Jerusalem Old City Markets Face Paralysis During Jewish Holiday

Commercial activity in Jerusalem's Old City markets, particularly the historic Al-Qattanin market, has been severely hampered by intensified security measures and forced closures coinciding with the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, also known as the Feast of Tabernacles. These restrictions have become an annual occurrence during the seven-day festival.

Local journalist and activist Munir Al-Ghoul stated that the policies implemented during this period are no longer temporary security measures but a systematic approach aimed at establishing a new reality. He noted that incursions have escalated from mere entries into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound to the "establishment of facts on the ground" through the performance of full Talmudic rituals under police protection. Al-Ghoul suggested this is in anticipation of imposing temporal and spatial divisions within the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

The article notes that these scenes are repeated annually during the seven-day holiday, highlighting the ongoing restrictions on movement within the Al-Qattanin market.