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Renovation of the Old City, undertaken during the various phases of pandemic lockdown, cannot hide the complex political reality on Jerusalem's cobblestone streets
By Nicolas Rouger | Palestinian territories
It has been nearly two years since the flow of tourists and pilgrims dried up in Jerusalem.
But ever since Israel reopened its borders on November 1, foreign accents can once again be heard in the Old City as tourists mingle with the more than 36,000 people who live here permanently.
The large groups of Christian pilgrims have not yet returned to the Via Dolorosa, where they would often be loudly praying the Way of the Cross in a colorful cacophony as they retraced the steps of Jesus on the way to his crucifixion.
Before the pandemic some 4 million tourists would come to Jerusalem each year to visit the holiest sites of the three great monotheistic religions, which are all crammed into a space of less than one square kilometer.
During the lockdown, the city decided to take advantage of the tourists' absence to spruce things up a bit. But there have still been challenges to that effort.
"Any repair is an archaeological and legal headache," acknowledged a municipal official.
"We took advantage of Covid to renovate the infrastructure, especially the roads, in coordination with the various religious authorities, to give tourists the best possible experience," the official.
This work is far from superfluous.
"The pipes they replaced were older than I am," says a 35-year-old man named Muhannad.
He owns a handicraft store that his father opened in 1948, when Jerusalem was still a Jordanian city.
Only a handful of the shops opened their doors in early November. Only after things return to normal, will we know how many of these businesses were forced to close down for good.
Muhannad stayed at home for two years.
"We didn't get any support," he lamented as he displayed the legendary local hospitality by offering us a coffee.
The laborers worked hard, sometimes late into the night. But for some residents, the renovations reveal a stark contrast.
"It's very difficult for Palestinian residents to get building permits," said Fayrouz Al Sharqawi, director of the Grassroots Al-Quds organization.
"This means that local families cannot expand and have to leave. There is an attempt to scrub the Old City of its Palestinian character," he said.
Palestinians, who are mostly Muslims, make up more than 80% of the Holy City's population. Nearly half of their economy depends on tourism, according to Al Sharqawi.
"The Israeli authorities emphasize a selective history, so we encourage what we call 'emancipation tourism'," he said.
"Tourism here must be done ethically and responsibly. It is necessary to be informed," he added.
In addition to the restoration of the Via Dolorosa's paving stones, several Jerusalem landmarks are currently under renovation, including the Benedictine Abbey of the Dormition on Mount Zion.
The Franciscan Custody and a group of partners have also just completed eight years of work on Dar Al-Consul, a former German diplomatic residence that will become a residential complex and major community center.
In East Jerusalem, in the Ras Al-Amud neighborhood, the House of Abraham has also been given a facelift.
This magnificent building in the Palestinian quarter of Silwan is run by Secours Catholique (Caritas France).
It sits atop Mount Scandal (so named because King Solomon is said to have allowed his many foreign wives to pray to their deities there) and offers a breathtaking view of the Old City.
The rooms, refectory and chapels smell of fresh paint. The work is finished just in time to welcome the first group of pilgrims.
Yet even here, in the quiet of this place, politics is never far away.
A theater festival organized for local residents was shut down last October by direct order of Omer Bar-Lev, the minister in charge of the police force, on the pretext that it had links with the Palestinian Authority, a criminal act according to Israeli law.
The organizers deny any connection.
"Our mission is to welcome pilgrims as well as to contribute to building peace, at our level, by supporting initiatives for meetings between peoples," said Bernard Thibaud, director of the structure.
"We will continue to do so," he vowed.
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