This Week in Palestine`s Print Edition

Issue No. 176, December 2012
Palestinian Talent
Young Palestinian Composers................................................................................ 4
Research in Progress.............................................................................................. 10
Two Shining Stars in the Sky of Palestine............................................................... 14
The Magic of Palestinian Scientific Talent............................................................... 18
A Century of Musical Talent..................................................................................... 22
Raising Funds and Awareness in the Himalayas ................................................... 26
Young Literary Talents............................................................................................. 28
Fashion Design in Palestine (An Opinion)............................................................... 38
Spotlight................................................................................................................... 40
The Jerusalem Players............................................................................................ 42
Ladies with Special Gifts......................................................................................... 46
As I Walk Gaza’s Streets......................................................................................... 52
The Eucharist.......................................................................................................... 54
Visual Talents.......................................................................................................... 56
In the Limelight........................................................................................................ 60
Reviews .................................................................................................................. 66
Events...................................................................................................................... 70
Listings.................................................................................................................... 72-92
Maps........................................................................................................................ 93-97
The Last Word......................................................................................................... 98
Picturesque Palestine.............................................................................................. 99
Telefax: + 970/2-2-2951262
e-mail: [email protected]
www.thisweekinpalestine.com
Working on the December issue with the theme “Talents” has been extremely
challenging! The moment we decided to explore this theme, we immediately realised
that it was impossible to give it justice. In a place where creative production is not only
considered art but also a form of resistance, where do we begin to evaluate, showcase, and
articulate the various talents that exist? Well, as a start, we approached local institutions
and asked for their input, each in its specialised creative field. Contributions include
a piece from Aref Husseini, founder and general manager of Al-Nayzak Organization
for Scientific Innovation, a collection of literary talents provided by Tamer Institute for
Community Education, and a visual contribution by Abdel Muhsin Al-Qattan Foundation.
We also feature an article about “Two Shining Stars” in the sports field by reporter Ahmad
Al-Bukhari, who writes about sprinter Wuroud Sawalha and swimmer Sabine Hazboun;
and one about “The Jerusalem Players,” by William Alonzo, an amateur theatre actor in
Palestine during the 1960s. Music is a big subject in this issue, and we have contributions
from Rima Tarazi who, in her article “A Century of Music,” gives an overview of some of
the musical talents that have come out of Palestine, and another by Amal Nazek, who
writes about “Young Palestinian Composers.” In the Limelight features the winner of the
Young Artist of the Year Award, Jumana Manna, our Artist of the Month. Be sure to check
out Personality of the Month and CD of the Month for other interesting features.
Although we do not claim to have fully covered “Talents in Palestine,” we hope that we
have succeeded in capturing some of these gifts. In other words, we aspire to inspire you,
to teach you something new, and to bring to light some of the abilities and achievements
that you may or may not have been aware of. As we unfold the pages of the 176th issue of
This Week in Palestine, we discern the spirit of Christmas, which awaits us in December
and marks our fourteenth anniversary of promoting and bringing out the best of Palestine.
With regards from the team behind This Week in Palestine, we wish you a Merry
Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Manar Harb
Content Editor
Printed by: Studio Alpha, Al-Ram, Jerusalem
Binding by: Al-Ebda’, Al-Ram, Jerusalem
Maps: Courtesy of PalMap - GSE
Distribution in the West Bank: CityExpress
Distribution in Gaza: GazaToday.com.
Photos on pages: 29, and 53 courtesy of
Filistin Ashabab
Forthcoming Issues:
Investing in Palestine – January 2013
The State of Archaeology – February 2013
Theme: Palestinian Talent
Cover: Woroud Sawalha at the London 2012 Olympics.
Photo: Muntaser Idkidek.
Humour in Palesitne – March 2013
Advisory Board
Hani Abu Dayyeh
Nada Atrash
President, NETOURS
Architect - Centre for Cultural Heritage
Preservation, Bethlehem
George Al Ama
The views presented in the articles do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher.
Maps herein have been prepared solely for the convenience of the reader; the designations and presentation
of material do not imply any expression of opinion of This Week in Palestine, its publisher, editor, or its
advisory board as to the legal status of any country, territory, city, or area, or the authorities thereof, or as to
the delimitation of boundaries or national affiliation.
2
Researcher – Centre for Cultural Heritage
Preservation, Bethlehem
Hussein Habbab
Cairo Arafat
Sameh Masri
Executive Manager, Quds Bank
Education and Research Director
General Manager of United Motor Trade Co. Ltd.
3
Six Palestinian youth, with the audacity to defy expectations, dare to pursue music
in a society that largely believes that music is just a hobby and never a career. They
have come forward with their talents and vision to perform in front of often-hesitant
audiences. They have excelled in their musical instruments and have composed songs
and music of their own, based on their unique visions, describing their own intimate
feelings and what Palestinians experience.
Young Palestinian Composers
By Amal Nazek
Akram Abdel Fattah
Akram Abdel Fattah, a violinist, composes
music that can be best described as
storytelling: taking listeners on a journey
filled with various beautiful moments from
start to finish. Surrounded by a family who
loves music, he started to learn rhythms
at age seven. Soon after, he started to
learn how to play the oud and the violin.
He says he inherited the ability to play the
oud from his father and uncles who love
the instrument. “The oud is as popular as
coffee in our family,” he says.
Though he once wanted to become
a doctor, he says now that the violin is
his true passion. He has mastered both
Eastern and Western tunes and describes
the violin as an “international, versatile,
and very expressive instrument.”
Currently studying music at the
Jerusalem Academy of Music, Akram
is always busy preparing and taking
part in shows. He is most proud of his
work in a quartet called Awan, whose
eight-song CD is due to come out early
in 2013. Akram himself composed five
of the songs.
Akram composed his first piece at age
15. Musical sentences just seem to come
to him while at home or driving, and he
records them on his phone. “My phone
is full of voice recordings,” he chuckles.
But a difficult road lies ahead.
Living in Lower Galilee, Akram has
extreme difficulties in connecting with
other musicians in the Arab world, and
even those in Jerusalem and the West
Bank. And there are limited places and
possibilities for performance in such a
Akram Abdel Fattah
small country with a complicated political
reality. He believes that contact and
sharing of music and ideas are essential
for the development and growth of any
musician or group.
Akram laments the fact that there is
also a lot of suffering inherent in choosing
music as a profession. “It’s a big sacrifice,
socially, with lots of pressure – people just
don’t understand you,” he says.
But despite the difficulties, which he
4
fully recognises and is willing to confront,
Akram cannot imagine doing anything
else in life. In the future, he would like
to study music, probably abroad. He
believes his long-term mission is to
develop the Palestinian people’s sense
of music since it is a fundamental aspect
of culture.
“Music is divine,” notes Akram, “and
its unique effect on the spirit will always
remain a mystery.”
thing that fuels his music. “The anger
makes my music stronger and gives me
the courage to say things straight up,”
he notes.
Although he sometimes writes Arabic
lyrics, writing in English makes it easier
for him to create “subtexts.” He has been
experimenting with topics such as hope
and breaking free.
Ivan believes it’s important to be
classically trained at first. He took three
years of solfege and four years of opera
at the ESNCM.
With a deep, soothing voice, he sings:
“An empty street I pass with an empty
heart and everything is dark and cold,
the light is clear, it all appears to me… I
had to breathe but the air I’m breathing
wasn’t really mine, I’ll succeed with my
need, I won’t give it up at all.”
Ivan says he tries to avoid writing
directly about the politics of everyday
life, preferring instead to talk about its
effects on him.
Ivan Azazian
It took Ivan Azazian two weeks to learn
the guitar. It’s most likely in his genes. A
third-generation musician, the 20-yearold cannot fathom his life without music.
He loves classic rock and other music
made popular decades before he was
even born. As the lead singer of the local
rap-rock band Culturshoc, a six-member
group that is popular among young
Palestinians, Ivan says: “My dream is to
be living in the 70s and 80s. They weren’t
obsessed with perfect sounds back then.”
Ivan loves to improvise and break free
from the rules. Who doesn’t? But Ivan has
the courage to think it and do it. He has
composed many songs so far, some in
the quiet of his spotless, spacious room
decked with pictures of Mozart and Pink
Floyd.
“When I’m going through a difficult
day, the notes just come out … the day
composes the music,” he says. Other
songs are composed during practices,
though the interaction that takes place
among band members makes it difficult
to determine who composed them.
Ivan believes that composing has
everything to do with feelings, and it
is made more beautiful by breaking
patterns. His feeling recently, however,
has been anger.
“I am an angry guy trying to make music
and putting his rage into his music,”
he admits. Ivan is angry at the limited
opportunities to study and perform music
here in Palestine. But his anger is the very
Ivan Azazian
5
I can’t think of even one song nowadays
that has meaningful words or a tune.”
The flute, she explains, is primarily
a Western instrument. But devoted to
Arabic music as she is, she has found a
way of playing Arabic music using quarter
tones that are essential in Arabic music,
and unfamiliar in Western music.
At age seven, Nai began to compose.
She composed three sad songs named
after massacres in Palestine, Iraq, and
Lebanon: Jenin, Fallujah, and Qana.
Tunes “just popped into my head,” she
says.
“I didn’t know what death, war, or
massacres meant, but I had a sense that
people were suffering. I didn’t know why.
But I saw how my parents were affected.
I felt that there were people my age who
were living lives that were more difficult
than mine,” she says.
A few years later, Nai started to take
interest in jazz and composed a piece
called “Mazumata.” “I don’t know what
that means,” she says, giggling.
She would later compose “Zigzag Jazz,”
music for the flute, piano, and double
bass. Her sixth piece is in the making and
includes a combination of everything she
has learnt so far: Arabic beats, jazz, and
classic music, and it includes lyrics and
more musical instruments.
Nai’s dream is to study music and
jazz flute abroad, most likely the United
States, since Palestinian universities
do not offer it. Afterwards she plans
to return to Palestine to embark on a
singing career.
“Singing moves me,” she says.
“Whenever I’m singing on stage, I forget
everything, and there is just that one
moment.”
Nai Barghouti
Nai Barghouti
Sixteen-year-old Nai Barghouti started
to play the Western concert flute at age
six, composing music and singing shortly
after. Nai’s name is Arabic for flute. It
could be chance or destiny, but Nai firmly
believes that she is destined to play the
flute in a unique way and to sing songs
with her captivating voice.
A year ago, she performed in her
own show in Ramallah, Cairo, Haifa,
Nazareth, and even Beirut. With only
6 months to prepare, a 14-year-old Nai
brought back to life the words of Egyptian
icons Umm Kulthum, Riyad al Sunbati,
and Fairuz in a show titled Muniyati:
My Wish.
“My musical wish,” she says “is that
this generation go back to listening to
old music … because the artists inserted
their spirit into their songs.”
So-called modern music leaves her
largely unimpressed.
“A long time ago, lyrics were meaningful.
Donia Jarrar
It all started when she was four. It’s
Donia Jarrar’s first memory: The Gulf
War had just erupted and Donia’s family
are in an Astrovan, fleeing Kuwait and
going towards Jordan. Several years
6
later, Donia is living in Jenin, her father’s
hometown.
Last year, as part of her master’s degree
in music composition at the University of
Michigan, Donia composed an entire
orchestra piece retelling, in music, her
Last year, Donia decided to return to
Palestine. She teaches piano and music
theory to Palestinian children at AlKamanjati and the Edward Said National
Conservatory of Music (ESNCM) in
Ramallah. She also teaches music
Donia Jarrar
life story. Incorporating poetry into her
composition, Donia opened the piece
by singing an Arabic poem that she had
written. The orchestra, composed of 100
musicians, accompanied her as it held
one note in an Arabic-influenced style.
The six-section orchestra piece is
deeply personal. It starts out with her
early memories, then goes into a family
feud, and then on to an “explosion.” “It’s a
sound representation of my family fleeing
and finding freedom,” she says.
Donia started to take piano lessons at
age four and started to compose short
melodies for her parents at age six.
She has always loved to improvise. And
much of her work involves sitting at the
piano and just playing. But composing is
hard work that involves not only talent
but also knowledge of the deeply intricate
system of music theory. “But that’s what
makes it good,” she says. “The moment
you hear the orchestra playing, you
realise that all the hard work was worth it.”
for elementary school children in the
Qalandia and Jalazon refugee camps.
Working six days a week, she still finds
time to compose.
“My work is minimalist and romantic,
largely influenced by twentieth-century
composers,” she says.
She recently won the Marcel Khalife
prize for a piece entitled “Border
Crossings” and is working on several
exciting projects such as composing
a soundtrack for a Kuwaiti movie and
publishing her piece “Batn el Hawa,”
for a compilation album entitled Project
Naqsh, released in November.
She is full of ideas and plans, among
them is to do her doctorate in music
composition in the near future, which she
says would be extremely challenging.
She has dreams too.
“My biggest dream is to write a
symphony about Palestine,” she says.
7
and Maya Khaldi, a Palestinian singer.
They played bossa nova style as well as
lounge and cool. “This project was the
most demanding one of all,” claims Amir,
“but it was also my favourite.”
An improviser in every sense, Amir
does not even own a notebook. “I keep
all the music in my head,” he admits, as
composing comes naturally to him. He
improvises and experiments on the piano
until he ends up with a set of chords that
he likes, a basic melody that is attractive,
and a rhythm. But everything depends on
his mood, and he can never play a song
the exact same way twice.
Amir is currently in the United States
studying electrical engineering and
specialising in electronics. His dream is to
Amir Persekian
Amir Persekian never liked “playing by
the book,” so after learning the piano as
a child, he took up Jazz, which he says
gave him the freedom to improvise, as
jazz is much more “free and fun to play.”
Hailing from a family of musicians, Amir
notes that there was always lots of music
around and competition in the air. He cites
his father, Jack Persekian, as his biggest
supporter and source of inspiration.
Amir also plays the guitar and drums,
which have expanded his knowledge
of music and allowed him to discover
different styles and rhythms that would
not work very well on the piano.
He used to play and perform mostly solo
until 2010 when he started collaborating
Bashar Murad
boundaries,” he says, “especially in the
music in Palestine.”
The busy university student composes
and sings in English, but the only time
he has to work on his music is during his
summer and winter vacations.
For the past year and half he has been
working on his first music album, Won’t
Be Silent, an impressive work of art. “This
album is very important to me because
I think it’s very defining of who I am as
an artist,” he says. The album is a very
personal work that ranges from “silly
love songs to songs about Palestine.”
Bashar credits his father as being the
most supportive person in making the
album a reality.
Bashar’s inspiration for composition
comes in a variety of forms.
“Usually, a song comes to me as one
line that gets stuck in my head,” he says.
Once the idea is there, it takes him no
more than two sittings to finish a work.
Bashar knows exactly what he wants
to do in life: more and more of what he
is doing now.
“I dream of writing, performing, and
singing for the rest of my life. There is
nothing else I want to do.”
Bashar Murad
Bashar Murad loves pop music but
incorporates a uniquely Palestinian touch
of music and words to the songs he
writes. Currently studying in the United
States, he was inspired to love and
pursue music by his parents.
“Whenever I was feeling sad, angry,
happy, or disappointed, music was the
first thing I would turn to,” he says. “All
my songs portray how I was feeling on a
specific day, and I try to be very honest
in my music about my identity.”
