Ramadan could see respite for Gaza, or widening violence

THE ALLEYWAYS of the Palestinian bazaars in the Old City of Jerusalem have been deserted for five months. Since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7th, triggering the war in Gaza, tourism has collapsed and Israeli visitors have kept away. But the stall-owners are hoping for a revival during Ramadan, the Muslim holy month of fasting that starts around March 10th.Ramadan is a time when families traditionally buy presents and new clothes, and when each night tens of thousands—and on Fridays hundreds of thousands—come to pray at the al-Aqsa mosque. The less devout fill the cafés and restaurants once the fasting is over, deep into the night.