Nablus Governor Ghassan Daghlas has ordered the newly opened Cafe Omsiat to close for one week following a public outcry over a Halloween-themed event held at the venue, according to Palestinian and Arab media reports.
The independent Palestinian SWA News Agency reported that Daghlas established an investigative committee to examine the circumstances surrounding the cafe and mandated its temporary closure to preserve public order.
The decision came after photographs of costumed attendees circulated widely on social media, prompting activists and prominent Palestinian figures to demand punitive action against the establishment.
Ma’an News Agency published an op-ed on Monday by Dr. Ahmad Rafiq Awad, a founding figure in Palestinian broadcasting and a member of the Council of Palestinian Culture, in which he denounced the gathering as “reprehensible” and asserted that it contradicted Palestinian social and cultural values.
“We simply do not celebrate ghosts, nor their return, nor play with them, nor even acknowledge or respect them. Halloween has no connection to us, not in the slightest. Nothing in our history, culture, traditions, or lives makes this occasion part of our collective memory or consciousness,” Awad wrote.
He further lamented that occasions such as Black Friday and Valentine’s Day are increasingly permeating Palestinian society.
“The problem is not a mask worn by a young man or woman, nor a party held inside a restaurant, but rather the meaning behind these scenes, and the growing distance between us and our reality, our identity, and our big questions,” he argued.
While acknowledging that young Palestinians should not be expected to live in perpetual sorrow over the current political situation, Awad contended that the celebration underscored a widening disconnect between the public and the realities of the ongoing conflict.
The Nablus Municipality did not respond to The Jerusalem Post’s request for comment.