Bashar started to compose when he
was 13, but wrote the first song he was
proud of – “Freeze” – at age 15, a song
that is on his album, Won’t Be Silent.
Also at age 15, he started to study
piano, which helped him learn the basics
of music, composition, and singing.
Another song he is particularly proud of –
“Olive Tree – White Dove” – incorporates
the sound of the oud, which “gives the
song a whole new feeling,” he says.
“I’m an olive tree, sixty-three years old.
Born in war, but always had some hope.
Terrified, trying to fix the scars. It’s only
me, the guns, the wounds, the stars.”
“I am really interested in pushing
8
Amir Persekian
travel around the world and work on tours
and festivals, and hopefully bring music
festivals and big concerts to Palestine.
Unsure if he will take up music as a
career, he says: “I will always play piano
and keep my passion alive.”
with Bashar Murad performing two
original songs and two covers in
Bethlehem. He would later move on to
experiment with incorporating rap music
and lyrics into jazz beats on the piano.
According to Amir, “both genres give the
space for free-styling.” His latest and
biggest performance was in Jerusalem in
a trio with a drums and harmonica player
Amal Nazek is a journalist from
Jerusalem.
9
Research in Progress
By Fadi Zmorrod
up to 56 years of age, all coming from
different backgrounds. I discovered how
ignorant I was; although I am a refugee, I
never lived the life of one. My experience
with the circus exposed me to sides of
Palestine that I was unaware of. I was
shocked by reality and felt spoiled, but
it gave meaning to what I was doing. I
realised the change that I was delivering
to other people; I could make them feel
good, smile, think, help them with the
problems they face, share with them,
and maybe even give them hope in life.
When it comes to places like Palestine
that are under occupation or faced with
conflict, the children are fearless; they
don’t think twice about anything. As
the saying goes, they have nothing to
lose. From a very early age, Palestinian
children are made to believe that they
are adults. They cannot cry, they cannot
laugh, and they are judged on every
single movement in order to be accepted
within the male or female boxes of
society. They need the space to shout,
jump, concentrate, and do things they’re
not allowed to do. Other places in the
world have more space to release energy.
In Palestine, though, where the street is a
reflection of the compressed reality, there
isn’t a constructive space to help people
release energy in a healthy way. What the
street offers can be destructive in such
an environment, so we try to provide an
alternative for channelling energy in a
healthy, constructive way.
The culture imposes a lot of “borders”
There is no such thing as “born with
talent.” You can always develop talents
and achieve something, but it depends
on how much you believe in your goal
and the effort and time you put into it.
We are all equal at birth, though some
people may be physically stronger than
others. But in order to achieve something,
a person has to be mentally prepared and
disciplined.
I officially joined the circus six years ago
when I became part of a team to establish
the Palestinian Circus School. Did I think
I was talented? I didn’t know the meaning
of “circus,” I just believed that I could do
something. I wasn’t “born” knowing that
I would be involved in a circus and doing
such physical activities as acrobatic
dance, handstands, and Chinese pole
acrobatics. Actually, when I started with
the circus, I was very surprised by my
physical abilities and how much I could
actually do. It was very therapeutic in the
sense that it provided me with a place to
release my tension and express myself. It
seemed like I was breaking gravity, which
felt amazing, and now I am able to share
this experience with others.
Activity at the circus gave me the
opportunity to confront myself and my
body, both physically and mentally.
The moment I began, I felt as if I were
being reborn. I felt like a new person.
For the past six years, I have been in
the process of learning and teaching; I
have led workshops for various groups,
including children, youth, and adults
us how to walk and talk. Then, once we
grow up, we are asked to sit down and
shut up!” I think this attitude is definitely
present, and we are taught to not think
for ourselves or use our brain cells, but
rather to just follow orders.
We use circus as a tool to work on
team values, coordination, listening
on children. From my experience, I have
found that girls are more reserved than
boys, especially physically. Children need
to deal with many borders, physical and
behavioural, which prevent them from
reaching their potential. I saw a funny sign
the other day that said something like,
“When we are young, our families teach
10
11
Fadi Zmurrod in performace.
susceptible to change is the fact that we,
as a society, are constantly under a lot of
pressure. Add the factor of risk and you
have a massive amount of energy. It is
this factor that plays a role in producing
and achieving. Kids, as all human beings,
like risk! At the circus, our work is mostly
physical and allows children to discover
their physical abilities and potential. It
is a place where they are able to push
themselves, go beyond their limits, and
cross borders. They can make mistakes
and learn from them, because, in the
end, it is a place where they can make
mistakes without being judged. Mistakes
become a pathway to learning.
and trusting, building confidence and
personality, and making people active
members of our future. Of course, there
are borders and taboos that we cannot
cross, no matter what we want to teach.
Otherwise we would be rejected at the
start.
We receive much support from local
partners, but they are not always able
to give us their full support to help
us reach our potential. For example,
working with boys and girls in Hebron
is very different from working with
children in Ramallah. However, I
believe that the first step in bringing
change to a place is to understand and
respect its culture. We have to respect
the local community in order to begin
to make a change.
Finally, the circus is not a one-man
show. It is all about cooperation, working
as a team, and helping each other to
achieve goals. Being in a circus has
given me a strong base for support. I
know from my experience that there is
a lot of energy among people and kids.
I think that what makes Palestine more
Fadi Zmorrod was born in Jerusalem
in 1981. He began to devote his
time to researching the disciplines of
contemporary circus in 2006. The same
year he contributed to the foundation of
the Palestinian Circus School, a dream of
his brother Shadi Zmorrod that became
true through the effort and energies of
the foundation.
Article photos courtesy of Palestinian
Circus School.
12
Two Shining Stars in the Sky of Palestine
Sprinter Wuroud Sawalha and her striking hijab
Swimmer Sabine Hazboun and her cute smile
By Ahmad Al-Bukhari
There is no shadow of a doubt
that Palestinian participation in
international sports competitions is
one of the milestones of the past few
years. Participation in international
championships and the sophisticated
infrastructure in the Palestinian territory
witness to the huge leap forward made
by Palestinian sports. Palestine now
has green football fields in line with FIFA
specifications, swimming pools, gyms,
and a sports public thirsty for decent
sports competition. Above all, Palestine
has gifted sportsmen and women
who have successfully participated
in international, Arab, and Olympic
competitions.
Two of the female sports stars that
have lit the sky of Palestine are a young
swimmer named Sabine Hazboun and
sprinter Wuroud Sawalha. They are two
special, talented young women who
are expected to shine in international
arenas. Both have gained the patronage
of Major-General Jibril Rajoub, Head
of the Palestinian Olympic Committee,
who advocates women’s sports and
encourages them with all the elements
of success.
Sabine Issa Hazboun is one of the
daughters of the city of Bethlehem, the
birthplace of Christ. She was born on
June 11, 1994, and she spent more than
half of her young years pursuing her most
favourite sport: swimming. She started
training professionally in 2003. Swimming
is her identity and hobby.
She is a special sports phenomenon
who managed to leave her mark on the
London Olympics a few months back.
She trained at the Catholic Action Club
in Bethlehem and the YMCA in Beit
Sahour. With support from her family,
especially her father Issa Hazboun
who was a sportsman himself in his
Sabine Hazboun
younger years, and under the patronage
of the Palestinian Olympic Committee,
she participated in a training camp in
Barcelona for nine months at the hands
of some of the most famous swimmers
in the world. She is indeed the sports
ambassador of Palestine who has
achieved great results at the London
Olympics and is expected to do the same
in future competitions.
In spite of her young age and
inexperience in life, Sabine defied the
14
District. She was born on November 3,
1990, and often participated in school
running competitions as a child. When
she joined the Sports Education Faculty
at An-Najah University she dreamt of
becoming a professional sprinter and
her dream started to become a reality
after she won first place in several
local competitions, the last being at
Birzeit University, which qualified her to
represent Palestine in this year’s London
Olympics.
Palestinian conditions, travelled all over
the world, and participated in Arab, Asian,
and international swimming tournaments.
She went out to the world to prove that
Palestinian girls are able to face the
world, assert themselves, and live far
from their families and friends in order
to honour Palestine, raise its flag, and
persevere for the achievement of their
dream.
Sprinter Wuroud Saleh comes from
Aseera Al-Shimaliyye Village in Nablus
15
Wuroud Sawalha
When training at the university, Wuroud
runs on dirt paths, and when she trains
in her own town she runs on asphalt
roads. Palestine lacks a racetrack and
as a result the Palestinian Sports Union
has requested that one be constructed in
the West Bank.
Wuroud considers it a great honour
to have participated in the London
Olympics. Encouraged by her father, she
has nurtured the dream to represent her
country in international arenas, especially
in one of the most important and popular
sports tournaments: the Olympics. For
her such representation is a national and
moral duty; it is also the first step toward
her future professional and academic life.
These are the success stories of
two young girls who have managed to
break through all restrictions toward
global fame. Their family members,
friends, and local community supported
them and saw in them two Palestinian
sports ambassadors. Wuroud, wearing
the special hijab, was surrounded by
foreign reporters and photographers in
London, and she talked to the press and
international TV stations. Sabine, with her
cute smile, was the youngest Palestinian
to participate in the Olympics since the
start of Palestinian participation in 1996.
She was also received with much interest
by international media.
Sabine and Wuroud are only two
of the emerging Palestinian gifted
sportspersons whose names have
been carved in gold. There are many
Palestinian female football players who
have managed to prove themselves
on the field locally and regionally, and
likewise, in basketball, martial arts, horse
riding, and car racing.
Ahmad Al-Bukhari is a sports media
reporter.
Photos are courtesy of Muntaser Idkedek.
16
The Magic of Palestinian Scientific Talent
By Aref Husseini
level with the PA’s decision to establish
the Higher Council for Innovation and
Creativity in September 2012.
It is not just by chance that we, as
Palestinians, find ourselves to be the
people most interested in talent in the
region. Regardless of the absence of
a holistic system to incubate it, there
has been a true effort to honour this
talent. Thankfully, time has diminished
the stereotype of academic education
being the only tool to secure a job, which
typically revolved around three majors:
medicine, engineering, and law. On the
other hand, Palestine has witnessed a
strong and growing interest in unique
and quality specialisations that are based
on will and talent. This approach is what
needs to be developed in our Palestinian
society in order to transform it from a
society of names and titles to a society
thriving on knowledge and talent.
Talent should be accompanied by
practice and constant training and
knowledge, after which accomplishment
will follow. Every day at Al Nayzak, we
It was the beginning of the year 2008,
in a small room at the Arab Science
and Technology Foundation in Ad-Doqi
neighbourhood, Cairo. Eight professionals
from a number of Arab universities and
scientific organisations gathered together
for the Arab region’s first-ever event that
focused on engaging youth in spreading
the culture of scientific innovation and
supporting Arab youth in this field. There
were representatives from various Arab
countries, but after brief introductions,
we realised that the representative of
the United Arab Emirates was originally
a Palestinian, the representative of
Jordan was originally a Palestinian, and,
of course, the representative of Palestine
was a Palestinian. I am not sure why, but
I think after losing our land in the 1948
Nakba, and losing our hope in the 1967
Naksa, our priority became educating
our people to confront the realities that
depend on human capacities.
Together as representatives we held the
“Made in the Arab World Competition” in
2009, and the Palestinian participants
experienced huge success by winning
four of the seven prizes. This success
wasn’t granted out of sympathy for the
ever-needy occupied people; it was fully
earned after years of serious efforts
and work that were initiated in 2001 by
Al Nayzak Organization for Supportive
Education and Scientific Innovation,
which resulted in a number of quality
projects. During the past five years,
the concept of scientific innovation
and entrepreneurship has become a
window of opportunity for Palestinian
youth to launch their efforts in the
business market, initiating a process of
creating job opportunities. Furthermore,
a number of Palestinian organisations
were established by gathering money
from capital donors and setting the
standard of caring for scientifically and
intellectually talented Palestinian youth.
Such standards reached the highest
Aref Husseini
in schools that follow the traditional
memorisation system? Would they
accept that their child receive a lower
grade than the neighbour’s child who is
in the same class? Would they do such a
thing simply for the sake of growing their
child’s talent in electronics, physics, arts,
or other fields? Would a mother agree to
announce to the mothers of other children
in her child’s class that her child is not
ranked in the top ten in school but that
the child is the first in his/her violin class?
The answer is most likely no.
It is no secret that our society and
prevailing culture like to brag about our
youngsters’ talent while they are still
young. But once this subject starts to
affect the traditional professional path,
welcome a handful of parents at our
offices in Jerusalem, Ramallah, and
Gaza who believe that their children are
talented. Parents then have the option
to include their children in the Talented
Students Incubators programme, the
Young Researcher programme, or other
scientific talent-fostering programmes
managed by the organisation. In most
cases, the parents know that we assess
their children’s scientific abilities and
talent. However, one question remains:
Who is willing to pay the price of investing
in talent, and at what expense? Here we
are not addressing a financial question
but rather a question of principle. Would
parents accept the fact that their children
would not receive the highest grades
18
19
I believe that we should commit
to reforming the current education
system – school or higher education
– which is fully incapable of producing
talented people given that our society
believes only in the traditional life path:
school, tawjihi, academic education,
job, building an apartment on top of
the family house, marriage, children,
forcing the children through the same
path, and so on. Therefore, we find that
all our local innovations, which start in
the fields of science and technology,
begin to disappear after the recognition
ceremony.
The real Arabic and Palestinian
challenge lies in founding a scientific
community that is able to grow, a society
that looks ahead and is not afraid
of confrontation and does not enjoy
being only a consumer of technology, a
society that truly wishes to contribute to
the futuristic scientific and technological
civilisation.
This is the challenge. And in order to
build a productive, knowledge-based
society, we need more than ever to
change the prevailing educational
system from that of memorisation and
indoctrination, for knowledge should no
longer be trapped in school textbooks.
We are able, nowadays, to easily access
the information we seek whether it be
through the Internet or smart phones.
The real questions that remain are: How
do we interact with this knowledge? And
how do we employ such accumulated
information, skills, and analytical
abilities that achieve deep and ultimate
understanding of the support and
implementation of innovation that we
store as knowledge capital? The magic
of talent may start with giving up fear,
because undoubtedly, terrified people
cannot innovate.
I remember when Ahmad Ramahi
was accepted into the Stars of Science
programme. He entered my office and
his mind was filled with doubts and
questions. He said: “In order to participate
in the programme in Doha, I have to quit
a stable job at the university. I have to
change my life, leave the country, and
stay without a salary. I can afford all this
but what will I tell my mother? How will
the majority of the community retreats
to investing in the traditional path at the
expense of investing in talent, since this
is what the people are accustomed to do.
In our special case, the Palestinian
people are still humbly competing with
their unique ideas, but nevertheless,
they are renowned for their outstanding
capacities despite living under constant
closure due to the occupation, a shortage
Ahmad Ramahi, Palstinian participant at Stars of Science.
she accept the idea of my giving up my
position as a university lecturer to be an
inventor on TV?”
