Introduction:

When we discuss the Judaization of Jerusalem, we often only focus on the physical methods of control such as home demolitions, forced displacement, and settlement expansion. There is another, often overlooked, economic component that is also at play in this process. Over the years, 350 Palestinian shops in the Old City of occupied Jerusalem have been forced to close because of a lack of tourism during the pandemic and high taxation by Israeli occupation authorities. Israel’s taxation policy has suffocated Palestinian business owners who are unable to pay the high taxes imposed by the illegitimate municipality. In this episode, we met with Palestinian business owners in occupied Jerusalem to discuss what it is like to be a business owner in the city, and how they remain steadfast in holding on to their shops despite all the obstacles they face.