Riots are over, the visitors didn't return: "The Jews do not come"
- complain the Arab citizens of Jaffa
In Jaffa, a few were spotted at the flea market, and restaurant owners read: "There is no reason to be afraid, we need to come back to life." In Old Acre the alleys remained empty, locals were almost the only ones seen in the area. The owners of "Abu Said" in Abu Ghosh closed early: "It is time to prove that it is possible to live together." This is what the recreation centers in the mixed cities and in the Arab localities looked like, on the first Saturday after the ceasefire in the south
The riots, lynchings and riots across Israel during Operation Wall Guard did their thing - and today, the first Saturday after the ceasefire, many preferred to stay away from places of entertainment in areas where there were riots. In Jaffa, Acre and the Arab cities reported a significantly lower number of visitors than usual, while crowds went to the beaches and nature after the restrictions were lifted.
"Those who returned to the bars were mainly people from the neighborhood, who left the house after these difficult days," Goldstein, director of Shafa Bar in the flea market in Jaffa, told me. After days when the streets of Jaffa were empty of people, a few visitors were observed at the flea market, and business owners are worried that the pre-riot routine will not return soon. "We still don't see people out of town coming to Jaffa," Goldstein said.
According to Goldstein, "The bar next to us, which is based mainly on non-resident customers, has been almost completely empty for two days." Despite the difficulty, she says she is trying to remain optimistic: "There is a fear that there will be a mess here again, but we really hope it is behind us. We have received quite a few calls from people finding out what is happening with us and whether it is safe to arrive.
The Arab business owners in the city also feel the difference. Shehadeh Abu Shehadeh, owner of the Yafa Knafa restaurant, said: "People came back, but that's not what it was. We are waiting for more to come. There is no need to involve politics, we are all human beings. Jews and Arabs are friends here, there is no reason for it to hurt like that. There is no reason to be afraid, just come and come back to life. " According to Abu Shehadeh, "On Saturday at such hours people would be pushed into each other. This is a serious blow to business. We did not open the second branch because there are no people on our streets."
Abu-Naama says that the reality in Jaffa has been very sad in the last week. "We are not used to such things," he said. "Tel Aviv is a cosmopolitan city and Jaffa is part of Tel Aviv. This coexistence and colorfulness has existed in Jaffa for years. Despite there no mess here,
really, nothing, but no one is coming".
ביפו נצפו בודדים בשוק הפשפשים, ובעלי מסעדה קרא: "אין סיבה לפחד, צריך לחזור לחיים". בעכו העתיקה הסמטאות נשארו ריקות, מקומיים היו כמעט היחידים שנראו באזור. בעלי "אבו סעיד" באבו גוש סגר מוקדם: "הגיע הזמן להוכיח שאפשר לחיות יחד". כך נראו מוקדי הבילוי בערים המעורבות וביישובים הערביים, בשבת הראשונה...
www.ynet.co.il
www.newsrael.com