Ahmad didn’t really advance on the
show and was eliminated in unusual
circumstances by the Arab jury even
after his success in solving the majority
of the complicated engineering problems,
according to the jury itself. However,
once the show ended, he moved on,
not only because he is an excellent
engineer, but because of his passion and
determination to succeed. Why didn’t the
Arab committee want to keep him in the
programme despite his excellence in
terms of ideas and techniques? It may
be due to the aforementioned Palestinian
conditions that do not facilitate success
when all interests and selection criteria
of resources, “neither-war-nor-peace”
conditions, and an unclear political vision
in terms of upbringing for excellence. In
addition to the conflicting interests of the
traditional business market, pioneering
ideas that call for change and entry into
the world of entrepreneurship are based
on know-how, informatics, and modern
trade and industrial systems. The best
example would be the success of Ahmad
Ramahi, a young Palestinian innovator
from Salfit, in the northeastern part of
Palestine, who started as a participant in
2010 at Al Nayzak’s “Made in Palestine”
programme, which supports innovators.
He quickly excelled and won awards at
the national and regional levels where he
also participated in the Stars of Science
TV programme on MBC4 – an initiative
of the Qatar Foundation.
20
overlap and collide at the same time.
At this point, talent steps aside.
Ahmad Ramahi and his business
partner Hassan Jaddeh, with the
support of Al Nayzak, were able
to develop an innovative idea –
transforming every white surface into
an interactive educational platform
– into an industrial business named
Concepts Co. At the company, both
individuals then started to produce
and market an idea that turned into
a product in the local and Arabic
markets. The company also works
on innovative technological solutions
in the field of IT and cyberspace.
Ahmad’s mother was able to overcome
the momentary crisis of her son’s not
following the traditional path and also
started to like the idea of his being
an entrepreneur and businessman
instead of a university professor. This,
however, might not appeal much to the
surrounding community.
In our Palestinian and Arabic reality,
everyone is racing to honour innovation
and entrepreneurship. We all attempt to
reap the fruits of a non-existing tree. We
applaud and honour talented people,
building on previous stereotypes that
individuals who are born with talent are
able to bypass the stage of latency and
jump ahead into the stage of generating
ideas and finding solutions all on their
own. But to plant the tree of sustained
systematic innovation we have to start
from an early age, which can only be
done through education.
Aref Husseini is an electronics engineer,
physicist, and novelist. He is the founder
and general manager of Al-Nayzak
Organization for Scientific Innovation. In
2011, he was elected vice chairman of
the Institute of Electrical and Electronics
Engineers (IEEE)-Palestine Subsection.
21
A Century of Musical Talent
By Rima Tarazi
It is very difficult to try to introduce
readers to a wide range of musical talents
across many decades. Due to the large
scope of the subject, I will not pretend to
cover current musical talents, which are
bountiful; I will merely mention those with
whom I am familiar.
During the first part of the twentieth
century, musical life was beginning to
flourish in Palestine. The birth of the
Palestinian Broadcasting Station in
Jerusalem was an important factor in
disseminating music and encouraging
musicians to pursue their passion for
music. The Palestinian Broadcasting
Station attracted local and other talents
from the Arab world who regularly
performed there, which contributed
towards developing a cultured and critical
audience.
In the field of Arabic music in Jerusalem,
the following names have gained
prominence: Wasif Jawhariyyeh, Yahia
Saodi, Yacoub Ziadeh, Rohi Khammash
(oud) Antone Binyamin, Jamil Iweis,
Jamil Rukab (violin) Ibrahim Abdel
Al, Mohammad Atiyeh, Artin Santori
(qanoun) Tawfik Jawharieh (nay), Basil
Sarwa (percussion) Yahia Lababidi, Fahd
Najjar, Mary Akkawi, Amer Khaddaj, Riad
Bandak, and Raja’ Al Filistinia (voice).
In northern Palestine, mainly in
Nazareth and Haifa, there were quite a
few prominent musicians, as music was
very much part of the cultural landscape.
This heritage laid the groundwork for
outstanding musical talents of our times.
Unfortunately, I am only familiar with a
few names of the generation of the first
half of the twentieth century, and I hope
that others will provide readers with a full
anthology of those musicians. Musicians
of the older generation who hail from the
north include Hikmat Shaheen (oudist
and father of Simon Shaheen,) Yusef
Al Khil (composer,) whose children
Cecil (pianist) and Bishara (composer)
have followed in their father’s footsteps.
Songwriter Ibrahim Bawarshi is also a
name I remember from the old days.
Western classical music, on the other
hand, was promoted by a number of
foreign music teachers heralding from
Italy, France, and England, whose
gifted students excelled and eventually
became music teachers themselves
in various Palestinian schools, which,
in turn, helped spread the interest in
music on a wide scale. This undoubtedly
had a marked impact on the future
of music in Palestine. Amongst those
who left an important legacy were the
Jerusalemites: Augustine Lama (organist,
composer, teacher, and music arranger,
who dedicated most of his compositions
to the Church,) Salvador Arnita (a student
of Lama who was also an organist,
composer, conductor, choirmaster, and
teacher, and who, after 1948, went
on to establish the music department
at the American University in Beirut),
Yusef Batroni (composer, conductor,
choirmaster and teacher who was very
well-versed in both Arabic and classical
music and was amongst the pioneers
in the Palestine Broadcasting Station),
and Hanna Khatchadourian (later known
as Ohan Durian N’ark, pianist, teacher,
composer, and conductor who, after
1948, had a long career in conducting
in France, Germany, and eventually
Armenia). Other piano teachers of the
forties and fifties were Nadia Khoury
and Mary Salah who moved on to
Amman and Italy respectively. Another
prominent musical figure was Yousef
Khasho, composer, who moved to
Amman after 1948, where he opened a
music academy.
During the second half of the last
century, a few musical talents were able to
pursue their music education, eventually
contributing towards the revival of the
musical scene in Palestine. The value
of music was becoming more and more
22
Nadia Mikhail Abboushi (pianist and
music teacher), Suhail Khoury (composer
and clarinettist), and myself (composer
and pianist).
In Palestine today there are a number
of outstanding musical talents who are
performers, teachers, or both.
Amongst those who have achieved
renown in the singing field are Reem
Talhami, Rim Banna, Camelia Jubran,
Dalal Abu Amneh, Mustafa Al Kurd
(oudist, singer, and composer), Jamil Al
Sayeh, Hani Assad, and Rosan Khoury.
Well-known talents who are established
in their musical fields include: The Trio
Jubran (oudists and composers), Khaled
Jubran (oudist and composer), Habib
Shihadeh (composer), Yousef Hbeisch
(percussion), Amer Nakhleh (guitarist),
Hisham Abu Jabal (guitarist), Ibrahim Atari
(qanunist), Samer Totah (oudist), Ashraf
Dabbah (guitarist), Mohammad Fadel
(violinist), Ramadan Khattab (double bass
player), Yacoub Mohammad(qanunist),
Dina Shilleh (pianist), Habib al Deek
(oudist), Lamees Odeh (pianist),
Wafa Zaghal (oudist), Abdel Salam
Sabbah (percussionist), Samer Jaradat
(percussionist), Basel Zayed (oudist and
singer), Odeh Turjman (composer), Omar
Jallad (song-writer and oudist), Yusef
recognised by educators and the public
in general which encouraged these
musicians to take up music professionally
and pass on their skills and love of music
to the younger generations.
On the other hand, a number of nonprofessional outstanding musical talents
pursued their passion for music by
performing and giving joy to others.
Tania Tamari Nasir (singer) has risen to
prominence by performing innovative
music nationally and outside of Palestine.
Edward Said, in addition to being a writer,
scholar, and advocate of the Palestinian
cause, was also an excellent pianist and
music critic. Ramzi Rihan, a physicist,
is also a passionate composer. Other
talents include the late Dr. Amin Majaj and
D. Roger Kayyaleh (violinists) as well as
Suhail Saba (violinist) and Diana Nasir
(pianist), both of whom left Palestine after
1948 to live abroad.
In 1993, five musicians established
the National Conservatory of Music
(later named the Edward Said National
Conservatory of Music - ESNCM), which
was instrumental in discovering and
nurturing promising musical talents. The
founding musicians were Salwa Tabri
(pianist and choirmaster), Amin Nasser
(composer, pianist, and choirmaster),
Palestine Youth Orchestra.
23
Ghannoum (pianist and choirmaster/
Amman), Shireen Abu Khader
(composer and choirmaster/Amman).
Abdel Hamid Hamam(composer/
Jordan), Salim Sahab (conductor/
Cairo), Samir Odeh Tamimi(composer),
Maron Khoury(flutist/Metropolitan
Opera, New York) Jusef Issa (clarinettist/
Germany), Benjamin Jaber(principal
Horn/San Diego Symphony, USA) Hind
Sabanekh (trumpeter/Jordan), Maan
Khalife(trombonist/Syria, Germany)
Tarek Salhiye(guitar and percussion/
Syria) George Assad(violinist and
music school director/Jordan),Milan Al
Ashhab(violinist/Czech republic), Marie
Al Ashhabova(pianist/Czech Republic),
Qarma Elias(violinist/Germany),
Rawan Kurdi (violinist/Syria), Imiroush
Issa (composer and cellist/Canada),
Sharbel Dalal(composer and pianist/
Canada),Hana Khoury (composer and
pianist/USA)
Among the few rising stars of the
new generation, some of whom have
become established performers,
are: Karim Said (pianist/Amman,
London), Salim Abboud (pianist/
Nazareth, Germany), Dima Bawab
(singer/Amman, Paris), Mariam Tamari
(singer/Tokyo, Paris), Nabih Boulos
(violinist/Amman), Nai Barghouti
(flutist/singer, Palestine), Ahmad Eid
(double bass player/Palestine), Jiries
Boulata (pianist/Palestine), Fadi Deeb
(pianist, Nazareth, USA), Bishara
Aharouni (pianist/Nazareth), Tamer Abu
Ghazaleh(oudist and singer/Amman,
Palestine), Hisham Khoury(violinist/
Haifa), and Nasser Makhoul (violinist/
Jerusalem).
Finally, I would like to apologise,
once again, to those whose names
were not mentioned in this brief piece,
especially the tens of young musicians
who are studying abroad and hoping to
return home to enrich life in Palestine.
I trust that other interested students
and researchers will delve deeper
into the matter and offer a more
comprehensive picture of the musical
talents in Palestine.
Zayed (percussionist), Dia Rishmawi
(pianist and composer), Renan
Rishmawi (pianist), Mohammad Nijem
(clarinettist), Hala Jaber (clarinettist),
Joseph Dukmak (saxophonist),Tamer
Sahouri (oudist), Nassim Qassis
(bouzok and percussion), Hussam
Saad (theory teacher), Ramzi Abu
Radwan (violist), Salim Zoghbi (pianist),
Hania Soudah (choir master), Ghawi
Ghawi (choir master), Joseph Hazboun
(choir master), Said Murad (composer),
Wisam Murad (oudist), Darwish Al
Kurd, Garo Demerdjian, Donia Jarrar
(pianist and composer), Mohammad
Mousa Khalaf (pianist and composer),
Michel Rohana (oudist), Luay Bishara
(violinist) Nabil Abboud (violinist) and
Tyme Khleifi(violinist).
There are also several Arabic
music, and jazz ensembles, over and
above the ESNCM orchestras, whose
members include professional and
amateur musicians who are enriching
the musical landscape in Palestine.
There are many Palestinian musical
talents dispersed all over the world,
many of whom have achieved
worldwide recognition. I will mention a
few well-established names in the field
of music with whom I am personally
familiar. I offer my deep apologies if I
neglect to mention others who should
be in this group: Simon Shaheen
(oudist, violinist and composer/USA),
Patrick Lama (pianist and composer/
Paris), Munir Anestas (composer/
Paris), John Farah (composer and
pianist/Canada), Alexander Suleiman
(cellist/Germany, USA), Bassem Al
Ashkar (composer/Yemen, Moscow),
Habib Kayyaleh (violinist/Switzerland),
Laurence Kayyaleh (violinist/Canada,
Switzerland), Wissam Boustany
(Lebanese-Palestinian flutist and
composer/London), Basel Theodory
(violinist/Amman), John Bisharat
(composer/USA), Charles Bisharart
(violinist/USA) Issa Boulos (composer/
USA), Ahmad Al Khatib (composer and
oudist/Amman, Palestine, Sweden),
Ramzi Mikhail (guitarist, Cyprus), Samia
24
Raising Funds and Awareness in the
Himalayas
My Window to the World, My First Computer
By Hazem Mulhim
it all the way up to Kala Patthar, which
made for the most spectacular views
of Everest at about 5,500 metres. The
rest of us made it as far as Tengboche
located at 3,867 metres. How small
and insignificant we humans and our
complicated lives seemed from up there
and how much good this beautiful earth
inspired, I thought, if only we could get
everyone up here. It might change things!
I have been called many things during
my lifetime, during the many years I
would rather not count or reveal … a
businessman, an entrepreneur, a father,
a husband, etc., and my least favourite
label: a refugee. Out of all the labels,
being a Palestinian living outside the
homeland is the one label I have tried
the hardest to live up to. I blame my
father for this. He has made us live our
At the Himalayas, Nepal.
Kofur Deek school in Salfeet during an ICT summer camp.
lives trying to be worthy of the homeland
he cherished. The burden of living up
to his expectations and now mine has
been an uphill climb to one of the highest
mountains… literally. The destination:
The Himalayas – Nepal. The mission
– to raise funds that would hopefully
give some of the children of Palestine a
window to this world and open up their
horizons: a computer!
My First Laptop is the name of this
initiative. Though getting people to give
up their money is never easy, coming up
with a creative angle makes it surprisingly
easier. Anyone who wanted the chance-ofa-lifetime trip to the Himalayas attached to
a good cause would be able to sign up for
it. In order to be eligible – physically – for
this opportunity, we had to undergo some
fitness preparation, but that’s about it.
Our trek took place last month on
October 12, 2012. Some of us made
Oh well, one can dream and daydream
forever. In real life we were able to raise
US$130,000 that would go towards 500
computers. We hope that they will give
the children of Palestine an open-ended
permit to explore the world, learn, grow,
and prosper.
For more about this cause and how to
get involved, please visit our Facebook
page:
https://www.facebook.com/EastNets/
app_448294735188448.
Hazem Mulhim is CEO and founder of
EastNets, a Dubai-based global software
company that specialises in solutions for
the financial industry.
EastNets is a sponsor of Netketabi, an
initiative to give Palestinian children tools
for personal growth and development,
and a window to the world by enabled
self-empowered learning.
26
Young Literary Talents
Courtesy of Tamer Institute for Community Education
The young voices echoing in the following texts are voices of young Gazans under
occupation, voices which chose to express and to convey to the whole world how
living under occupation is. Voices, a youth based advocacy group initiated by Tamer
Institute for Community Education, where youth write in English about the hardships
experienced under occupation to raise awareness about children and young people’s
life in Palestine.
My First Book competition, another initiative by Tamer Institute, is held annually to
encourage children (from 8-15 years) to write and express themselves. Out of hundreds
of stories we receive, about five winning stories are published in a book where children
become the writers and illustrators of their own books.
Delighted we leave you here with young voices that deliver the Palestinian youth's
thoughts and opinions no matter how young, these voices echo the message to the
whole world….
Young Voices, Big Echoes
A Man In A Canyon
By Bahaa Ulayan
A few days ago, I watched a movie where a man got stuck in a canyon. A huge rock
had pinned his right hand. The man started to think about his life and asked himself,
“Did I grow up and experience all those events and moments in my life to die in this
way? Is everything part of a grand design?”
This question made me take a long, silent, deep moment of thought.
