"Three Israeli police checkpoints frame the entrance to Damascus Gate, through which most Palestinians access the Muslim Quarter of Jerusalem's Old City. They enter and leave through the impressive gate of the Ottoman era, apparently oblivious to the presence of the Israelis. Since October 2023, I practically never go to Damascus Gate. I use other entry points. I feel better if I don't see the police stationed there, marking the territory, making us feel so unsafe and vulnerable."
"It's like we are living normal lives, that we don't care what happens in Gaza. But it is not like that, says Huda Imam, a cultural consultant and former director of the Center for Jerusalem Studies at Al-Quds University.What we have today is not life. Part of us is in Gaza, but we have failed them, because we cannot demonstrate or hang a Palestinian flag on the balcony. You can do that in Spain, but we have no right here to do the same."
Three Israeli police checkpoints protect the entrance to Damascus Gate, through which most Palestinians access Jerusalem's Old City's Muslim Quarter. The checkpoints are protected by metal railings and thick glass and predate the October 7, 2023 attacks and the bombardments of Gaza. Palestinians increasingly avoid Damascus Gate and use other entrances because the visible police presence creates a persistent sense of surveillance and insecurity. Public display of Palestinian flags has been ordered banned by the Minister of Public Security as an act of support for terrorism, which discourages protests and deepens feelings of powerlessness, failure toward Gaza, and daily loss of normalcy.
Read at english.elpais.com
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