhoods, making movement inside and outside the city more difficult for Palestinians.
2. Economy: Many businesses have been affected by closures and security restrictions. Merchants in the Old City and other neighborhoods of Jerusalem are suffering from a decline in commercial activity, especially in light of the decline in tourism and the impact on visitor traffic.
3. Social life: Tensions and war affect daily life, as Jerusalemites feel increased psychological pressure and fear of the outbreak of confrontations or escalation. Families face difficulties in sending their children to schools or universities in light of the current circumstances.
4. ⁠Identity and political future: The war increases the feeling of anxiety about the political future of Jerusalem, as many Jerusalemites fear changing the status quo and settlement expansion that may affect the city’s demographic composition.
5. Pressure on services: As a result of the tensions, public services such as health and education are under great pressure. Hospitals and clinics may face difficulties in accommodating the injured or providing care in light of the ongoing violence.

These challenges increase the state of congestion and tension and directly affect the stability of Jerusalem and its residents.

As a Palestinian, I always insisted on keeping hope alive—no matter what. But this past year was too heavy: After losing family members to the war, and seeing everything they ever owned get completely destroyed, it was as if they never even existed! This year killed my hope for “tomorrow.” I hardly have hope for today. I find that I no longer know what’s going to happen . . . and I no longer have plans. In a world where hope once felt certain, the situation in Palestine now challenges us to confront the shadows, and to question what hope truly means.

I was watching attentively how the Israeli government dealt with the hostages and their families. I was beyond shocked at how easily they dismissed them . . . I saw way too many Israelis disregard those grieving families. They said things like, “These are mere casualties. Our Israeli mission is what matters.” Seeing this complete disregard towards the beyond-distressed parents and families of the hostages made me realize: If this state can be so harsh and indifferent to its own people, where does that leave the non-Jews—the Arabs with Israeli citizenship, let alone Palestinians?!

What changed since October 7, 2023, is the amount of hatred Israelis have against Arabs that became exposed. This day triggered so much hatred to be out in the open, and exacerbated the fear.

Lots of people haven’t had an income for months. They’re using their savings without knowing where they’re going. They don’t know what to do or where to go, and they don’t really have options. Many shops in Jerusalem have entirely shut down. Meanwhile life is expensive. It’s a big burden.

If the war on Gaza has been allowed to happen the way it did, then anything can happen. Anything at all.