It is just like a maze; you just walk, walk, and walk, but you have no idea where the
exit is or what the end looks like.
Some people say, “Life is beautiful,” others say, “Life is shit.”
For me it is both. Life is like the weather, it changes very quickly. You have to adapt to
it, prepare suitable clothes, go specific places, and do specific things.
So the focal point is life, and you change according to its change.
But you can be the focal point by adapting quickly, and you can feel happy and satisfied
in any weather because there is always something good in everything.
If I could adapt to those changes, if I had to succeed and fail, feel happy and sad, love
and hate, how and when would I die?
If I am going to die strangulated, if I am going to die tomorrow, if I am going to die
because of that small cheap cigarette…why do I plan for the future? Why do I struggle
in life, trying to learn things, develop skills, and make social relationships? Why should
I buy an expensive present for my lover when I am not sure whether I will live long
enough to be with her?
I think we go through life like a defeated soccer team in a match that comes to an end,
no way to win. The choice is between accepting the defeat or struggle to get the best
scores before the end comes.
Note: The man I mentioned above cut off his arm and survived.
I Am From
By Saba Abu Zaanona
I am from the silence of the night,
Magic of the moon…
Whisperings of a midnight
Cool breeze summer afternoon…
I am from forgetting myself
through the words of a poet or favourite writer…
I am from the crazy woman inside me who wakes up to start writing…
I am from the lovely memories
with friends
with family
with love and tender
I am from listening to music, giving it permission to translate my inner wonder,
My heart, my feelings
Allow them to fly, freely,
with melodies
with rhythm
without borders
without limits…
I am from sitting on the beach’s sand watching the sunset,
while the tide tickles my feet…
I am from yesterday and tomorrow,
life stations,
an unknown,
awaiting me to live a better life…
Saba Abu Zaanon is a writer and translator from Gaza. She studied English literature
at Al-Azhar University and currently works at the National Centre for Studies and
Documentation.
Photo by Majed Shabaneh.
Bahaa Ulayan studies business administration at Al-Azhar University in Gaza. At 22,
he is interested in writing and social work.
Beem
By Mohammed Abo El Ola
I feel like there’s a rock on my head, the sounds everywhere leaving no place for
calmness on this night, smashing the beauty of the sky.
“Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeem !” Here I am on the roof of my house, surrounded by
sounds of generators, having a bad time, seeking fresh air that will move away all the
stress that I had during the day.
A couple of days ago I suffered from chest problems. I went to a doctor; he examined
me and then asked a weird question, “Do you smoke?” I shouted “Noooo.” Then he
continued, “Or does anyone in your family? I responded, “No doctor. What is it? What
28
29
do I have?” He told me that I have a lung inflammation, and after researching my
case further, he said that it was clear that it’s from the toxic gas that comes from the
generators. “Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeem !”
That night when I was back home I tried to sleep, but I couldn’t. Not that I was thinking
about what had happened, but there was something missing. My head started to hurt
and the shortness of breath was making me insane. I needed to smell something but
there was no generator on!
Here I am on the roof of my house, wondering about the last thing that can be damaged.
The fresh air that anyone in the world can freely enjoy, how can I enjoy it?
waiting for the only man that could be brought to me from above. I waited and he
came and I got married, it was the eternal marriage to the land … The best thing that
ever happened to me!”
Mohammed Abo El Ola is a 21-year-old writer from Gaza. He studies business
administration at The Islamic University. Also interested in social work, he is a team
member at Voices from Palestine, an initiative by Tamer Institute for Community
Education.
My First Book competition
Like an Old Olive Tree
By Rana Bakr
An 80-year-old olive tree told the story of the best thing that ever happened to her. She
said in her low burdened voice: “I am something from the past, but my memory is still
rooted like the green olives that I’m still giving, like the ingrained love in my soul, like
my red nationality made out of the sanctified blood of the martyrs buried beneath this
fecund ground I’m standing above. Smells like musk, like purple grapes, like a spring
anemone. I’m the olive tree seeded by the chivalric generous peasant…”
“My mother said I look like her, like a woman born from the sand. Her words are still
tolling in my ears. She said my phloem is as brown as her eyes, she said I have long
branches like her hair, and I always asked her to dress me like her … Oh her dress!
Red and black, brocaded with soft silk, she said my olives beaded my leaves.”
A soft breeze wiggled her leaves, an olive fell, and then she continued: “I was about
18 when the catastrophe extracted and expelled my parents from our home, I can
still smell my mother’s tears that day, and I can clearly remember my dad’s words:
You’re a legend if you resist, if you keep yourself away from these immoral occupiers
intending to usurp you.”
More olives fell and hit the ground like heavy tears striking a cheek: “I never let them
touch my dignity; I was an unattainable star lighting up the Palestinian sky. I was
Photo by Emile Ashrawi.
Rana Bakr is a social activist and writer from Gaza. She began writing short stories
and articles at an early age. Now 20 years of age, she has her own blog where she
publishes her text.
My Tale about the Olive Tree
By Maha Ghrab, 10 years old, Al Nosayrat, Gaza
I used to see it on my way home from the nearby school, and used to often sit in its
shade when disturbed by the heat of the sun.
I always felt its shadow playing with me and relieving me of the fatigue of the school
day. I imagined it telling my story to the ancestors.
For over ten years it was a witness to the events taking place around. I always dreamt
of growing up just like it, I even talked to it as a friend. I bid her farewell, hoping to get
to see it again soon, when I realised that I was late in getting back to my family. On
the long vacations I used to miss its shade and breeze.
One day the Israeli forces invaded our camp with tanks, and so we had to stay home
for a few days. When we went back to school, and on my way back home, I went to
lie down under the tree that was part of my little angelic and loving world; the world
that doesn’t know pain or grief.
I walked towards the tree with an unusual bad feeling. When I reached the tree I knew
the reason for what I felt: the tree had been uprooted and thrown to the ground. Its
leaves were drying up. They had uprooted it with no mercy for its age; they hadn’t even
listened to its screaming and moaning. They had pulled it up and pulled up my beautiful
world with it. They had pulled up the hope that I grew and dreamed of underneath
its shade. They didn’t treat it with compassion because it symbolised peace and was
planted in the land of peace, for peace.
They uproot every bit of hope in life, existence and hope itself. That’s how they do it!
OH! Who would hear us? Who would heal our wounds? Wake up you silent world...
wake up from your deadly silence and bring back to me hope and my right to live. Bring
back the right for this tree to be the symbol for peace!
The Egg Seller
By Su’ad Fou’ad Al-BuBu, 12 years old, Al-Braij Camp, Gaza
When the loudspeakers announced the end of the curfew imposed on Al-Shati’ Refugee
Camp, the people rushed outside their homes to breathe a bit of freedom and enjoy
the sight of sunlight and the sea waves rushing one after another. Abu Fayez opened
his bakery, and the smoke from the oven ascended to mix with the clouds. The women
approached carrying their dough, as the residents of the camp had had to eat only rice
for the whole duration of the curfew.
30
31
Illustration by Iman Al Akhras, 12 years old, Rafah.
As for Fatima, she collected the eggs her
hens produced and went to the market to sell
them, hoping to be able to secure some of her
children’s needs with the money she makes
from selling them. She was the one now in
charge of supporting the family because her
husband has been imprisoned for the past
five years.
Fatima was thinking to herself on her way to
the market, “Thirty eggs, each for the price
of half a shekel, then I’ll be able to get fifteen
shekels in total. That might be enough to
purchase a pair of trousers for Jamal. As for
Mounir, he’ll have to wait until the following
week, and Yousef as well.” She paused for a
while remembering how he had complained
to her about his worn-out shoes. “And Siham,
I will buy her a dress the following week. And
winter is approaching! As for Rabab, she’ll
need a school uniform for the coming school
year too. God!! What can I do? Where am
I going to get all this money to secure the
needs of the children?” The poor woman
moaned as she couldn’t think of a solution.
She tripped and almost fell to ground. The
eggs could have broken.
When she reached the camp’s market,
she felt weak due to the long distance she
walked. She sat in a spot in the market,
waiting for someone to buy the 30 eggs she
32
had. Her thoughts wandered, and
she remembered her oldest son
and thought to herself: Jamal has
grown, and he is about to enter high
school. If I sold all the eggs today, I
could return to him with a new pair
of trousers. Then she paused a little,
putting her hand on her face and
whispered to herself: he can’t wear
new trousers and an old shirt…then
I must buy him a new shirt also, but
where I can get the money? Her
eyes filled with tears that almost
rolled down her face. She thought
again … I can also sell the milk and
the beans.
While she was deep in her thoughts,
a thick voice speaking weak Arabic
pierced her ears. When she raised
her eyes to the source of the voice,
she was met with one of the Israeli
soldiers. She whispered to herself:
He will buy all the eggs. I will sell him
the eggs for six liras each instead
of five. The soldier yelled: four liras
and I will buy all that you have.
Fatima said: this is organic egg,
fateh (the start) of the year… she
had barely finished her sentence
when the soldier started kicking the
eggs as a mad person and breaking
them with his feet saying, “Fateh…
even in the eggs fateh.” Fatima rose
to her feet trying to protect the eggs
from the feet of the crazed soldier,
saying sadly and in pain: the boy’s
trousers, the girl’s dress.
Fatima went back home sad and in
tears after the crazed soldier broke
all the eggs she had without allowing
her to sell one. Near the house, her
children gathered around her. She
hugged them and cried.
Before she was able to answer
any of their questions, a voice
she knows well made its way to
her ears. It was the voice of the
children’s grandfather, who was
standing near the door, smiling
compassionately and holding a
heavy bag full of fruits and new
clothing for the children.
Fashion Design in Palestine (An Opinion)
By Omarivs Ioseph Filivs Dinæ
It is as if during the past twenty years,
since the establishment of the Palestinian
Authority and the emergence of both
local and foreign non-governmental
organisations, we have become suddenly
aware of the need to create a Palestinian
fashion industry. Workshops, grants,
funds, and schemes have mushroomed all
over occupied Palestine. Some shrivelled
and died, others survived and grew into the
infestations we now so readily recognise.
Still, some claim to empower whilst others
seek to inspire, yet all are dedicated to
us, the people of Palestine, our welfare,
development, and growth. The vulgar
millions poured into the creation of
community organisations, businesses,
vocational schools, training programmes
and institutes has achieved little more than
corrupt what notion of Palestinian dress
we had and what chances of a fashion
industry were possible.
Political significance once central to
historical dress in Palestine has, since
1993, not only lost its sting and meaning,
but has become the romanticised rag
indiscriminately and ignorantly employed
to polish and aggrandise both high and
base. Transmogrified into vapid discourse;
a bastardised nationalist visual mantra,
grotesque and disconnected. Embroidery
is now little more than an epitaph on the
tombstone of a system of dress that once
reigned supreme in this part of the world.
As for the knowledge and function of so
intricate and nuanced a phenomenon,
these are now confined to the realm
of colonial museums miles away from
Palestine. What information so confidently
imparted by the local institutions and
culture-mongering collectors is at best
replicated from copies of ineptly translated
foreign texts; out-dated and warped.
As for the contemporary state of dress
it takes little more than a few field visits to
Nablus, Bethlehem, and Hebron to realise
how the majority of the textile and garment
factories are all, in effect, variations on
dictates the mode of dress production
and consumption. Ironically, without the
appropriate, and unfortunate, capitalist
the talent pervading and sustaining the
craft market exceeds itself only in its own
mediocrity, and has entrenched its own
Threads on a loom.
dysfunctional sweatshops subcontracted
to produce for Israeli clothing companies.
There are virtually no manufacturers that
produce for the Palestinian public. Dirtcheap Turkish and Chinese products,
allowed to flood the market, determine
the status quo.
On the individual scale, local designers
have to develop an altogether unique
approach when dealing with technicians
and outsourcing. An inevitable plan-B
and a margin of disastrous shortcomings
have always to be taken into account.
It is both a tragedy and a paradox that
38
infrastructure, labour force, market,
consumer culture, and industrialisation, all
of which are impossible under a military
occupation and a caretaker government,
there is little hope for a sustainable
industry. Plainly put, Palestinian fashion is
a perfect reflection of Palestinian politics,
economy, and society.
incompetence. It is as if all the creative
energy of the artisan workforce goes
into figuring out how to best fall short of
the most basic standards of production.
The impotence of the intelligentsia and
professional class in countering or even
addressing this seems to stem from an
unwillingness and inability to critique or
deconstruct this sub-creative industry.
Fashion as a system will not come about
through NGO meddling, condescending
state intervention, or deluded pioneers.
It is the socio-economic system of
capital, gender, and class that ultimately
Omarivs Ioseph Filivs Dinæ is a
fashion designer working and living in
Palestine. He can be found on twitter @
OMARIVSIOSEPH and http://omarivs.
tumblr.com/.
39
Spotlight
By Thair Muammar
us (the target recipients) and them (the
purveyor defenders). The lamp negates
the darkness in the neighbourhood and,
more significantly, clearly shows the way
for all those long-distance (international)
observers.
“The only democracy in the Middle
East.” Damn right. The light points at a
refugee camp, but illuminates its owner
as well.
***
A cock crows although the sun is still
two and a half hours from rising – It’s the
end of Ramadan, the last day of fasting.
Everything will be visible in the light of
day. All our shit:
And the overhead light is harsh
compared to the soft candle, TV screen
hum, and summer air that drags behind
it a glowing haze. The Wall’s bright
light pounds onto the neighbourhood
building and covers the distance of
several streets, a graveyard, a chicken
coop, another street, and the mural of a
lonely child.
We sense that something is different
about this night. Our suspicion arises
from the abnormal lighting on the
neighbour’s building. And then we notice
its source – the piercing lamp near the
Wall’s watchtower. The abnormal beam
means security above all. Blue-white like
the Star of David, it is unmistakable to
Boy in Aida Refugee Camp at night.
40
unmistakable. An act of unity so human that
it sputtered in its own brilliance while birthing
a name for our vision: ‫( �إنتفا�ضة‬intifada). The
hand flinched and our fire was momentarily
visible for everyone to hear, feel, and
understand the complete condition of our
fate. The moment ended.
A few flailing events followed: glowing
embers. We exploded away our chances in
the vessels of our ambassadors to God. They
became the patron saints of anti-colonialism
and a Wall was erected around the fist. It was
fearsome and cruel grey.
You watch over us from your towers and
from within your fortress walls. You’ve drawn
many lines between, around and, mostly, over
us so that you have no idea how to distinguish
yourself within the rabbit hole. The hedges
have grown so tall you don’t know which
side is “in” and who is “out” – lost in your own
maze. “Cosmetics,” as an olive farmer I met
in Susya wisely said.
Technology will eventually do you in – a
contradicting irony in itself as you label Tel
Aviv–Yaffo the “Silicon Wadi,” demonstrating
your civility, modernity, and white-supremacy
all at once.
Multi-cultural, my ass.
There’s a newly built prison waiting for the
black people passing over your southern
border. They will be funnelled into an
indefinite detention where olive oil essence
will be extracted from their skin. “Made in
Israel,” its bottle label will most certainly say.
The dirty laundry is plain to see. What you
could never have expected is that people
would be able to look from above, Googlemap over your walls and microscopically
identify the pores of your being oozing the
sweat of a summer heat wave.
The pit stains perpetuated in your tight tanktops are too much to take. Even in your case,
a resilient and holy soul, your flame has long
been led astray burning a barren path through
your house of cards. The roof is collapsing.
