Almog junction: Tourist destination turned security hotspot
Once a thriving pit stop for tourists, the situation there has dramatically changed from years of terror attacks, army incursions, and checkpoints nearby
It's the kind of story that only the crazy Middle Eastern reality can produce.
Just between Jericho and the Dead Sea is a shopping center at Almog junction. Faiz Muhammad Awadat, a manager of the shopping center, is a resident of the nearby Akbat Jaber refugee camp, just a five-minute drive away. He was also the father of 15-year-old Faiz Muhammad Balahan, who was killed in the camp last month during an Israeli army raid.
"This is a kid that grew up here. He worked with us. We spent so much time with the Jewish community, and everyone is our friend," Awadat told i24NEWS about his son.
"The soldiers shot my son for no reason. They say that the children are terrorists, which is completely wrong. We want this bloodshed to stop. Children are dying in vain," he continued.
Awadat did not have a lot of time to mourn his terrible loss. He has a family to care for, and two days later, he was already back at work.
"I have been working here for 25 years. Many people have come and gone, but I've always stayed. I have very good relations with everyone in this area," Awadat said.
Shoham, another worker at the Almog shopping center, reaffirmed to i24NEWS this feeling of camaraderie and coexistence: "All the people here are our friends. We've known them since we were born."
Almog junction is a perfect location for tourism. Jericho, the Dead Sea, the Jordan River, monasteries, and baptism sites all are minutes away. In the past, visitors heading to such sites would always pass by the shopping center – but not anymore.
"Recently, there's not a lot of work. I hope it will return to what it was like before because there were times when there was a lot of work," Shoham said.
Awadat recalled those busy days when dozens of tour buses would be parked at a time. On weekends, Awadat would have to call in additional employees just to manage the parking lot. "Tourists would start arriving at six in the morning, and this place would be completely packed," he said.
The Jericho area used to be the quietest corner of the West Bank from a security perspective, but today, the situation has dramatically changed. Terror attacks, army incursions, and checkpoints have turned reality upside down, and everyone is paying the price.
"We spend three or four hours every day at the checkpoint," said Ibrahim Al Ali, a resident of Akbat Jaber. "It's very difficult for us to get here. During we holidays, we wanted to come here, but all the roads were closed," he told i24NEWS.