Occupied Jerusalem – Like many other merchants in the Old City, the Jerusalemite Imad Ishaq Abu Khadija is suffering from stagnation due to the occupation's practices and a significant decline in visitor numbers to the city, especially after the Israeli aggression on Gaza since October 7th.
Abu Khadija's shop, named "Khan Abu Khadija," is located on Bab al-Silsila Street in the Old City near the revered Al-Aqsa Mosque. It serves as a small cafe with a collection of antiques, and it had received a Turkish grant for restoration.
Imad Abu Khadija clarifies that he does not own the shop; rather, it is an Islamic trust, and he is entrusted with its care. The venue has been rented by his father since 1930.
He explained that he had been secretly working on its expansion and restoration for more than 30 years because "the occupation laws prohibit working on it under the pretext that it is an archaeological site."
During renovations years ago, he discovered what he describes as a "treasure" beneath the shop—a hole leading to seven tunnels, "one of which leads to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, another to the Western Wall, a third to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and a fourth to the Damascus Gate… with a history going back 2,300 years."
Currently, amid the war on Gaza, Imad Abu Khadija laments the recession, saying, "We open our shops in times of war only to air them out, and pay out of our pockets to preserve the properties from dampness and dust."
He continued, "This is an Islamic endowment, not a property of my own. My father entrusted it to me, and every Muslim in the world has a share in Jerusalem and the Old City."
He added that the occupiers aim to take over the whole Old City and empty it of Jerusalemites, stating that visiting the town and buying from it helps people stay and endure.
