The calm of Eid

Before Eid, Nablus was frenetic even into the early hours of the morning. But when Eid started all became calm.

Not entirely quiet for the mosque continued with its special Eid prayers. And although the streets were practically deserted, the car drivers still found a need for horning from dawn onwards.

We took a walk through a deserted city. People who saw us stopped to talk or shouted greetings from their cars as they drove past. All really friendly.

The Old City was definitely not its usual self. Shops locked, streets almost deserted although the houses were full of families visiting each other.

In following days, shops started to open and Palestinians living in Israel with full Israeli citizenship came to shop and visit family. This was particularly evident in the Sama Nablus park which is high up on the hill of Mount Ebal - about half the cars there had the distinctive yellow number plates of Israel (and which are normally prohibited from entering Nablus) rather than the green plates of Palestine vehicles.