Jericho and its surroundings have not yet fully recovered from the events of the last two weeks that followed the attempted shooting attack at the restaurant at Almog Junction.
The tightening of security measures, the daily inspection operations and the nightly raids, which reached a peak yesterday with the capture of a Hamas squad in the Jericho area - are not part of the familiar reality of the city's residents, certainly not the youngest among them.
These are new and foreign sights for those who are used to living in a relatively stable and calm environment, some will say "a periphery cut off and far from the stormy volcanoes of the North Bank".
IDF activity in the Aqabat Jaber refugee camp, on Saturday, photo: IDF spokesperson
In recent years, Jericho has become a flourishing tourist pearl following several development and construction projects, the most prominent of which is called "Bavabat Jericho" (the Jericho Gate) near the entrance to the city.
Magnificent villas were built in several complexes south of the city across from the Aqebat Jaber refugee camp, and the area became an attractive destination for entrepreneurs and real estate companies. Most of the investors are not from Jericho itself, some are Palestinian businessmen from other areas of Yosh and East Jerusalem, others are Arab-Israelis.
This is how he developed the trend that every East Jerusalemite has already gotten to know, "private villas for rent" in Jericho.
Palestinian families rent villas in the city for vacations and weekends.
These are a kind of "desert lodges" - pampering and modern villas in an "all inclusive" format, with a jacuzzi and a private pool, in a pastoral desert atmosphere, which can only be found in Jericho.
IDF forces are working to arrest wanted persons in Jericho // Photo: IDF spokesman
"The city that will bring peace"
A Palestinian businessman told "Israel Today" that what happened in Jericho is a wake-up call to the Palestinian Authority and to Israel that there is no area that is outside the circle of escalation.
According to him, it is still too early to talk about withdrawing investments from this area due to one incident that happened, but there is the beginning of disillusionment, that Jericho is not a safe destination for investment either.
"What happened was an earthquake to Jericho. Until recently, I expected that Israeli tourists would soon start coming to enjoy everything in the city, I thought that this was the first city that would bring peace. Many Israelis have memories from there. It is in a strategic place with a good location in the middle of the road, and the The last thing we thought about was that the escalation would come precisely there. Israel and the Israel Defense Forces need to wake up, we need to think ahead."
Antiquities in Jericho, photo: I.P.I
The local businessman added that "Jericho is a place that attracts businessmen who want to invest in real estate and there is a very positive development in this area.
It brings tourists, improves the economy and gives an opportunity for people to do business.
We don't want this momentum to stop." Everything that happened in the last week, the long inspections, the checkpoints and the army's entrances - this is something that affects traffic and business, there are fewer people in restaurants than there were, and the atmosphere has changed for the worse.
"We are not in favor of killing innocents, but with all due respect, it is impossible that because of one person there will be collective measures that will affect the lives of thousands of people. There is concern that economic and tourist life will be damaged, from restaurants to hotels. We do not want that. Businessmen came From the beginning to Jericho because they were looking for a place without problems," he added.
Another Palestinian businessman says that despite the damage to the routine of life, it is not possible to decide at this stage how Jericho will be affected by the security tensions.
However, he noted that the fact that the city relies on the tourism industry makes it more vulnerable in the event that the escalation on the ground increases.
Palestinians protest the military entrance to Jericho, photo: Reuters
Palestinian sources say that the PA feels embarrassed vis-à-vis Israel since they were unable to get their hands on the Hamas cell in Jericho, an area where the PA has a greater ability to control the area, unlike the Jenin refugee camp.
The Palestinian security mechanisms talk about an intelligence failure, and take into account the possibility that there are additional local Hamas units trying to establish themselves in the field.
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