Originally published in Spanish in Claridad on February 18, 2025
Palestinians of Jerusalem: Educated to Stay
By Iñaki Estívaliz
Moe Tahan
Moe Tahan, a Palestinian born in 1972 in Jerusalem, is the owner of the cozy Sarwa restaurant, where he serves tasty and generous traditional dishes of the region in a dining room surrounded by books and historical photos of Palestine. The restaurant is located on Nablus Street, the main commercial avenue in the eastern part of the city, the Muslim quarter of the historic metropolis.
He has been struggling especially since October 7, 2023, when after Hamas’s incursion into a kibbutz near Gaza and the taking of hostages, tourists stopped coming to Jerusalem and his main source of income disappeared.
In 1991, during the first intifada (a wave of protests against the Israeli occupation), he emigrated to the United States and lived in Los Angeles, working in the food industry until he returned in 2009. There he picked up some Spanish through Puerto Ricans and other Latin Americans. Like a typical Palestinian, before speaking about himself and his hardships, he worries about others and criticizes President Donald Trump’s immigration policy against the undocumented.
“What Trump is doing with Latinos, who are very good workers, is very wrong,” he laments while serving a delicious lentil soup accompanied by pita bread, hummus, salad, and pickles.
Moe—what remains of his original Mohammed—returned to his homeland to open the restaurant in the same premises where his parents had a prosperous travel agency until 1967, when the Arab-Israeli war ended the business.
“Before 1967 Palestinians could travel freely throughout the region, there were no borders for them,” he says, showing a book that recounts the history of that travel agency, which many newlyweds used to visit Lebanon, Jordan, or Syria on their honeymoon.
Moe enjoys his U.S. passport and has no problems traveling, but in Jerusalem, where he was born, he lives with a residence permit: “In my own land I have a green card,” he says, referring to the document that allows foreigners to reside in the United States.
He explains that Jerusalem is a very expensive city, “even for tourists,” and that taxes suffocate him. The government then invests the revenue mostly in the western part of the city, while in the East the lack of public services is evident.
The restaurateur is optimistic and longs for peace, but meanwhile: “We don’t know what will happen, we have to live day by day. We don’t know what to expect from either side.”
“All I want is peace,” he insists.
Imad Muna
Imad Muna is the owner of the Educational Bookshop on the same street, closer to Damascus Gate in the walled Old City of Jerusalem. Across the road is his brother’s bookstore, where books on history, politics, sociology, and journalism in English and other languages are sold—and debated right on the sidewalk. In early February his brother and one of his nephews were arrested because Israeli soldiers don’t like the books.
He explains that he was born in Jerusalem, went to school there, has his roots there, and considers it his land.
“We grew up with the occupation, the occupation is part of our lives, but year after year discrimination has gone from bad to worse. Physical space is shrinking, and when we have a right-wing government it’s always even worse,” Imad denounces.
He says: “It’s not easy to live like this, but we resist because this is our land. We are used to expecting any outrage at any moment—it’s part of our lives.”
He faces discrimination every day: “Whether you are a man or a woman, whether you go to school, to work, or to pray. There is always some problem. The police are always there, waiting to bother us with any excuse.”
In his mind, “the occupation” is always present, and that’s why he has a plan A, a plan B, and a plan C for whatever may happen.
“We are always aware that something could happen to us at any moment,” he stresses.
He insists that living in Jerusalem is a decision he will never renounce, but for that it is necessary to have a good education as well as financial stability.
“I have options, I studied and I could have left, but this is my land, the land of my ancestors. Some give up and, if they can, they leave, but I decided to stay,” explains this Palestinian, married to a Syrian woman and father of four children—two men and two women between 20 and 30 years old—whom he sent to study in England and Sweden, with the idea that they would return after being educated in Europe.
“We will all remain here, and we are not going to leave. It is our heritage,” he insists.
Like Moe, he also says he is optimistic: “If we lose hope, we have nothing left.”
He says that although they are now facing “fascism,” this will accelerate the end of the situation, because “when stupid people like (Benjamin) Netanyahu or (Donald) Trump come to power, everything ends sooner.”
He admits that the next four years with Trump in the White House will be tough, but in any case the United States has always supported Israel, whether Democrats or Republicans lead Congress or the government.
“Trump was here for four years and left, and we are still here. Because we will remain here no matter what happens. This is our land, which will continue to be Palestine. This is Palestine, and they know it, no matter what they say,” Imad asserts, his gaze fearless.
Yahia Khalaf
Yahia Khalaf is the manager of the Addar Hotel, the only Palestinian lodging left in the area, surrounded by large hotels in occupied territory owned by Israelis or international chains. He and two other employees do the work of seven people. The four missing staff cannot get there because they don’t live in the area and Israeli soldiers don’t allow them access.
The Addar, founded in 1870 by Mohammed Nuisebeh, retains the charm of a nineteenth-century Arab inn straight out of a novel, while offering the amenities of a modern hotel with cleanliness, excellent heating, and fast internet. It’s true that some details could be repaired, but one would have to be very insensitive and inhuman to complain.
Like Moe with Latino migrants in the U.S., Yahia—knowing I am Spanish—did not want to begin or end the interview without insistently reiterating his gratitude for Spanish society’s solidarity with the Palestinian cause.
“When the history of Palestine is written, Spain will have an important place in it.”
But I write for a Puerto Rican outlet, and there they are victims of the same colonialism you suffer, I point out.
“Yes, yes, yes, we know Puerto Rico’s history, we are like brothers, we know what the United States has done there,” he answers very seriously.
Yahia was born in Jerusalem and saw his university education interrupted by the first intifada, which broke out when he was 20.
His brother was imprisoned twice for throwing stones at Israeli soldiers. The first time, he was arrested at 14 and released at 17.
He migrated to England but soon returned to care for his father in his final days. Later he went back to Europe seeking to finish his university studies because “without education, we Palestinians are nothing.”
He returned to England with little more than a hundred pounds in his pocket. It turned out the banknotes he carried were old and out of circulation. Eventually the bank exchanged them, but at a third of their original value.
He found a job thanks to the Palestinian community in England, which allowed him to finance his university studies. In 2005 he graduated with a master’s degree in Information Technology.
Now he lives in Jerusalem with his British passport and Israeli residence permit. But it took him 27 years of bureaucratic battles to have his right to reside in Palestine recognized. Because he had spent many years abroad, they told him he had lost his residency rights. He has a son born in Madrid who can now only visit him “as a tourist.”
Israel “considers me a Briton with residence in Jerusalem, the city where I was born and where my ancestors were born.”
He insists that here it is an existential question: “to be or not to be, and we are.”
“We have the right to live with dignity. Now Trump says he is going to remove all Palestinians from Gaza to build a Riviera, but that is impossible. We are not idiots. We know our history. We are here to stay, my friend. As long as there are Palestinian women to give life to new Palestinians to carry the flag of freedom, we will remain. Those idiots are the ones who will disappear—it’s just a matter of time,” he declares.
“Americans should worry more about that fool Trump, because he will do more harm to his own country than to us, who are used to everything. He will tear his country to pieces,” he adds.
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