Visiting Ramallah

For most Jewish tourists, I did the unthinkable. I went to Ramallah this week.

I had been hoping to go for some time now, to see what it was like, and I finally had the opportunity. Eric brought me with him on Wednesday afternoon to help him negotiate a deal with a print-shop in Ramallah for the publication of the Seeds of Peace magazine (The Olive Branch).

As we drove through the city, we passed by the very impressive Chinese “embassy” (not a consulate) to Palestine. I’m not sure what kind of diplomatic relations led to the embassy being created before a Palestinian state, but I’m no expert on these things.














We then went to the meeting with the printer. Expecting to enter a cramped print shop, and haggle with an ink-smudged old man, I was surprised as we were led into the spacious and modern offices of a completely integrated advertising, design and printing firm. We were greeted by a young sales rep dressed in a sharp grey suit, who ushered us into a meeting room and offered us tea and coffee. As he brought in the drinks, he joked with a wry grin, “I would bring you vodka, but since the elections …” making reference to the Islamic fundamentalist Hamas victory in the January elections. It was a good ice-breaker. The negotiations went smoothly, and I was struck by how similar the negotiations were to ones that I participated in with Mercer. In fact, this was the least contentious of any negotiation I had been in. Ultimately, it looks like we will save Seeds of Peace about 40% off their printing costs (special thanks to Tim Hoyland for teaching me everything I know about negotiations).

This experience really brought home to me Thomas Freidman’s point when he wrote about two kinds of countries, those that “were intent on building a better Lexus, while others were […] intent on renewing ethnic and tribal feuds over who owned which olive trees.” (From Beirut to Jerusalem) This Palestinian company was focused on developing and promoting the capabilities of the Palestinian economy, not perpetuating the conflict in the region. If this attitude of taking advantage of the benefits that come with peace, economic development and access to world markets gains more adherents here, I believe there is reason for optimism in the region.

After a delicious lunch of shawarma (sans pita for me, as it was still Passover), Eric took me around for some sight-seeing. We went to the Muqata’a, the Palestinian presidential compound in Ramallah, where Arafat was put under “house arrest” by the IDF in 2002.

Here's the entrance to the compound.
The building is a remnant of the British Mandate. Several Muqata’as were built in the 20’s to house the British administrative apparatus, from bureaucrats to prisons. After the Oslo accords, this Muqata’a became one of the headquarters of the PA.

Here’s a look at the building from inside the front gates.



On November 12, 2004, Yasser Arafat was buried inside the gates of the compound. Arafat’s tomb is at the center of a partly-constructed mausoleum, and is guarded by four Palestinian soldiers who proudly walked me around the compound and explained the plans for the monument, prayer hall and memorial museum to be built on this site. The soldier was also quick to point out that this is a temporary tomb – the plan is that Arafat will be buried in the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount when Palestine makes its capital in Jerusalem.

Here is Arafat's mausoleum.

Arafat’s tomb, in the midst of construction










Also inside the compound were the barracks for Mahmoud Abbas’ Presidential Guard, seen here.















As we drove through the streets of Ramallah to head back to Jerusalem, we passed several streets lined with green Hamas flags. Apparently, these had been put up in the celebrations after the elections. Eric joked that Hamas blew its budget on flags.


Overall, I never felt that I was in danger in Ramallah, despite my family’s concern when I told them I was going to the city. I was actually quite impressed by the number of modern offices, apartment buildings and businesses I saw. I saw a city struggling to realize its economic potential. Granted, if I had visited the refugee camps that surround the city, the picture would likely be very different.

Ramallah is commonly regarded as the most affluent and moderate of the cities in the West bank. I wonder what my experience would be as a Jew in Nablus, or Jenin or Tulkarem.

Until next time,
Seth