Ramallah

     Wow! I went with a group of friends on an after-class excursion to Ramallah, perhaps the most exciting place I’ve visited so far. We turned out of the bus lot around six, walked toward the bustle, and were greeted, shockingly, by a real city.

     The West Bank is not a prosperous place – the areas I’ve visited are generally poor and defeated. The West Bank has been occupied by Israel since 1967, and it shows. Signs of the occupation are abound – the separation barrier, refugee camps, soldiers, as well as the less direct signs in poverty and broken families. This feeling extends to East Jerusalem, which although was annexed by Israel, still suffers from many of the same problems.

For these reasons, Ramallah is a shock. Ramallah is in Area A, which means that it is under control of the Palestinian Authority, and Israelis may not enter. Unlike Bethlehem, another city in Area A, Ramallah is upbeat and prosperous. My first thought walking toward the main street was – wow, we’re in New York (the West Bank’s taxis are yellow, unlike Israel’s). Second thought – this is what Palestine will be like in the far future. Every person on the street in Palestinian, and happy. Stores are bustling, young men joke, families go out for ice cream. Palestinian culture is apparent, but no longer synonymous with oppression. Ramallah is the economic, cultural, and political capital of Palestine, being the largest and most prosperous city and the seat of the PA.

     Usually when one visits a foreign city she stands out for being foreign, a tourist, maybe lost or overly excited. In the West Bank, though, there is usually another layer of conspicuousness for being relatively extremely well-off and secure. I think that was one of the best things of walking through Ramallah, being foreign, but on the same level as her inhabitants. We ate and walked, intermittently interacting with locals walking around. We ended the night at a recommended ice cream place, which proudly serves ‘Arabic ice cream.’ It was sticky and gummier than ice cream I’m accustomed to, and delicious. The best part was sitting with my friends talking over our ice cream, surrounded by Palestinian families doing the same. One family, whose youngest child kept making faces at us, comprised three generations in Muslim dress out for a night together.

     A visit to Ramallah is an ideal way to end a visit to Israel – it leaves a visitor in the mood of her inhabitants, upbeat and optimistic.