In the Midst of Darkness, Palestinian Jerusalemites Observe Eid al-Adha

As he does every year, Abu Mahmoud, a 34-year-old Palestinian resident from Jerusalem’s Ras al-Amud neighborhood, headed to a nearby butcher to purchase meat for the Eid al-Adha sacrificial tradition. He was deeply disappointed when he learned that 1 kg of lamb meat without fat had reached NIS 140 ($40), while 1 kg of meat with fat costs NIS 120 ($34).

Like many other families in Jerusalem, Abu Mahmoud usually buys a large quantity of meat for Eid, but this year he decided to only buy 1.5 kg. Prices are extremely high, and the outrageous price hikes have also impacted the cost of fruit, with the simplest fruits costing no less than NIS 18 ($5) per kilogram.

“Honestly, the prices are ridiculous and unfortunately, I haven’t been able to buy all the fruits my family and I usually consume, only some of them, and I also had to settle for buying only a small amount of meat to bring joy to my family,”1 Abu Mahmoud said.

“The situation in Jerusalem is very difficult, and I know many families who have made do with chicken for this Eid.”

He added that the cost of an Eid basket this year (a gift basket usually filled with an array of sweets) has reached more than NIS 2,000 ($570), which is roughly half his monthly salary.

Despite the increase in prices and the minimal festivities in Jerusalem, Eid al-Adha remains a special time of year. “We live in great distress; there is no sense of joy this Eid. If it weren’t for a religious obligation, I wouldn’t leave my home or perform any of the Eid rituals,”2 Saeed Mustafa, a resident from Jerusalem’s al-Sa‘diyya neighborhood, told Jerusalem Story.

He added that Jerusalem was unusually empty of pedestrians during Eid and al-Aqsa Mosque was not filled with many worshippers. “The Jerusalem Waqf Department reported the presence of 80,000 worshippers, which is a small number compared with previous years, when the number reached 200,000 to 250,000 worshippers,” Saeed revealed.

“People don’t have the will to do anything. When we see what’s happening in Gaza, we become deeply depressed, and there are clear and escalating attacks on al-Aqsa Mosque all the time,” Saeed said. “We feel helpless even to defend al-Aqsa, which is only a few meters from my house.”

“When you see religious extremist Jews roaming the alleys of the Old City with complete freedom and without guards, as they used to have in the past, you know we are in the end times and that something dangerous is happening,” he added. “I don’t want to say that we are losing Jerusalem, but we do want to say that we are frustrated.”

This year’s Eid coincides with the 58th anniversary of Israel’s occupation of Jerusalem in 1967 (see Remembering the Naksa). It is an occasion to remind Jerusalemites that they were alone during that time and will remain alone in Jerusalem, defending their city against Israel’s campaign to Judaize the city and suppress if not eliminate the role of Palestinian civil society.

Khalil Ahmed Mahmoud, whose family is from Jerusalem’s Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, recalled how his father was killed by Israelis on June 6, 1967, in Sheikh Jarrah. Khalil’s father was trying to reach his grandmother’s house, which was only a few dozen meters away from his home, when an Israeli sniper fired a fatal bullet at him, along with dozens of other young men from the neighborhood. They tried to defend Sheikh Jarrah with weapons distributed to them, only to discover they were old and inoperable. This painful memory is compounded by the ongoing genocide in Gaza, the tragic conditions in Jerusalem these days, and the escalating Jewish encroachment on al-Aqsa. All of these factors have led many Jerusalemites to refrain from engaging in Eid al-Adha celebrations.

Khalil noted, however, that despite the difficult situation, “We maintain the minimum of holiday rituals, such as visiting the cemeteries. I distributed ghraybeh [Middle Eastern shortbread cookies] in memory of my father in front of his grave to people passing by, and asked them to recite the Fatiha,”3 (a prayer for the soul of his martyred father, who was only 23 years old when he was killed), he said.

In the Bab al-Rahma and Yusufiyya cemeteries, many young men and children lined up to distribute dates, coffee, and sweets. Some of them also distributed bread sprinkled with green thyme for the souls of their deceased, a custom that Jerusalemites have not abandoned. On the contrary, it increases every year due to their deep conviction that death is closer to them in Jerusalem than anything else.

The Jerusalemites who visited the Bab al-Rahma cemetery were surprised to find a large group of ultra-Orthodox Jews. Extremist settlers also marched into the cemetery in a clearly provocative act. Although Israeli police were guarding the cemetery entrance and monitoring young Jerusalemites, they did nothing when an elderly Palestinian man approached them and told them that there were settler thugs in the cemetery and a fight might break out.

Some of these extremist Jews even concealed their weapons, which were visibly bulging under their garments. Others carried pepper spray, indicating a desire to provoke Arabs. The extremist Jews deliberately clashed with the youths when they passed by, and they would shove their shoulders against them. Mu’ayyad Mustafa, 23, said he was about to hit the Jewish man who had slapped him, but his father asked him to contain himself and not be drawn in by the extremist. “We are in an era where the judge, the governor, the policeman, the state, and the lawyer are all against us, and if the minister of national security himself is one of the known racist elements and is now in charge of the police, we have no chance for justice,”4 Mu’ayyad expressed.

Despite the dark atmosphere that hangs over Jerusalem during Eid al-Adha, the sight of children in their beautifully decorated new clothes walking with their mothers to al-Aqsa is a true delight. “Participating in the Eid rituals gives hope for the future,”5 said a Jerusalem-based sheikh, who asked not to be named.

“As long as children come to al-Aqsa to celebrate Eid al-Adha, breathe the air of al-Aqsa Mosque, and listen to conversations about Jerusalem, its mosques, and its churches, Jerusalem will always be fine,” he added.

“No matter how long the night, dawn will inevitably break.”