• A wife beaten like a rug.
• Restricting one’s own – children,
family, neighbours, friends – to a
prison where they starve on a diet
that you, the “enemy,” wouldn’t
prescribe.
• Forging human safety from
inhumane security.
Yes, you are looking into a reflection.
The sun will show more broadly than
your beam, demonstrating a strange
reciprocity of evils. We found inspiration
from the “most moral army in the world.”
A camera requires light to document,
and document it will.
***
Secret files tied up like scrolls. That’s how
they built the Wall, you know. They used
Egyptian slaves and tightly curled documents
filled with your deepest, darkest secrets, your
GPS coordinates, and, yes, “What is your
father’s name?”
The scrolls rise up the medieval staircase
of the tower padding the feet of the weary
soldier who, although he/she won’t admit
it, is frightened and jaded at the same
time because the youthful he/she is raised
on contradictions: Gender equality in the
military, but not at the Wailing Wall. You’ll be
inaugurated there as the biggest, baddest
soldiers in the Middle East, but 50 percent
of you won’t be able to stand on the right,
or 2/3 of your damned sacred space. You’re
not so different from those Arabs surrounding
you who honour-kill and won’t let their women
drive.
The saddest contradiction is the most
obvious; it’s your deep dark secret that
you’ve aired as laundry all along. At first,
no one knew but us. We were well hidden
behind rhetoric (curtains of clever words)
and emotion (the mortar for your castle).
Then there was the control. But somehow
we leaked through the cracks in your iron
grip, like silly putty, slowly forming puddles
of mercury that resembled your fist. Except
our coalescence was pure, natural, and
righteous silver.
We had never sat passively, but this time
we flared in such singular beauty it was
Thair Muammar likes words. He is
particularly fond of them when put
together nicely and tries to do that. He
calls himself a writer and can be reached
at [email protected].
41
The Jerusalem Players
major production. Believe it or not, I am at
a loss for which to praise more highly in
Kenneth Horne’s “A Lady Mislaid” – the
needlepoint delicacy of the author or
Haider Husseini’s production at McIness
Hall, with actors whose exquisite tact and
perfect timing give the impression that no
one is really acting at all.
Ten major plays were staged: Blithe
Spirit by Noel Coward, produced by
Betty Samuels; Ladies in Retirement
by E. Percy and R. Denham, produced
by John Kissel; Arms and the Man by
Bernard Shaw, produced by George
Mason; Monkey’s Paw by W. W. Jacobs;
Two Dozen Red Roses by Kenneth Horn;
The Shop at Sly Corner by Edward
Percy; Arsenic and Old Lace by Joseph
Kesselring; A Lady Mislaid by Kenneth
Horn; Candida by G. Bernard Shaw. All
were produced and directed by Haidar
Husseini. An Arabic version of Beyond the
Horizon was produced by Wassef Daher.
A mixture of Palestinian and
international amateur actors enlivened
these productions; among them were
Brenda and George Mason, Wassef
Daher, Herbert Larsson, Tania Tamari,
William Alonzo, Ken Haycock, Anton
Calis, Claire Tomassian, Grania Birkett,
and Sylvia Strange.
We should never forget the backstage
and support staff who are the backbone
of any production: John Skinner, Ata
Hadiyeh, Saliba Mushahwar, Shafika
Husseini, Manuel Khasho, Berge
Karakashian, Kamal Boullata, and Pam
Pulling, to name just a few.
It goes without saying that the income
from the plays was donated to charitable
institutions. The dress rehearsals were
attended by students from the Helen
Keller Blind School who would not
have ventured out to the theatre during
regularly scheduled performances. They
were briefed on the scenery before the
start of the play and then asked to critique
the performance, especially the audio
components – articulation, volume, etc.
The Jerusalem Players is not the first
or only amateur group of the Holy City.
By William Alonzo
plays, play readings, radio plays, and
dinner-dance parties that included
charades and entertainment. In short,
every month, and at times every week,
a programme.
T h o u g h s h o r t o n t e c h n o l o g y,
equipment, costumes, props, make-up,
and funds, The Jerusalem Players were
full of enthusiasm, innovations, ideas,
talent, and improvisation skills. These
amateur theatre lovers were a group
of Palestinians and internationals who
were brought together by their love for
the theatre, by their desire to promote
art, by their urge to entertain the people
of Jerusalem, Ramallah, and Bethlehem
with quality theatre plays, and by the
knowledge that creativity and innovation
are enough to bring a good idea to
fruition.
Yes it was exciting to be on your toes
waiting to hear whether the audience
It was a casual, unscheduled, and
unexpected meeting that brought
together Tania Tamari Nasir and me.
We hadn’t seen each other for at least
fifteen years. Needless to say memories
of days past rushed to mind – the hard
and pleasant work for the theatre, the
free movement between Palestinian
cities when people could get together
to enjoy activities, especially the varied
and successful theatre plays by The
Jerusalem Players.
Born in 1959, and fathered by amateur
theatre lovers, with St. George’s School
as godfather and its McInnes Hall as
residence, The Jerusalem Players
emerged through the creativity and
valuable efforts of six founders who
were determined to surmount a number
of obstacles that threatened to hinder
their plans. It matured with major theatre
productions, poetry readings, one-act
would laugh at a joke or how people
would react to a situation – whether
or not they would feel with the actors
and applaud, give standing ovations,
comment on the play, demand more
performances, more plays, more
entertainment. Then the suspense was
prolonged as you waited for the critics’
reviews in the next morning’s newspaper.
It is hard work to put on a major play,
with limited resources, but joyful work
for an enthusiastic amateur team that
reaps exciting rewards at the successful
accomplishment of a job.
The audience responded
enthusiastically with requests for a
greater number of productions, while
the Hashemite Broadcasting Service in
Jerusalem requested more and more
radio plays.
On December 18, 1965, a commentator
from The Jerusalem Times wrote under
the heading “Gales of Laughter”: The
Jerusalem Players presented their annual
42
43
Various attempts were launched during the
early period of the British Mandate and at
later times as well; some failed while still in
the cradle, others succeeded but with a limited
lifetime. It is important to remember these
groups and their talents.
In 1963 a marriage was arranged by the East
Jerusalem YMCA and The Jerusalem Players,
which gave birth to a religious Easter drama
series about the Passion of Christ called “At
the Cross” and “Eyes on the Cross,” produced
by Dr. Kenn Carmichael and performed in
Arabic and English. These Easter plays were
also supplemented with other short religious
plays performed at St. George’s Cathedral.
In this context we must also bring to mind
the various theatre activities produced and
performed by the Youth Club of the East
Jerusalem YMCA, in Arabic and
English, which culminated in the
full production of The Silver Whistle
by R. E. McEnroe, directed by Dr.
Kenn Carmichael. Many actors and
backstage staff of the Youth Club
were members of The Jerusalem
Players.
The Jerusalem Players died a
natural death in 1967, while “Eyes
on the Cross” followed suit in 1987.
Some of the offspring of The
Jerusalem Players and the YMCA
Youth Club, armed with experience
and knowledge gained through their
work with The Jerusalem Players,
joined the professional theatre at a
later date.
The contact reference for The
Jerusalem Players is Haidar
H u s s e i n i , P. O . B o x 1 9 7 4 6 ,
Jerusalem.
William Alonzo was an amateur
actor who played several major
roles in plays at school with The
Jerusalem Players and other groups.
He also worked as a backstage hand
and stage manager.
All caricatures are by Kamal Boullata.
Photos by Garo Photo Studios.
44
Ladies with Special Gifts
By Haifa Shawwa
Dina with her beadwork, Sabah with her
embroidery; another was a seamstress,
and then there was their ever-smiling
colleague who did basketry with the help
of her skilled hands and fingertips … for
she was totally blind.
A visit to Dina’s home on the outskirts
of Nablus was unavoidable. Her beadcrocheted table runner was something I
had never seen before. Beaded crochet is
a very old traditional technique that could
be described as crochet work but with
yarn that has been prepared beforehand
by sliding coloured seed beads onto
it, then crocheting along one beaded
stitch at a time. It is not surface bead
embroidery but a technique that only a
few village ladies still master. Dealing
with life with the aid of a wheelchair,
and suffering from other severe health
complications that are a result of her
immobility, Dina kindly agreed to receive
me at her home for some photos, despite
her pain. “We are fellow crafters,” she
said. She wanted to do this for me, and
I was honoured. She had the genuine
spirit and logic of a crafter…. Wholeness
The place that I chose to spend some
community work hours did not really
look inspiring, nor the least inviting
... artistically speaking. It was a wide
corridor-like multi-purpose room with
no reception area. No extra rooms for
privacy purposes were in sight. The place
was very gloomy, barely lit, with unclean,
improperly plastered walls. Typical
features of what is typically called “The
Union of the Handicapped.”
It was in that uninspiring “uncreative”
place that fate introduced me to the
Wheelchair Ladies – not as an artist,
but as one who helps out in arranging
activities for those whom I thought were
less gifted than “us” – the ones we
typically call “whole” people.
It was like getting lost in a dark tunnel
and then discovering a sudden source of
light … and enlightenment! Suddenly we
(they and I) seemed so alike; talking about
crafts, yarn, beads, beadwork, colours,
missing material, exhibits, and obstacles.
Issues that all craftspeople, whether
“whole” or with limited wholeness,
would normally discuss. There was
A needle-beaded tassel edging for
the traditional ibreeq (clay pitcher). An
exceptional artistic way to keep those
tiny flying invaders away.
46
is definitely not about normal limbs,
it’s about passion, spirit, and mind.
Arriving there, I was shocked by
the steep and high stairs she had to
be carried up and down whenever
she wanted to leave home. But I was
very refreshed by the spotless, neat
home, not failing to notice bits and
pieces of embroidery and beadwork
scattered almost everywhere. Dina’s
home had more surprises than just
her own artwork. A few minutes
passed and then Dina’s mother
came in with the freshly squeezed
orange juice. Then a cousin popped
in, then another, then the place
looked more like a flea market than
a family home. Rumours had spread
around the village that someone was
visiting Dina to see her work. So
every golden-handed woman came
along for a cup of Turkish coffee,
carrying in her fat plastic bag all the
handiwork that she could squeeze in.
It was an Artisana Fiesta…
Driving through the old streets of
Nablus, I wanted to meet Mervat,
the young lady who did the bamboo
basket weaving. But Mervat would
not meet the photographer since
she did not feel comfortable around
men. So I called for backup. A friend
came along and went through a
five-minute intensive instruction
session by the poor photographer,
who had to wait outside. Mervat
wouldn’t let him in. But we would all
compromise our cordiality standards
for Mervat, for she was a “fellow
crafter.” Layer over layer, string
around string, depending solely on
her hands and fingertips as tools for
measuring dimensions, precision
checkers and for pressing down
and smoothing out surfaces. “The
Smiling Face” proceeded with her
basket armature, filling in diligently
while we watched – we who were
intimidated by her confidence and
ease, and who wondered, had she
had our eyesight, what more she
could have done with it.
Soaking, cutting, measuring, Basket-weaving is not a delicate craft.
Mervat works up this basket from A to Z with computerised precision.
An old, unique husband’s handkerchief, hand-embroidered linen,
edged with needle-beaded tassels made by Dina’s mother as part of
her trousseau.
Nablus, like all other Palestinian towns
and villages, is an overflowing pot of talents.
Exceptional traditional handicrafts are
dragging their feet towards oblivion, almost
unnoticed. Apparently Palestine has more
basic priorities to tend to. Centres funded
or directed by the public sector normally fail
to locate exceptional master crafters. Such
centres are mostly directed by ordinary
employees who are not crafters themselves
and do not have an eye for handiwork. Amidst
all this, talented people with special needs
have little or no opportunities to develop
their craft, or market it. And worst of all, it
can never support them or their families
47
financially. Knowing and mastering the
technique, they still have a lot to learn
about a sellable global taste, a crucial
issue that those who are in charge fail to
perceive. And thus the lifecycle of both
the gift and the tradition comes to an end
without really being noticed, appreciated,
or, most important, directed and modified
into a life-support system.
Full many a gem of purest ray serene
The dark unfathom’d caves of ocean
bear:
Full many a flower is born to blush
unseen,
And waste its sweetness on the desert
air.
Haifa Shawwa is a Palestinian
published writer, jewellery designer,
and etiquette trainer. To contact the
talented ladies, kindly e-mail Haifa
at [email protected].
An ordinary linen multipurpose cloth, beautified by
Dina’s black/white bead tassels…as modern as can be.
“...everything in Dina’s home is well dressed...
in bead tassels, fringesand dangles. Like the
chandelier in her kitchen,this traditional gasoline
light “Andeel” was worked up with crochet and
edged by beaded fringe.”
48
As I Walk Gaza’s Streets
By Shahd Abu Salama
Take a walk along one of Gaza’s
streets. Gaze into the eyes of its
people. Try to guess what they are
dreaming of. Gaza is a place full of
dreamers, but too often it’s also a grave
for their dreams.
As I walk on the street, I see an old
man sitting by the entrance of his
house looking at sun’s movement in
the sky. From the expression on his
face I imagine that he is thinking he
might be dead the next day without
having another chance to see his own
land – now in the land called Israel,
“forbidden territory.” I see fathers
seeking to earn some money to take
care of their children. I see mothers
carrying their babies, looking at them
in sorrow, wondering whether it would
have been better not to bring them into
this vile world!
I see many Palestinian youth with lost
futures. Some may think it is funny – the
enormous number of shisha-smoking
youth who are crowded into the cafés.
However, it’s not surprising. There are
many graduates among them who
have lost hope of finding a job. Others
got frustrated with the impossibility
of getting work in the profession for
which they have trained, so they are
labouring as mechanics and builders,
or they have applied to the government
for work as policemen – places where
they shouldn’t be!
Many 18-year-old youth work hard
to earn good grades in high school so
they can qualify for a scholarship for
advanced education outside of Gaza,
only to find the border closed to them,
dashing their dreams. It’s as if there is
a sign at the border reading, “NO, WE
WON’T LET YOUR DREAMS TAKE
YOU FAR AWAY.” No wonder many
youth lose their motivation to better
themselves. The siege is surrounding
them and many others who get their
degrees and end up sitting hopeless,
jobless, and useless. No progress, no
ambition, no country.
As I walk on Gaza’s streets, I see
many barefoot children with dirty
clothes and pale faces chasing
cars and begging taxi drivers and
passengers to buy some of the sweets
they’re carrying! I look at them with
anger, blaming the circumstances
that have led them to this early heavy
responsibility. What forces these
children to work while they should be
at school? I wonder whether there are
similar scenes on the streets of Israel.
Many questions occupy my mind, but
I still get no answers; the international
community remains speechless and
does nothing!
I see many fatherless children
shouldering many responsibilities
too early, when instead they should
be playing games and enjoying their
childhood like other children around
the world. Mahmood Al-Samouni is
the eldest son in his family. At the
beginning of 2009, while many people
were celebrating the New Year, he was
distraught and crying because he had
to accept life without his father and his
youngest brother. He could only live
inside his wish to see them each night
in his dreams.
I accompany Adie Mormech, an
English activist, to help teach him and
others about Al-Samouni family – which
lost 30 members in the Israeli invasion.
