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An aerial image of Ramallah neighborhoods. 'Even though Ramallah has some specific characteristics, one has to keep in mind that it is under the same exact military occupation.'Credit: Michael Panse Flickr page
Omer CarmonRamallah
Jun. 3, 2021 5:55 PM
Omer CarmonRamallah
Jun. 3, 2021 5:55 PM
RAMALLAH — Despair at the relations with Israel, fear of a brain drain and reams of uncertainty: those were the main concerns of businesspeople in the Palestinian Authority, even before the hostilities with Hamas in mid-May. The latest round of bloodshed found Ramallah, the main city in the Palestinian Authority-controlled parts of the West Bank, still licking the wounds from the coronavirus pandemic but returning to almost full routine. On the street no one mentions the virus or the vaccination campaign, and even the announcement by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on the day of our visit, that he was canceling the parliamentary election, left the public indifferent.