In festive Ramallah, food - not politics - is the fare du jour - Haaretz

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Thu., October 11, 2007 ,

Israel Time: 02:36 (EST+7)

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In festive Ramallah, food - not politics - is the fare du jour

By Avi Issacharoff

RAMALLAH - The cries of "tanzilat" (discounts) filled the air yesterday in the 500 or so meters of al-Irsal street leading from Manara Square to the Muqata'a, the presidential complex in Ramallah. As the Ramadan draws to a close, the area has been closed off to cars, which allowed salesmen to set up temporary stands, creating an ad hoc pedestrian mall, full of color and festive atmosphere. The special discounts offered to the buyers seems to be doing the trick.

"Fifteen," shouts Ayman al-Turi, who sells socks. "I am here three days, and the business is booming. I hope they will allow us to stay here and the municipal authorities and police won't give us trouble" - referring to the decision not to allow stands in the center of the city during weekdays.

"What about the negotiations with Israel. Is this something the people are concerned about?" I ask.

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"No one is discussing politics here. We are only interested in making a living and food for the holiday. All the rest is of no interest to us," Al-Turi insists.

Uneasy talks

Several hundred meters down the street, the Palestinian team of negotiators with Israel met at the Palestinian Authority Chairman's Office in the Muqata'a. A boisterous debate took off over whether Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and his government were genuinely interested in moving forward in talks with the Palestinians. The feeling the negotiators were left with after their first meeting with their Israeli counterparts Sunday, is one of great unease. Both sides promised not to leak anything to the press about the substance of the talks, but the gap which exists between the two sides over the content in the joint document they are meant to present at the Annapolis summit is obvious.

The feeling is that the effort is hopeless. However, unlike their Israeli counterparts, whose jobs do not depend on the success of the peace talks, the Palestinian negotiators believe that failure in the U.S. will mean an end to the Abbas era - and also to their political futures.

A senior Palestinian source explained the difference in the approach between the two sides on the document: The Israelis would like the document to serve as the starting point for the negotiations, and the Palestinians want a joint declaration that will represent an end point of discussions.

The Palestinians have made it clear they want a clear document. "There must be clear reference to the nature of the solution, with respect to borders, Jerusalem and the refugees," the senior Palestinian official says.

A mention of the June 4, 1967 borders, the readiness to exchange no more than two percent of territory in the West Bank, and Jerusalem, which some of the negotiating team insist must be mentioned as the future capital of the Palestinian state. This does not even refer to the actual negotiations, where the Palestinians will demand sovereignty over the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Of course, there are also the refugees. Israel is not willing to accept any wording, even that which appears in the Arab League's Peace Initiative, which says that the problem needs to be based on an agreed and just solution according to United Nations General Assembly Resolution 194.

Over Manara Square stands a large billboard advertising Downtown, a fitness center. Several weeks ago, not far from here, another gym openned up. The two are competing over the same demographic: young, well-off and focused more on fitness than confronting the Israeli occupation.

Meanwhile, the orgy of shopping on Irsal street continues: Nike sneakers go for NIS 180. Toy guns, clothes, childrens shoes, for NIS 20. In two hours, the iftar - the meal ending the day-long fast - begins and the pace of shopping is frantic. The fancy restaurants are preparing for their guests with gusto: For NIS 90 per person, they offer special dishes for the iftar.

The restaurants are full in the evening, and it is necessary to order a table several days in advance. No one really wants to hear about the shortages in the Gaza Strip here, and only the several hundred Fatah refugees are the unwelcome reminder to the Palestinian civil war. For a few moments, it seems that the distance between Ramallah and Tel Aviv is shrinking.

However, among the buyers one can see the new Ethics Police, which operates during the Ramadan in the center of town to ensure that no Palestinian smokes or eats in public. Women are also prevented from walking around in public in immodest garb. Even in modern Ramallah, it seems not a single woman is walking about without a head scarf.

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