We hope that they will someday be able
to make their voice heard by learning
English. I heard Mahmood once say, “I
want to grow older more quickly so I can
handle some of the responsibilities that
mum takes.” Can anyone imagine how
hard it is for a 13-year-old child to wish
for the wheels of life to move faster so
that he can replace his father and be
the man of the family?
52
Photo by Basel Maqousi.
As I walk along Gaza’s streets, I see
a mountain of sad scenes, which can
only be banished once Palestine is free.
But I will never give up hope that I will
someday walk the Gaza streets and see
people’s eyes sparkling with happiness,
not glistening with tears.
You might find it strange that children
here are not really children. Gazan
children become mature at a very early
age. Children here wait for Eid (the
holiday) so that they can collect money
from relatives to buy a fake gun so they
can play a game called “Arabs and
Israelis.” I remember when I played this
game with my neighbours in the evenings.
It’s funny that we had a rule that “the one
who plays the Israeli soldiers should die.”
However, we realised that, in real life, the
roles were reversed; the soldiers don’t
die but kill.
Shahd Abu Salama studies English
literature at Al Azhar University in Gaza.
At 21, she is interested in writing,
drawing, and social activism. She has
her own blog where she writes about
Palestine. Her work has also been
published locally and internationally.
53
The Eucharist
are, who we might have been, and who
we might become.
Using my art has made me understand
that my home was my prison. The ability
to detach myself from the real world was
nothing new. In my silent contemplation,
I would repeat: Who am I? Who am I?
My personal experience and my feminine
self-realisation as a woman artist whose
own life was circumscribed by social
and historical situations has led my art
to become the means of survival looking
for the on-going political, social, and
intellectual change.
By Maiada (Aboud) Salfiti
Maiada Aboud’s work deals with ways
that the social and religious structures
interrelate and influence the individual.
By using endurance art, she reflects on
social issues and draws on a unique and
personal perspective of resistance to the
sexual and social roles played by women
in her culture. As an artist she explores
issues of gender and sexuality, reflecting
on things that are forbidden by her family,
society, and religion. Maiada, was born
in Shefamer and graduated from Bar
Ilan University (the faculty of criminology
and anthropology), and has another
BA in media art from Haifa University.
She earned a master’s degree, with
distinction, at Coventry University in the
United Kingdom, and is currently finishing
her PhD at Sheffield Hallam University.
“The Eucharist,” live performance by Maiada Salfiti, photo by Patrick Baumhofer.
“Ascension,” performed and shot by Maiada Salfit.
different. I wanted to be assertive,
athletic, competitive, dominant, forceful,
independent, individualist, and strong.
Nevertheless, being a woman has
been problematic for me since the
beginning, given that what I prepared
for public display was totally different.
I wanted to take on no roles but my
own, to be the author, director, and
designer of my own life. I wanted to speak
within the performance conventions,
to express my own perceptions and
my own fantasies and dreams. I chose
performance to present my personal
life, to question patriarchy by exploring
gender and sexuality embedded in the
female sexual body. I try to inscribe my
body in order to speak, using the art as
To start by saying that my artistic
journey has changed my life would not
be an exaggeration. Having no words to
describe my pain I had to use my body
to the extreme as a way to rebel against
my society’s using the language of
performance, which took me on a journey
on which I have been traveling for more
than ten years.
My culture views “women” as virgins,
gentle, trusting, emotional, accepting,
accommodating, compassionate,
loyal, sensitive, soft, sympathetic,
understanding, warm, truthful, devoted,
dependent, passive, conservative,
traditional, faithful, believable,
committed, and stable. Somehow what
I dreamt of being was something totally
54
a stage across which I can express my
frustration and anger and rebel against
the traditional conceptions behind the
image of “women” in my society.
My work is a sequence of performances
for the camera and live interjections
that try to pause time and reflect my
own experience, helping the viewer
to encounter my history, culture, and
identity. The exhibition aims to create
a cultural dialogue with people from
different backgrounds living in different
sets of norms, cultural codes, and taboos.
It is an attempt to change the norms of
my own culture. Dealing with my personal
life story, I aim to present my cultural
complexity. I want to represent the way
we live, to open up stories about who we
55
Visual Talents
Palestinian visual art takes many forms, shapes, and styles. In the past ten to twelve
years, we have seen Palestinian artists working with audio-visual installations, fashion,
sculpture, experimental video-making, as well as painting. Through these talents,
Palestinians are making bold statements, questioning the norms, retelling history, and
expanding the characterisation of the Palestinian identity. The broad range of visual
production reflects the diversity of the Palestinian identity and reveals new dimensions
in the Palestinian narrative.
Since 2000, Abdel Muhsin Qattan Foundation has been organising the Young Artist
of the Year Award every two years. Named after the late artist Hassan Hourani, the
Young Artist of the Year Award is considered one of the most important events in the
Palestinian art scene. Over the past twelve years, the foundation has invited renowned
artists, critics, and curators, both local and international, as jury members and has
drawn a mixed audience from young students interested in art and culture to senior
professionals who work in the field.
The award receives a great deal of attention and attracts artists from all parts of
Palestine. It is no coincidence that when we chose to exhibit some of the visual talents,
we went straight to the source! The following images represent the works of various
Palestinian artists who were shortlisted for the Young Artist of the Year Award since
its inauguration.
Photos are courtesy of Abdel Muhsin Qattan Foundation; the title of the work and
name of artist are displayed underneath each piece.
Abdallah Ruzzi, The Germ, mixed-media
installation, installation view at abandoned
water storage structure, Al Mawasi area, Khan
Younes, Gaza Strip, Young Artist of the Year
2010. Photography: Rula Halawani.
56
Randa Mdah, Puppet Theatre, mixed-media
installation, installation view at Al Mahatta
Gallery, Ramallah, Young Artist of the Year
2008. Photography: Rula Halawani.
Ayed Arafah, Sea Package, mixed-media
installation, installation view at The Ottoman
Court, Ramallah, Young Artist of the Year
2010. Photography: Rula Halawani.
57
Shadi Habiballah, An Ongoing Tale,
animation video installation, detail, at Al
Mahatta Gallery, Ramallah, Young Artist of
the Year 2006. Photography: Rula Halawani.
Dirar Kalash, Stonified Voice, live audio-visual
performance and mixed-media performance, live
performance at old abandoned house in the village of
Qalandia, Young Artist of the Year 2012. Photography:
Eloise Bollack © Riwaq Photo Archive.
Majd Abdel Hamid, Untitled, mixed-media
installation, installation view at Al Mahatta
Gallery, Ramallah, Young Artist of the Year
2008. Photography: Rula Halawani.
Omarivs Ioseph Filivs Dinæ, The Ceremonial Vniform
[MMXII], mixed-media installation, installation view at A.
M. Qattan Foundation, Ramallah, Young Artist of the Year
2012. Photography: Rula Halawani.
58
59
Personality of the Month
international solidarity movement that has
grown around Ameer’s case.”
Janan’s story is important because it
is the story of many Palestinian women
who, when their husbands are arrested,
are called upon to use and develop
talents and abilities that they never knew
they had.
Living in Haifa, Janan lost the income
Ameer made from running Ittijah, the
Union of Arab Community-Based
Associations in Israel. She also lost
income when she left her job at the
domestic violence shelter after Jewish
clients started asking that she not be
assigned to their children’s cases. She’s
been unemployed for months, but instead
of giving up, she has used the time to
study law to strengthen her credibility as
a civil and human rights advocate.
“What keeps me going is my outrage
at the racism and injustice,” Janan
continues. I feel it in social situations, the
educational system, the economy, and in
Israeli law. I feel the continuing Nakba.
My refusal to accept it gives me more
courage and more power.”
Janan says she isn’t special. “There
isn’t one family from the West Bank and
Gaza who hasn’t experienced a loved
one in jail,” she says. “When I meet
women in my situation, they are often
young. Many have young children. Many
are married to men with long sentences,
even life sentences. The women go to the
jail every two weeks, year after year, to
visit their husbands. I look at them and
realise that they are very strong. I say to
myself, ‘If they can do it, so can I.’”
Janan Abdu
Some people seem to be born with the
ability to rouse the passion of crowds with
speeches or compel youth to rethink their
lives with a poem, but most talents are
cultivated over years. Janan Abdu’s multifaceted talent for advocacy, however,
was hatched out of necessity when her
husband, Palestinian activist Ameer
Makhoul, was arrested and sentenced
to nine years in an Israeli jail.
In just a few hours, in the early morning
of May 6, 2010, Janan went from being
the relatively comfortable wife of an
internationally known civil society leader
to being the wife of a political prisoner
– a woman who needed to raise two
daughters without their father, who was
under constant scrutiny by the Israeli
government, and who became a leader
in the movement for rights, not only for
Ameer, but for all Palestinian political
prisoners.
“I have always been an activist and a
researcher. I spoke out against ‘honour’
killings, helped victims of rape, and
supported my husband’s work for
the rights of Palestinians inside 1948
Palestine,” she explains. “But what I’ve
learned from this experience is that I have
more energy than I ever imagined. Now I
have to write for international publications
and speak at conferences and to the
media, not only in Arabic, but in English
as well. I have to keep motivating the
Video clips of Janan Abdu’s inspirational
interview are available at The View
from My Window in Palestine, at www.
noralestermurad.com. Information about
Ameer Makhoul is available on his
Facebook page or on his blog at http://
ameermakhoul.wordpress.com/.
Nora Lester Murad, PhD, writes fiction
and commentary from Jerusalem,
Palestine. Her blog, The View from My
Window in Palestine is available at www.
noralestermurad.com. She tweets from
@NoraInPalestine.
60
Book of the Month
Bethlehem Municipality during the Ottoman
period, and its development during the British
and Jordanian rules over Palestine. It also
explores the role of the municipality in dealing
with the various aspects of day-to-day life in
the town, including the socio-economic and
political situations, and the changes that the
municipal council had to deal with during the
various periods. It is a descriptive study of
the municipal performance during the political
eras of the Ottomans, the British, and the
Jordanians.
The researcher and historian Khalil
Shokeh has employed his knowledge of the
history of the town during modern times to
document the various stages that Bethlehem
Municipality went through from the time of its
establishment until the Israeli occupation – a
period that was considered lost due to the
several turbulent moments that the town
went through, including a fire that burned
the archives of the municipality during the
revolt of 1938, and the various authorities
that monitored the work of the municipality.
Because of the lack of resources, Shokeh
based his research on information and
documents that were collected from
various sources, mainly archival records
that narrate actual events. Much of this
information was obtained through interviews
with Bethlehemites whose ancestors were
involved in the municipality, and documents
that are in their possession. The study and
analysis of the documents and information
led to a more comprehensive understanding
of the development of the city. The book
presents this understanding to readers and
introduces them to the history of the town of
Bethlehem as well as to a general perspective
of the conditions throughout Palestine.
Shokeh started his research with a quote
from the Roman thinker and politician Cicero:
“History is the witness that testifies to the
passing of time; it illumines reality, vitalizes
memory, provides guidance in daily life, and
brings us tidings of antiquity.” Reading this
book indeed provides a rich overview of the
accomplishments of Bethlehem Municipality
and the important role that it has played in the
development of the town during the period that
extends between the middle of the nineteenth
century until the Israeli occupation of the town.
Bethlehem
Origin and Development of Bethlehem
Municipality, 1880–1967
By Khalil Shokeh
Published by Bethlehem Municipality
and Khalil Shokeh, November 2012, 98
pages, English, and 140 pages, Arabic
Hardcover with historical photographs,
some of which are published for the first time
Reviewed by Nada Atrash
The establishment of the municipalities
throughout Palestine came as a result of the
Ottoman reforms that started during the reign
of Sultan Mahmoud II, which became known
later as “The Charitable Tanzimat Movement,”
and the issuance of the Gülhane Decree of
1839, during the reign of Sultan Adel-Majid.
This aimed to save the Ottoman Empire from
deterioration through maintaining cohesion
on the one hand and gaining the sympathy
and support of the European countries by
declaring the principle of equality among the
population, on the other hand. In addition,
there was the adoption of the Hatti Humayun
firman that was issued after the end of the
Crimean War (October 1853–February
1856) between Russia and the alliance of the
Ottoman Empire.
Bethlehem: Origin and Development of
Bethlehem Municipality, 1880–1967 is a
work of research that highlights the role
of Al Makhatir, the establishment of the
Elders Council, and the establishment of
62
Artist of the Month
relationship to the West in the light of
early Palestinian nationalism.
Manna’s work takes form primarily in
video/film and sculpture. Although she
sees them as separate practices, they
are usually interlinked in thematic and
point of departure, namely, escapism,
the construction and disintegration
of community, the body and history.
Her videos and short films explore
the construction of human identity in
relation to historical narratives and
subcultural or athletic communities.
They weave together portraits of morally
dubious characters and events. In an
earlier work from 2010, Blessed Blessed
Oblivion, she unpacks the construction
of masculinity as it manifests itself in car
body-shops, gyms, and barbershops in
East Jerusalem. The 23-minute video
makes clear references to the American
avant-garde filmmaker Kenneth Anger’s
Scorpio Rising (1963), but departs
occasionally from the music-video-like
format into confessions of her protagonist,
drifting from heroic recitations of poetry
to abject misogynist rants. Her sculptural
practice is intuitive and eclectic, using a
variety of materials from scrap metal,
bronze, and leather to mosaic stone.
They often entail the disfiguring of familiar
objects, de-bunked from their designated
function and re-presented in a state of
defeat or negation.
Playing music, drawing, and spending
many hours under water from a young
age, Manna knew that she was going to
be involved with art. It was at age 17 that
she quit being a competitive swimmer and
decided to pursue art, full time, instead.
“Art has given me the tools and mental
space to create my own territory, to breathe
easier, and feel more at home in my own
skin,” says Manna. She explains that the
recognition and various forms of support
she receives add to her confidence and
strengthen her position as an artist and
the work she stands for. “It’s reassuring
to know that one has an audience and
followers who are interested in one’s
process. It’s a nurturing feeling that creates
a positive relation towards one’s work.”
Jumana Manna
Jumana Manna was born 1987, in New
Jersey, and raised in Shu’fat, Jerusalem.
When she was 18, she began studying
for a bachelor’s degree in fine arts at
Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in
Jerusalem. During the first year, she was
offered a full scholarship to study at the
National Academy of Arts, in Oslo, where
she continues to be based, part time. Last
year, she completed her master’s degree
in aesthetics and politics at California
Institute of the Arts.
Manna was awarded the first prize
in the Young Artist of the Year 2012
contest, sponsored by the A.M. Qattan
Foundation, for her video installation,
Imagined Cities (a work in progress).
The video is the first fragment of a
feature-length film that explores the
imaginary of Jerusalem and Los Angeles
as promised lands, signifiers beyond
the realm of the ordinary, or real cities.
These first eight minutes of the project,
titled A Sketch of Manners, is a reanimation of photography, showcasing
the last masquerade in Palestine that
took place in1942 at Alfred Roch’s
house in Jaffa. Roch, a member of the
Palestinian National League, was a
merchant and landowner who hosted
annual masquerades from the 1920s
onwards. The video attempts to resurrect
a peculiar aspect of urban modernity
of Palestine, but also the bifurcated
64
Her next step is to finalise
an experimental documentary,
The Norwegian Model, in
collaboration with the Norwegian
artist Sille Storihle. Over the
past year they have been
working at deconstructing the
national identity of Norway
as a benevolent nation, or
what has been coined “The
Goodness Regime” that hovers
over Norway’s foreign policy
and self-image. One of the
cases they consider is the Oslo
Accords, and how they enforced
Norway’s image as a peace
nation, internally and abroad,
despite their major failure in
Palestine. “The most important
thing is to speak and create
from the position one is in and
not try to represent anyone
but oneself,” Manna reflects.
