On Thursday, I do my first two interviews in Ramallah. I come to Jerusalem every two years or so, and every time there is a change in how to get to Ramallah from Jerusalem, as the checkpoint regime changes every time. This time, the mini-bus (which is the usual means of transportation in the East Jerusalem) drives right through to Ramallah.
I am relieved to have arrived to Ramallah safely. The day before, Qalandiah, the big checkpoint between Jerusalem and Ramallah had seen a bit of tensions between Palestinians and the Israeli army, and apparently had been closed for this reason. But today is quiet. The only unusual thing are the many TV crews at the checkpoints.
My first interview partner, a policy maker at a Palestinian ministry, greets me and say that he would like to go to a demonstration soon. Subsequent to Obama’s speech at the UN, which obviously did not create great enthusiasm on the Palestinian side, a demonstration is to be held in front of Abbas‘ seat. Apparently, all the ministry is going. The life of Palestinian ministerial officials is apparently a bit different from the ones of people working in a German ministry.
After the interviews, I walk through the city centre of Ramallah, bustling as ever. On the central square of Ramallah a huge empty chair has been erected, with „Palestine – the 194th member of the UN“ written all over it. There are also many posters referring to the UN proposal, and some showing Abbas. Not everyone is convinced, however, that anything positive will come out of UN bid: „We are a non-state anyway“, says one of the people I talk to, referring to the fact tha Palestine would not have full control over its border or what it considers its territory even if it was recognised as state. However, as one of my interview partners points out, the Palestinian Authority might have access to more (environmnetal) funds if it was accepted as UN member. It then could also become a party to environmental agreements and consequently apply for funding.
Back on my way to Jerusalem, I need to go to through Qalandia checkpoint myself. Get off the bus, wait in line, put my stuff through a detector, show my passport, get on the bus again. The trip from Ramallah, which is at about 15km from Jerusalem, takes about two hours. I make a mental note that I should try and do as many interviews on a day as possible to avoid doing this trip too often.
Note: Christiane Gerstetter is a Fellow at the Ecologic Institute and involved in CLICO. The views expressed in this blog cannot be attributed either to CLICO or the Ecologic Institute.
