Scenes from Ramallah
Dear Friends,
We had a HUGE rain and windstorm yesterday - like a strong blizzard, but with rain. It was 45 degrees, but according to my phone it felt like 22 - I didn’t know it gets so cold here!
Each day I’ve been going for a walk, exploring different parts of Ramallah.
Naturally, food is over-represented in my photos 😋
In this last photo, we see three modes of transportation: there’s a donkey, and then there are two cars - one with a yellow license plate (Israeli), another with a white plate (Palestinian). The road system here is segregated, where the color of your license plate determines which roads you can drive on. White license plates are for most Palestinians. Yellow plates are for three groups: Jews, including those who are settlers in the West Bank, Palestinian citizens of Israel, and Palestinians who live in Jerusalem - who are ‘residents’ of Israel, though not citizens. The most efficient highways are limited only to Israeli license plates. Drivers on Palestinian roads face extensive delays due to indirect routes, as well as checkpoints and regular - often unexpected - road blocks set up by the Israeli military. Israel says these restrictions are required for security. To be clear, these categories are not about location - it’s a system that’s primarily divided by ethnicity.
As promised, the next postcard will be about my hotel, and in the one after that, I’ll explain why I’m here!
Be well.
Salaam,
Nancy