Munib Abu Assab, a tour operator in Jerusalem’s Old City, has seen deserted streets before, but he said not even past conflicts over the contested land compare to the impact of coronavirus.
The 56-year-old Palestinian has lived though the 1967 Six Day War, the 1973 Yom Kippur War, the threat of Iraqi scud missiles in the 1991 Gulf War and two Palestinian intifadas, or uprisings.
So far 2020 “is the worst year I have had in my life,” said Assab, who currently spends most of his time cancelling tours after Israel imposed tight travel restrictions to contain the pandemic.
Israel has 433 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with another 44 in the occupied Palestinian territories and tens of thousands in self-isolation.
It has banned non-essential movement and ordered the closure of all leisure and entertainment venues.
Assab noted that business was, not surprisingly, low during the Second Intifada that engulfed Israel from 2000-2005, which included waves of suicide bombings and deadly Israeli responses.
But he said that even then he had a day or two worth of income each week.
Now Jerusalem’s ancient alleyways, typically crammed with tourists visiting sacred sites or wandering through shops and markets, are all but empty.
“The crisis now is new,” he told AFP.
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