She represents a unique voice
among artists in Palestine and
abroad. The honesty of her art
is apparent, and her bold yet
delicate style in making herself
heard is distinctive on its own.
Selected exhibitions include
Art Basel (Miami), Film Society
Lincoln Center (New York),
Vox Populi (Philadelphia),
(UKS) Young Artist Society
(Oslo), Kunsthall Charlottenborg
(Copenhagen), Art Dubai and
al-Mahatta Gallery (Ramallah).
Upcoming solo shows include
Kunsthall Oslo, CRG Gallery
(New York), Kunstlerhaus
Bethanien (Berlin).
1 Production still from “A Sketch of Manners,”
Manna 2012
2 “For Those Who Like the Smell of Burning
Tires,” 2012
3 Still from “The Norwegian Model (working title),”
2012
4 “Karate, Porn, Indian, Turkish, Taiwanese,”
2012
5 “Resting Flag,” 2011
65
Website Review
http://palestineacademy.org
By Abed A. Khooli
Review date: November 16, 2012
Academies News (activities of fellow
institutions abroad). Projects/Activities
lists the Academy’s participation in various
science and research projects and activities
with brief descriptions leading to further
details. Participation in other meetings and
workshops is listed under Events in a similar
fashion. Academy Initiatives has a few
major projects serving PALSAT’s mission,
including the Environmental Field Center.
Publications has a listing of the Academy’s
books, booklets, and articles organised in
reverse chronological order with links to
PDF versions. Research Directory contains
links to a few national and international
research sites such as deanships of
research, journals, and book catalogues. A
number of press releases and statements
on academic freedom and related issues
are found under Human Rights Committee.
A few highlights conclude the left column,
including a page on Science, Technology
and Innovation Observatory, a link to the
Environmental Field Center, and a recent
conference.
The main content area starts with a
welcome note followed by two highlighted
sections of recent documents and activities
(conferences and workshops). Four items fill
the right column: a search box, latest news
(ticker), newsletter subscription form, and a
random image. The page concludes with a
hyperlinked breadcrumb of current location
in site navigation, a link to the top of the
page, a copyright notice, and a hit counter.
The PALSAT website is probably not
known to many Palestinian scientists
and science students. An Arabic version,
updated links, and more relevant content
are potential improvements.
Palestine Academy for Science and
Technology (PALSAT) was established
in 1997 to serve as a focal point and an
umbrella for science and technology in
Palestine. PALSAT’s website is available
in English with very limited Arabic content
at the time of review.
The Academy’s site uses a three-column
layout with a top banner housing the logo
and title to the left, a random picture, and
icons to adjust font and screen size, in
addition to a language switch, to the right.
The menu is split into two parts – the main
menu is located in the left column and a
menu bar under the top banner contains
the secondary menu. The menu bar has
the less-frequently-used items: Home (back
to main page), About Us (with sub-menus
on the Academy’s background information,
branches, governance structure, objectives,
and mission), Photo Gallery (organised in
hyperlinked categories with the possibility to
download and view individual photos or slide
shows per category), Related Links (list of
websites organised in various categories),
Contact Us (addresses and Web contact
form) and User Corner (requires login).
PALSAT’s main menu occupies the
top part of the left column. Fellows &
Associates explains the two titles and
the selection criteria and benefits. It also
lists current fellows with some hyperlinks
to photos and short biographies of some
scientists. Honorary Members has the
selection criteria, benefits, and role for
those granted honorary membership,
as well as a listing of current members
along with pictures and short biographies.
The third menu item, Science Council,
is empty. The News menu defaults to a
list of hyperlinked news items and has
three sub-menus: Academy Newsletter
(thumbnails leading to PDF copies since
2001, mostly in English), Academy News
(activities with descriptions), and Other
Abed A. Khooli is a SharePoint, BI, and
Web development specialist. He can be
reached at [email protected]
(www.arabic2000.com).
66
CD of the Month
Naqsh
By Mahmoud Awad
In fact, this working atmosphere created
a network of Palestinian musicians that
has been able to benefit from their shared
knowledge, experience, and positive energy
– a new artistic climate based on mutual
respect, cooperation, and participation in
favour of Palestinian music production. All
this was made possible through the significant
impact and great success of the Orient and
Dance Theater.
The opening of the show was scheduled
for November 24, 2012, at the Ramallah
Cultural Palace. During the two days before
the opening, a workshop was to be held to
bring together the 35 musicians. Participating
bands were to include Yalalan Group for Music
and Song - Ramallah, Hawa Dafi band - the
Occupied Golan Heights, el-Raseef band Ramallah, Emam lovers’ band - Nablus, and
finally, Awan Group - Jerusalem.
There was a tremendous sense of shared
responsibility among all who contributed to the
work. Plans were stopped abruptly, however,
when the Israeli military operations began
to target the Gaza Strip. Everything was
postponed until December.
One hand cannot clap alone, so they say,
believing in the importance of gathering as
musicians despite the differences in styles,
tastes, and levels, with love, mutual respect,
and a sense of belonging to the music and
its impact, in order to enhance the culture of
group production and to augment the spirit
of competition.
Five songs and six pieces, different in style,
structure, and theme, combine classical and
modern, professional and beginner, and
typical and contemporary, and are carved in
our memory.
Naqsh is carved in the memory.
A new musical production sees the light
in Palestine. It was created with love by 35
young Palestinians passionate about music
who wanted their tunes and lyrics to reach
people’s hearts and to carve in time and place
signs of remembrance, and to document a
rich experience made special by its details
and stages.
The project was the idea of the ambitious
musician, Samer Jaradat, head of the musical
department at the Orient and Dance Theater.
Samer is a constant seeker of new ideas
concerning various musical projects that
aim to gather musicians and musical entities
from Palestine and the world as in his project,
“Music without Borders.” His dream for making
music a means of work, accomplishments,
and convergence is an on-going obsession.
This year Naqsh brings to fruition a new
dream by providing an opportunity for young
artists to meet and produce Palestinian
music and songs with different patterns
and structures that originate from their
demographic and cognitive diversity. Writers,
composers, and musicians from various
regions in Palestine such as Bethlehem,
Jerusalem, Ramallah, Jaffa, Jenin, and
even the Occupied Golan Heights now work
together to produce a unique musical work
of art … young spirits that never had the
chance to meet under one roof because of
the geographical distance, the differing moods
and experiences, and the one-man-show
culture driven by money.
Over the many months of coordination,
arranged appointments, and meetings, the
volunteer staff of Naqsh have been able to
achieve success. They are now thrilled to
announce their album Naqsh - Music and
Songs from Palestine 2012, a new work of
art that features twelve songs and musical
tracks that were written, composed, and
distributed by a group of musicians, artists,
and Palestinian bands all working together
as one team.
Mahmoud Awad is a social activist and
manager of Yalalan for music and song.
He is also the marketing manager at
Filistin Ashabab, a youth magazine that
promotes literature, culture, and arts,
published in Arabic by Jeel Publishing.
68
Note: Please make sure to contact the venue to check for the latest updates.
Monday 24
16:15 “Western Wall Tunnels,” with Robin Abu
Shamseyeh, Centre for Jerusalem Studies
El-Hakawati, tel: 583 8836; Center for Jerusalem
Studies, tel: 628 7517
CONCERT
Saturday 1
CHILDREN’S ACTIVITIES
19:00” Layali al-Tarab,” Maqamat al-quds, ElHakawati
Dar Annadwa, tel: 277 0047
TOURS
17:00 Christmas play for kids “Laurel and Hardy
in Palestine,” Dar Annadwa
Thursday 13
Sunday 2
CONCERTS
7:30 “Beauty & the Sublime in the Noble
Sanctuary,” with Dr. Ali Qleibo, Centre for
Jerusalem Studies
Saturday 1
18:00 Jazz Concert “Feast for Fools,” Dar
Annadwa
Saturday 8
10:00 Alternative Tour with Ali Jaddeh, Centre for
Jerusalem Studies
Friday 21
18:00 Musical Concert “on the way to Bethlehem,”
Dar Annadwa
Saturday 15
9:00 “Shrines and Churches of Bethlehem,” with
Dr. Ali Qleibo, meeting point: Turkish Consulate
– Sheikh Jarrah, Center for Jerusalem Studies
Saturday 29
18:00 The World Premiere of “The Light of
Christmas,” Dar Annadwa
Saturday 22
PLAYS
10:00 “Traditional Palestinian Cooking” – in the
Old City, Centre for Jerusalem Studies
Wednesday 12
18:00 Theatre Play “Caligula,” with Al Kasaba
Theatre with the support of the French Institute,
Dar Annadwa
70
TOURS
The Danish House in Palestine, tel: 298 8457;
Palestinian Association for Cultural Exchange
(PACE), tel: 240 7611
Sunday 2
9:00 A tour to the city of Nablus, PACE
FILMS
Tuesday 4
TOURS
19:00 “If they take it,” in cooperation with Shashat
and The Women s Centre for Legal Aid and
Counseling (WCLAC), DHIP
Sunday 9
9:00 A tour to the city of Hebron, PACE
TOURS
Sunday 16
TOURS
9:00 A walking tour at Wadi Sarida, PACE
Sunday 30
Sunday 23
9:00 A tour to Sebastiya and Jenin city, PACE
9:00 A tour at the city of Ramallah, PACE
71
Inad Centre for Theatre and Arts
Yes Theater
Telefax: 276 6263, www.inadtheater.com
Sanabel Culture & Arts Theatre
International Centre of Bethlehem-Dar
Annadwa
Al-Jawal Theatre Group
Tel: 671 4338, Fax: 673 0993
[email protected]
Alruwah Theatre
The Edward Said National
Conservatory of Music
ITIP Center “Italian Tourist Information
Point”
Telefax: 628 0655
Tel: 626 2626, [email protected]
Al-Ma’mal Foundation for Contemporary Art
Tel: 628 3457, Fax: 627 2312
[email protected]
www.almamalfoundation.org
Al Ma’mal LAB
Tel: 534 6837, [email protected]
Al-Urmawi Centre for Mashreq Music
Telefax: 276 0411, [email protected]
The Magnificat Intstitute
Mob: 0598 950 447
Tel: 234 2005, Fax: 234 2004
[email protected], www.urmawi.org
Ashtar for Theatre Productions & Training
Telefax: 582 7218
[email protected], www.ashtar-theatre.org
Turkish Cultural Centre
Telefax: 274 7945
Wujoud Museum
The Bookshop at the American Colony Hotel
Tel: 626 0916
www.wujoud.org, [email protected]
Tel: 627 9731, Fax: 627 9779
[email protected]
www. americancolony.com
Yabous Cultural Center
Tel: 626 1045; Fax: 626 1372
[email protected], www.yabous.org
British Council
Tel: 626 7111, Fax: 628 3021
[email protected]
www.britishcouncil.org/ps
Jericho Community Centre
Telefax: 232 5007
Palestinian Heritage Center
Theatre Day Productions
Tel: 591 0530/1, Fax: 532 3310
[email protected], www.kudusbk.com
Tel:222 9131, Fax: 229 0652
[email protected], www.ipyl.org
Nativity Stationary Library
Telefax: 274 2381, 274 2642
[email protected]
www.phc.ps
Tel: 585 4513, Fax: 583 4233
[email protected], www.theatreday.org
The International Palestinian Youth League
(IPYL)
Tel: 277 0047, Fax: 277 0048
[email protected], www.diyar.ps
Tel: 627 1711, Fax: 627 1710
[email protected], ncm.birzeit.edu
Tel: 626 6609, Fax: 626 6701
[email protected]
www.magnificatinstitute.org
Telefax: 229 1559,
www.yestheatre.org, [email protected]
Jericho Culture & Art Center
Telefax: 232 1047
Municipality Theatre
Palestinian Group for the Revival of Popular
Heritage
Tel: 232 2417, Fax: 232 2604
Relief International - Schools Online
Bethlehem Community Based-Learning &
Action Center
Cinema Jenin
Tel: 250 2642, 250 2455
[email protected], www.cinemajenin.org
Tel: 277 7863
Hakoura Center
Sabreen Association for Artistic
Development
Telfax: 250 4773
[email protected], www.hakoura-jenin.ps
Tel: 275 0091, Fax: 275 0092
[email protected], www.sabreen.org
The Freedom Theatre/Jenin Refugee Camp
Tel: 250 3345, [email protected]
Tent of Nations
Center for Jerusalem Studies/Al-Quds University
Al-Harah Theatre
Tel: 628 7517
[email protected], www.jerusalem-studies.alquds.edu
Telefax: 276 7758, [email protected]
[email protected], www.alharah.org
Community Action Centre (CAC)
Alliance Française de Bethléem
Tel: 627 3352, Fax: 627 4547
www.cac.alquds.edu
Telefax: 275 0777, [email protected]
Anat Palestinian Folk & Craft Center
Educational Bookshop
Telefax: 277 2024, [email protected]
Tel: 627 5858, Fax: 628 0814
[email protected], www.educationalbookshop.com
Arab Educational Institute (AEI)-Open
Windows
El-Hakawati Theatre Company
Tel: 583 8836, Mobile: 0545 835 268
[email protected], www.el-hakawati.org
Tel: 274 4030, www.aeicenter.org
French Cultural Centre
Mob: 0597 524 524, 0599 679 492, 0503 313 136
[email protected]
Tel: 628 2451 / 626 2236, Fax: 628 4324
[email protected]
Issaf Nashashibi Center for Culture &
Literature
British Council- Al Najah University
The Higher Institute of Music
Cultural Centre for Child Development
Telefax: 275 2492
[email protected]
www.thehigherinstituteofmusic.ps
Tel: 238 6290, Fax: 239 7518
[email protected], www.nutaleb.cjb.net
Turathuna - Centre for Palestinian Heritage
(B.Uni.)
