Op drukke tijdstippen is de Shuk in de Oude Stad van Jeruzalem inderdaad moeilijk door te komen, zoals we op onze reis naar Israël zelf hebben ervaren. Het meest storend was echter de opdringerigheid van sommige Arabische handelaren, die je bijna letterlijk bij de arm pakten en de winkel introkken, of de vele kinderen die als je ook maar even op je plattegrond keek, je gelijk de weg wilden wijzen - tegen een flinke fooi uiteraard. Daar zijn zeker geen regels tegen te maken?
Wouter
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Jerusalem reining in Old City merchants
By Nir Hasson - Haaretz
Jerusalem reining in Old City merchants
By Nir Hasson - Haaretz
Porters in uniform, pushcarts with license plates, inspectors with rulers measuring the distance between the merchandise and the store entrance - this is not an American department store or European marketplace, but rather a market in the Old City of Jerusalem.
New regulations apply to all the markets and merchants' stands in the Old City, but they are being felt most in the area called Shuk David in Hebrew, David's market, which extends from Jaffa Gate toward the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and the Western Wall.
The market features old-time merchants who pass their businesses from father to son, selling cheap merchandise side-by-side with real bargains, and shopping is done the obligatory bargaining in a powerfully colorful atmosphere. There are Christian icons for sale alongside Jewish skullcaps and mezuzahs, clothing, Oriental rugs, souvenirs and, of course, wooden camels.
The merchants complain of a bureaucratic assault. The most bothersome regulation, from their standpoint, is that when they display their wares outside their stores, the items cannot be more than 30 centimeters from the store entrance. Inspectors with rulers have been handing out fines to offenders, and the fines can be as high as NIS 1,000.
"That's the beauty of the market," said Samer, a 42-year-old souvenir shop owner, "that everything is disorderly."
A prior regulation simply required merchandise to be displayed within a line that was drawn in front of the stores, and it provided a few dozen extra centimeters of display space.
Another rule now being strictly enforced bars the display of knives outside stores, out of concern they could be used to commit terror outrages.
And now porters are required to register their carts, obtain license plates for them and maintain a cart's paint in good condition. In addition, the porters are being required to wear a uniform. Another regulation limits the movement of the carts from 6 A.M. to 11 A.M., and from 2 P.M. to 4 P.M.
"We don't want problems but they should come and talk to us," said Sami Ashhak, who owns a bead and rug store in the market. "Why hand out violation citations?"
There are, however, other points of view in the Old City. Former Old City merchant Saher Shahabneh welcomed the new regulations, saying he couldn't pass through the streets before and now feels that he can make his way.
A spokesperson for the Jerusalem municipality said: "In light of the large crowds in the Old City as a result of the many tourists and visitors and people coming to pray, the merchants were asked to reduce the area where they display merchandise outside their stalls and shops. The merchants were given instructions and notices so citations could be avoided."
New regulations apply to all the markets and merchants' stands in the Old City, but they are being felt most in the area called Shuk David in Hebrew, David's market, which extends from Jaffa Gate toward the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and the Western Wall.
The market features old-time merchants who pass their businesses from father to son, selling cheap merchandise side-by-side with real bargains, and shopping is done the obligatory bargaining in a powerfully colorful atmosphere. There are Christian icons for sale alongside Jewish skullcaps and mezuzahs, clothing, Oriental rugs, souvenirs and, of course, wooden camels.
The merchants complain of a bureaucratic assault. The most bothersome regulation, from their standpoint, is that when they display their wares outside their stores, the items cannot be more than 30 centimeters from the store entrance. Inspectors with rulers have been handing out fines to offenders, and the fines can be as high as NIS 1,000.
"That's the beauty of the market," said Samer, a 42-year-old souvenir shop owner, "that everything is disorderly."
A prior regulation simply required merchandise to be displayed within a line that was drawn in front of the stores, and it provided a few dozen extra centimeters of display space.
Another rule now being strictly enforced bars the display of knives outside stores, out of concern they could be used to commit terror outrages.
And now porters are required to register their carts, obtain license plates for them and maintain a cart's paint in good condition. In addition, the porters are being required to wear a uniform. Another regulation limits the movement of the carts from 6 A.M. to 11 A.M., and from 2 P.M. to 4 P.M.
"We don't want problems but they should come and talk to us," said Sami Ashhak, who owns a bead and rug store in the market. "Why hand out violation citations?"
There are, however, other points of view in the Old City. Former Old City merchant Saher Shahabneh welcomed the new regulations, saying he couldn't pass through the streets before and now feels that he can make his way.
A spokesperson for the Jerusalem municipality said: "In light of the large crowds in the Old City as a result of the many tourists and visitors and people coming to pray, the merchants were asked to reduce the area where they display merchandise outside their stalls and shops. The merchants were given instructions and notices so citations could be avoided."
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