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  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.

From where I sit I can see the golden cuppola of the Dome of the Rock against the night sky. Next to me, on the rooftop of my hotel, sits a group of men and women, observant Muslims by their appearance, a group from South Africa (I did not even know until today that there is an observant Muslim community in South Africa). They are eagerly listening to a presentation during which the speaker with great conviction claims that there is no such thing as the „holocaust“. It may be a blatant lack of courage, but somehow I don’t feel like getting up and correcting his outlandish (and in Germany legally prohibited) views.

Welcome back to Jerusalem, a city very close to my heart, where I have spent longer and shorter times of my life in the last 15 years. This, however, is the first time I will do environmental research: I will conduct a series of interview with Palestinian policy actors, including government officials, to understand better the role of policy-making regarding climate-induced conflicts and threats to human security. In parallel, a colleague of mine will conduct interviews in Israel.

I currently have no idea how the next three weeks are going to look like, because Middle Eastern politics is likely not to leave my research efforts untouched. Everyone is speculating what the Palestinian leadership will do, will they go to the UN General Assembly, will they turn  to the Security Council? For me, the more practically relevant issue is what the Israeli reaction will be, and what will happen in the West Bank where most of the people I want to talk to are based. Will there be protests in the West Bank, will Israel impose a closure? And will I then still be able to do my interviews? An international passport gives you a freedom that nowadays neither Israelis nor Palestinians have: the freedom of moving in both Israel and Palestine. Israelis are not allowed to travel into territories under Palestinian control, including the larger Palestinian cities such as Ramallah. Palestinians, in turn, need an (often denied) permit to enter Israel. In the past, when Israel imposed a  closure in the West Bank, that also sometimes meant that Palestinians could not travel even between Palestinian cities. If that happens again, my interviewees may not be able to reach their work places in Ramallah, the unofficial capital of Palestine, and instead I may have to meet them wherever they live. The insight that research is rarely as straightforward as you think in the beginning, may have a very physical dimension to it in this part of the world.  

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.