Occupied East Jerusalem – It’s Holy Week for many Christian denominations, marking the week during which Christians believe Jesus was arrested, crucified and resurrected here. And yet, the streets of the Old City’s Christian Quarter are deserted, the shops closed down.Boulos, a Palestinian Christian man in his mid-30s who did not wish to give his real name, still comes a couple of days a week to his shop, selling religious garments and wares. He keeps the entrance half-shuttered to evade Israeli authorities, who have ordered such shops closed during the ongoing US-Israel war on Iran.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of listAfter six years of severe interruptions to his business in the Old City – starting with the COVID pandemic and continuing with the series of wars since – business had just started to tick up with the return of some international pilgrims following the October ceasefire in Gaza.“Before the war [with Iran], business was still really bad. But it was at least enough to feed yourself,” said a despondent Boulos. “Now, there’s no business at all, no money at all.”It was around noon when a local Christian Ethiopian woman came in asking for a kilo of prayer candles, his first customer of …
