Ramadan in the West Bank: Displacement and Despair

The bustle of Ramadan markets has been reduced to a trickle of somber shoppers.A heavy silence has replaced lively chatter.

No lanterns glow in windows, and the strings of lights that crisscrossed alleyways, flickering above children playing in the streets, have gone dark.“Ramadan used to shine,” said Mahmoud Sukkar, a father of four in the West Bank.“Now, it’s just darkness.”The holy month has long been commemorated in Palestinian cities by traditions deeply rooted in fasting, community and spiritual devotion.

Families gathered in the evenings around tables laden with traditional dishes for iftar — fast-breaking meals.Neighbors shared food and other offerings, and nights were illuminated by crescent-shape lights.But this year is different.In the West Bank cities of Jenin and Tulkarm, especially the sprawling refugee camps in the Israeli-occupied territory, the streets that once glowed and reverberated with the laughter of children are shrouded in grief.

An Israeli military operation that began in January led 40,000 Palestinians to flee their homes, what historians have called the biggest displacement of civilians in the West Bank since the Arab-Israeli war of 1967.For the first time in decades, Israeli forces sent tanks into Jenin and established a military post in Tulkarm.Nearly 50 people have been killed since the incursion began, according to Palestinian officials.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel said the operation aimed to eradicate “terrorism.” We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe....