For the longtime Jerusalem resident, nothing appears to have become particularly out of the ordinary since rockets began falling two weeks ago. The shuk is still crowded on Friday afternoons, packed tight with all types of vendors and buyers; Ben-Yehuda Street still enjoys a gentle buzz of people during the day; and the Mamilla Mall still hosts a steady stream of chic shoppers.
It is as if there were two Iron Domes protecting the routine of Jerusalemites – the rocket-stopping one deployed by the IDF and the ideological one in the minds of Israelis that prevents the war from impeding their everyday life.
Still, for many first-time visitors to Israel, the current conflict isn’t simply “another round of rockets” or a mere nuisance. Rather than taking this time to understand and live the Israel experience – which includes feeling the urgency that defines Israel as a nation – many tourists are deferring activities in fear of rocket strikes, shortening their stay here or even canceling their trip altogether. And as air travel to and from Israel was canceled by all American carriers and some European ones, the situation is expected to worsen.
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