Some apartments in Beit Sahour have been shelled and destroyed. In the previous weeks there was so much shooting that during evenings families sometimes stayed lying on the ground. Students told at school how afraid they are. The same applies for the area around Rachel's Tomb at the entrance of Bethlehem, a holy site which is in the hands of the Israeli army, and which is continuously stoned. The owners of the nearby Paradise Hotel show visitors the very large bullet holes in the wall.
Many youth are incredibly shocked by the violence.
Some of them visit hospitals and write stories about what they hear from the injured for the Palestinian press. Many people in the tourist industry have lost work. Hotels and travel agents presently give people an unlimited, unpaid leave. Next to Rachel's Tomb, there is a new Intercontinental five star hotel, which is of course empty. A cousin of Mary works there, it was supposed to be top season, now she just answers the incoming phone calls of cancellations.