Coronavirus: businesses suffer as second wave set to hit West Bank, ICRC says

The economic situation in the occupied West Bank is worsening day by day following the outbreak of virus

Tawfiq Al-Halawani, a shop owner in the Old City of Jerusalem, says fear of the virus, preventive measures and suspension of salaries have decimated the local economy. “Merchants living in East Jerusalem find themselves surrounded by trouble,” he says. courtesy: Atta Jabr/ICRC

Ali Thweib, a barbershop owner from Bethlehem, is struggling. He has seen a serious decline in numbers of customers in light of the pandemic, as people prefer to cut their hair in their own homes to save money during the crisis. courtesy: Atta Jabr/ICRC

The Al-Manna’ bakery in the Old City of Nablus is owned by five brothers who support their families with the income. They are baking a fraction of what they usually bake. courtesy: Atta Jabr/ICRC

Many of the stores of the Old City of Jerusalem are closed. The streets are almost empty. Stores that remain open are struggling. courtesy: Atta Jabr/ICRC

Waad Masalmah, earns his livelihood selling vegetables in the market in Bethlehem. But there are no customers. courtesy: Atta Jabr/ICRC

Bethlehem fruit and vegetable market is almost empty. courtesy: Atta Jabr/ICRC

Tawfiq Al-Ama, owner of a coffee-grinding shop in Bethlehem, says: “There is no tourism at all, and citizens have reduced their purchase of coffee because it is not an essential commodity for them and because the current economic situation is very bad. Every day I open the shop, I bear operational costs at my expense and I don’t make any profit.” courtesy: Atta Jabr/ICRC

The markets of Hebron, already suffering due to the tensions in the city, are now almost completely devoid of visitors. courtesy: Atta Jabr/ICRC

Sami Khamis’s coffee shop is a Bethlehem institution. It is mostly closed these days. Sami says: “War is much better than the coronavirus pandemic, because in war you know who your enemy is. I hope that things will return to their usual state.” courtesy: Atta Jabr/ICRC

An old man runs this kiosk selling miscellaneous items near the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem. He sells nothing, but keeps it open out of hope. courtesy: Atta Jabr/ICRC

Abdul Sami’ Abdul Rahim Eseileh, from the Old City of Hebron, is 68 years old, and he works in upholstery. Abdul Sami’ says: “The stage we are going through now is one of the most difficult ones, and we have been affected a lot by this disease. This year is considered one of the most difficult we’ve experienced so far.” courtesy: Firas Al-Hashlamon/ICRC

Ziad Shweiki works in a bakery near the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem. Ziad says: “The economic situation is very difficult, the city is almost empty, and movement in the market in general has stopped. I hope that the pandemic cloud will pass, and life will return to normal soon.” courtesy: Atta Jabr/ICRC

Tawfiq Mustafa Al-Tamimi, aged 73, sells antiques and gifts in the Old City of Hebron. “In the year 2020, we did not make any profits!” he says. “Even during the season of Ramadan, we only worked 20 days, and we did not receive any aid.” courtesy: Firas Al-Hashlamon/ICRC

Haj Abdul Rahim Abu Ghazaleh, is the owner of a small grocery store in the Old City of Nablus, which once teemed with visitors from other Palestinian cities. Haj Abdul Rahim says “the middle class has been crushed” by the coronavirus pandemic. courtesy: Atta Jabr/ICRC

Young Jerusalemite Walid Ghneim, owner of a souvenir shop in the Old City of Jerusalem, only opens his shop to ventilate it. courtesy: Atta Jabr/ICRC

Bethlehem was the first West Bank city to be hit by the virus, which has destroyed its main pillar of economic activity, tourism. Nasri Obaidullah, a taxi driver in Bethlehem, is pessimistic: “Life here has stopped with the suspension of tourism. We have been suffering from a lack of demand for taxi service for months, and we can barely meet our needs and those of our families, not to mention the costs of licensing and insuring the car.” courtesy: Atta Jabr/ICRC

Sami Abu Subaih owns a sweetshop in the Old City of Jerusalem. “My customers have decreased by 75%, the streets are empty, and people are afraid,” he says. courtesy: Atta Jabr/ICRC

Countless Palestinian business owners are facing ruin as a second wave of the coronavirus ravages the West Bank, the International Committee of the Red Cross said on Wednesday

Officials imposed a partial lockdown to battle a surge in new cases, forcing many businesses to close and increasing unemployment among communities already struggling to cope.

“A return to some kind of normalcy will depend on Palestinian authorities getting the virus under control,” the ICRC said.

Markets in the occupied West Bank have fallen silent, specifically in Nablus, Hebron, Bethlehem and the Old City of Jerusalem.

“Worried shopkeepers keep their empty stores open, clinched in a merciless double-bind: only by staying open do they stand a chance of rebuilding business, yet every day they open their doors they haemorrhage money,” the ICRC said.

Yasser Subha, a dairy seller in the Old City of Nablus, said he has never seen an economic crisis like this before.

“The situation of my city is like a siege. Movement is very limited, and fear that coronavirus infection will spread is everywhere,” Mr Subha, who has been working in the profession for years, said.

The coronavirus crisis could cause an already constrained Palestinian economy to shrink even further.

In Jerusalem’s Old City, Walid Ghneim, a souvenir shop owner, said he cannot recall what the market was like before the city was hit with the pandemic.

“I open the shop only to ventilate it, because the movement is very little in general, and the tourist movement is non-existent,” Mr Ghneim said.

The shop owner desperately hopes the situation will not extend beyond the end of the year.

To add to their worries, an ICRC survey found that compliance with prevention measures in the West Bank is significantly lower than in Gaza and East Jerusalem.

“In June, 28 per cent reported that they still weren’t wearing masks, 22 per cent said they weren’t avoiding crowded places and 21 per cent weren’t staying home when feeling sick.”

Palestinian authorities have reported 272 deaths and over 37,000 Covid-19 cases since the outbreak first began.