Tel. 237 2863, Fax. 237 8275, [email protected]
Badil Centre
Al Sanabl Centre for Studies and Heritage
Melia Art Center
Bethlehem Academy of Music/ Bethlehem
Music Society
Telefax: 229 3717, [email protected]
www.britsishcouncil.org.ps
Bethlehem Peace Center
Telefax: 627 3501
[email protected], www.alhoashgallary.org
Palestinian National Theatre
Tel: 628 0957, Fax: 627 6293, [email protected]
Public Affairs Office
Sabreen Association for Artistic
Development
Tel: 532 1393, Fax: 532 1394
[email protected], www.sabreen.org
72
Tel: 296 0544, Fax: 298 4886
[email protected], www.qattanfoundation.org
Al-Kamandjâti Association
Tel: 297 3101
[email protected], www.alkamandjati.com
Telefax: 229 9545, [email protected]
Cardinal House
France-Hebron Association for Cultural
Exchanges
Al Kasaba Theatre and Cinematheque
Tel: 228 3663, [email protected], www.duramun.org
Tel: 296 5292/3, Fax: 296 5294
[email protected], www.alkasaba.org
Al-Mada Music Therapy Center
Tel: 222 4811
[email protected], wwww.hebron-france.org
Tel: 274 3277, Fax 274 2939
[email protected], www.ca-b.org
Hebron Rehabilitation Committee
Centre for Cultural Heritage Preservation
Palestinian Child Arts Center (PCAC)
Tel: 276 6244, Fax: 276 6241
[email protected]
www.cchp.ps
A. M. Qattan Foundation
Children Happiness Center
Dura Cultural Martyrs Center
Catholic Action Cultural Center
Tel: 628 2456, Fax: 628 2454
www.uscongen-jerusalem.org
Tel: 233 2084, Fax: 234 5325
[email protected], www.nablusculture.ps
British Council- Palestine Polytechnic University
Tel: 276 6677, Fax: 276 4670
[email protected], www.peacenter.org
Telefax: 276 4778
[email protected], www.cardinalhouse.org
Tel: 238 5914, Fax: 238 7593
[email protected]
Beit Et Tifl Compound
Telefax: 222 4545, [email protected]
Palestinian Art Court - Al Hoash
French Cultural Centre
Tel: 256 0280, [email protected]
www.sanabl.org, www.sanabl.ps
Tel: 277 7863
Tel: 277 7141, Fax: 277 7142
Cultural Heritage Enrichment Center
Nablus The Culture
Tel: 627 4774, Fax: 656 2469, [email protected]
TeleFax: 628 1377
[email protected]
www.meliaartandtrainingcenter.com
Telefax: 237 5950
[email protected]
www.britishcoumcil.org/ps
Telefax: 274 8726
[email protected], www.birzeit.edu/music
Tel: 274 1241, Fax: 274 4440
[email protected], www.bethlehem.edu
Beit Jala Community Based-Learning
& Action Center
Jerusalem Centre for Arabic Music
The Edward Said National Conservatory of
Music
Artas Folklore Center
Tel: 277 7086
Telefax: 581 8232, [email protected]
Tel: 274 3071, Fax: 276 7446
[email protected], www.tentofnations.org
Tel: 241 3196, Fax: 241 3197
[email protected], www.al-mada.ps
Al- Rua’a Publishing House
Telfax: 225 5640, 222 6993/4
Tel: 296 1613, Fax: 197 1265, Mob: 0599 259 874
[email protected]
Tel: 222 4813, Fax: 222 0855
[email protected], www.pcac.net
73
Al-Rahhalah Theatre
Ramallah Center for Human Rights Studies
(RCHRS)
Telefax: 298 8091, [email protected]
Tel: 241 3002
Amideast
Ramallah Cultural Palace
Tel: 240 8023, Fax: 240 8017
[email protected], www.amideast.org
Tel: 298 4704 / 295 2105, Fax: 295 2107
[email protected]
www.ramallahculturalpalace.org
ArtSchool Palestine
Tel: 295 9837
[email protected], www.artschoolpalestine.com
RIWAQ: Centre for Architectural
Conservation
Ashtar for Theatre Production
Tel: 240 6887, Fax: 240 6986
[email protected], www.riwaq.org
Tel: 298 0037, Fax: 296 0326
[email protected], www.ashtar-theatre.org
Sandouq Elajab Theatre
Baladna Cultural Center
Tel: 296 5638, 295 3206, [email protected]
Telfax: 295 8435
Shashat
BirZeit Ethnographic and Art Museum
Tel: 297 3336, Fax: 297 3338
[email protected], www.shashat.org
Tel. 298 2976, www.virtualgallery.birzeit.edu
British Council
Sharek Youth Forum
Tel: 296 3293-6, Fax: 296 3297
[email protected]
www.britishcouncil.org/ps
Tamer Institute for Community Education
Tel: 296 7741, Fax: 296 7742
[email protected], www.sharek.ps
Tel: 298 6121/ 2, Fax: 298 8160
[email protected], www.tamerinst.org
Carmel Cultural Foundation
Tel: 298 7375, Fax: 298 7374
The Danish House in Palestine (DHIP)
Dar Zahran Heritage Building
TeleFax: 298 8457, [email protected], www.dhip.ps
Telfax: 296 3470, Mob: 0599 511 800
[email protected]
The Edward Said National Conservatory of
Music
El-Funoun Dance Troupe
Tel: 295 9070, Fax: 295 9071
[email protected], www.birzeit.edu/music
Tel: 240 2853, Fax: 240 2851
[email protected], www.el-funoun.org
Sareyyet Ramallah - First Ramallah Group (FRG)
Tel: 295 2690 - 295 2706, Fax: 298 0583
[email protected], www.sareyyet.ps
The Palestinian Circus School
Tel: 0545 - 671 911, 0599 - 926 107
www.palcircus.ps, info@ palcircus.ps
The Palestinian Network of Art Centres
Tel: 298 0036, 296 4348/9, Fax: 296 0326
[email protected]
Franco-German Cultural Centre Ramallah
Tel: 298 1922 / 7727, Fax: 298 1923
[email protected], www.ccf-goethe-ramallah.org
The Spanish Cultural Center
Greek Cultural Centre - “Macedonia”
Tel. 295 0893, [email protected]
In’ash Al-Usra Society- Center for Heritage
& Folklore Studies
Telefax: 296 7654, [email protected]
Young Artist Forum
Telefax: 298 1736/ 298 0546, [email protected]
Tel: 240 1123 / 240 2876, Telefax: 240 1544
[email protected], www.inash.org
Al-Qattan Centre for the Child
Tel: 283 9929, Fax: 283 9949
[email protected]
www.qattanfoundation.org/qcc
Khalil Sakakini Cultural Center
Tel: 298 7374, Fax: 296 6820
[email protected], www.sakakini.org
Arts & Crafts Village
Manar Cultural Center
Telefax: 284 6405
[email protected], www.gazavillage.org
Tel: 295 7937, Fax: 298 7598
Mazra’a Qibliyeh Heritage and Tourism
Centre
Ashtar for Culture & Arts
Telefax: 283 3565, [email protected]
Telefax: 281 5825, [email protected]
www.geocities.com/mazraaheritage/
Fawanees Theatre Group
Telefax: 288 4403
Nawa institute
Culture & Light Centre
Tel: 297 0190, [email protected]
Telefax: 286 5896, [email protected]
Palestinian Association
for Contemporary Art PACA
French Cultural Centre
Tel: 286 7883, Fax: 282 8811
[email protected]
Tel: 296 7601, fax: 295 1849
[email protected], www.pal-paca.org
Gaza Theatre
Palestinian Association for Cultural
Exchange (PACE)
Tel: 282 4860, Fax: 282 4870
Global Production and Distribution
Tel: 240 7611, Telfax: 240 7610
[email protected], www.pace.ps
Telefax: 288 4399, [email protected]
Dialogpunkt Deutsch Gaza (Goethe-Insitut)
Palestine Writing Workshop
Tel: 282 0203, Fax: 282 1602
Mob: 0597 651 408
www.palestineworkshop.com
Holst Cultural Centre
Tel: 281 0476, Fax: 280 8896, [email protected]
Popular Art Center
Theatre Day Productions
Tel: 240 3891, Fax: 240 2851
[email protected], www.popularartcentre.org
Telefax: 283 6766, [email protected]
Windows from Gaza For Contemporary Art Mob. 0599 781 227 - 0599 415 045, [email protected]
74
Nativity Hotel (89 rooms; bf; cf; mr; res)
Tel: 277 0650, Fax: 274 4083
[email protected], www.nativity-hotel.com
Alexander Hotel (42 rooms; bf; mr; res)
Olive Tree Hotel (20 rooms; 6 su; res; sp; bar;
wifi-lobby)
Tel: 276 4660 Fax: 275 3807
[email protected]
Facebook: olive tree tourist village
Paradise Hotel (166 rooms;cf;bf;mr;res;su;pf)
Tel: 274 4542/3 - 274 4544, [email protected]
Tel: 277 0780, Fax: 277 0782
Addar Hotel (30 suites; bf; mr; res)
Tel: 626 3111, Fax: 626 0791, www.addar-hotel.com
Alcazar Hotel (38 rooms; bf; mr; res)
Tel: 628 1111; Fax: 628 7360
[email protected], www.jrscazar.com
Mount of Olives Hotel (61 rooms; bf; mr; res)
Tel: 628 4877, Fax: 626 4427
[email protected], www.mtolives.com
Al-Salam Hotel (26 rooms; 6f; mr; cf; res)
Tel: 276 4083/4, Fax: 277 0551, [email protected]
Mount Scopus Hotel (65 rooms; bf; mr; res)
Tel: 582 8891, Fax: 582 8825, [email protected]
Tel: 276 6880, Fax: 276 6884
[email protected], www.angelhotel.ps
National Hotel (99 rooms; bf; cr; res; cf)
Beit Al-Baraka Youth Hostel (19 rooms)
Tel: 627 8880, Fax: 627 7007
www.nationalhotel-jerusalem.com
Ambassador Hotel (122 rooms; bf; cf; mr; res)
Tel: 541 2222, Fax: 582 8202
[email protected]
www.jerusalemambassador.com
New Imperial Hotel (45 rooms)
Tel: 627 2000, Fax: 627 1530
American Colony Hotel (84 rooms; bf; cf; mr; res)
Angel Hotel Beit Jala
Tel: 628 3846, Fax: 627 7485
New Regent Hotel (24 rooms; bf; mr; res)
Bethlehem Inn (36 rooms; bf; mr; res)
Tel: 626 5800, Fax: 627 1472
[email protected]
www.austrianhospice.com
New Swedish Hostel
Tel: 627 7855, Fax: 626 4124, [email protected]
www.geocities.com/swedishhostel
Azzahra Hotel (15 rooms, res)
Notre Dame Guesthouse (142 rooms, Su, bf, mr,
Tel: 628 2447, Fax: 628 3960
[email protected], www.azzahrahotel.com
cr, res, ter, cf, pf)
Tel: 627 9111, Fax: 627 1995
[email protected], www.notredamecenter.
org
Capitol Hotel (54 rooms; bf; mr; res)
Tel: 628 2561/2, Fax: 626 4352
Christmas Hotel
Tel: 628 2588, Fax: 626 4417
[email protected], www.christmas-hotel.com
Gloria Hotel (94 rooms; mr; res)
Tel: 628 2431, Fax: 628 2401, [email protected]
Golden Walls Hotel (112 rooms)
Tel: 627 2416, Fax: 626 4658
[email protected], www.goldenwalls.com
Holy Land Hotel (105 rooms; bf; cf; mr; res)
Tel: 627 2888, Fax: 628 0265
[email protected], www.holylandhotel.com
(74 rooms; bf; mr; res)
Tel: 628 5212, Fax: 628 5214
www.jerusalem-meridian.com
Talita Kumi Guest House (22 rooms; res; mr; cf)
Tel: 274 3981, Fax: 274 3540
Tel: 274 1247, Fax: 274 1847
Casanova Palace Hotel (25 rooms; bf; res)
Zaituna Tourist Village
Tel: 275 0655
Everest Hotel (19 rooms; bf; mr; res)
Al- Zaytouna Guest House (7 rooms; bf; res; mr)
Tel: 274 2604, Fax: 274 1278
Telefax: 274 2016 Deir Hijleh Monastery
Tel: 994 3038, 0505 348 892
Rivoli Hotel
Tel: 232 2414, Fax: 232 3109
Tel: 628 4871, Fax: 627 4879
(66 rooms; res, bar, pool)
Tel: 277 4414
Savoy Hotel (17 rooms)
Holy Land Hotel
Tel: 628 3366, Fax: 628 8040
Tel: 277 8962/3, Fax: 277 8961
[email protected], www.holylandhotel.net
(74 rooms; bf; mr; res)
Tel: 628 4887, Fax: 627 3699
[email protected]
www.jerusalempanoramahotel.com
Tel: 627 7232 Fax: 627 7233
[email protected]
www.stgeorgelandmark.com
Hashimi Hotel
Tel: 628 4410, Fax: 628 4667, [email protected]
(25 rooms; bf; res)
Tel: 628 3302, Fax: 628 2253, [email protected]
Knights Palace Guesthouse (50 rooms)
St. Thomas Home
Tel: 628 2537, Fax: 628 2401, [email protected]
Tel: 628 2657, 627 4318, Fax: 626 4684
[email protected], www.aset-future.net
St. George’s Pilgrim Guest House
Tel: 627 0800, Fax: 627 7739
[email protected], www.jerusalemlegacy.com
Strand Hotel (88 rooms; mr; res)
Metropol Hotel
Victoria Hotel (50 rooms; bf; res)
Tel: 628 0279, Fax: 628 4826
Tel: 628 2507, Fax: 628 5134
Casanova Hospice (60 rooms; mr; res)
Hisham Palace Hotel
St. George Landmark Hotel
Legacy Hotel
Tel: 276 0967/8, Fax: 276 0970
[email protected], www.saintvincentguesthouse.net
Golden Park Resort & Hotel (Beit Sahour)
Tel: 673 2401, Fax: 673 1711
[email protected], www.scotsguesthouse.com
Jerusalem Panorama Hotel
Tel: 274 3040/1/2, Fax: 274 3043
Saint Vincent Guest House (36 rooms)
Grand Hotel (107 rooms; bf; cf; mr; res)
Tel: 274 1602 - 274 1440, Fax: 274 1604
[email protected]
St. Andrew’s Scottish Guesthouse
“The Scottie” (19 rooms +Self Catering Apartment)
Jerusalem Meridian Hotel
St. Nicholas Hotel (25 rooms; res; mr)
Tel: 626 9900, Fax: 626 9910
[email protected]
www.jerusalemritz.com
Tel: 626 7777, Fax: 627 1319, [email protected]
Tel: 628 3282, Fax: 628 3282
[email protected], www.jrshotel.com
(Facilities: Restaurant and Bar, WiFi)
Tel: 275 9690, Fax: 275 9693
Telefax: 274 84 66, http://www.ejepal.org
El-Beit Guest House (beit sahour) (15 rooms)
TeleFax: 277 5857, [email protected], www.elbeit.org
Seven Arches Hotel (197 rooms; bf; mr; res)
Jerusalem Hotel (14 rooms; bf; mr; res; live music)
Shepherds’ House Hotel
Bethlehem youth hostel
Tel: 628 6618
Ritz Hotel Jerusalem (104 rooms, bf, mr)
Tel: 274 0656, Fax: 274 4888
[email protected], www.shepherdhotel.com
Bethlehem Star Hotel (72 rooms; cf; bf; res)
Tel: 274 3249 - 277 0285, Fax: 274 1494
[email protected]
Petra Hostel and Hotel
Tel: 627 2416, [email protected]
Tel: 627 1414, Fax: 628 4701
Shepherd Hotel
Tel: 274 2424, Fax: 274 2423
Tel: 274 2798, Fax: 274 1562
Pilgrims Inn Hotel (16 rooms; bf; mr; res)
Commodore Hotel (45 rooms; cf; mr; res)
Tel: 276 7374/5/6, Fax: 276 7377, [email protected]
Tel: 274 2613, Fax: 274 4250
[email protected]
www.abrahams-herberge.com
Austrian Hospice
Tel: 628 4540, Fax: 626 4023, [email protected]
Tel: 276 6221, Fax: 276 6220
Santa Maria Hotel (83 rooms; mr; res)
Beit Ibrahim Guesthouse
Bethlehem Hotel (209 rooms; bf; cf; mr; res)
Tel: 277 0702, Fax: 277 0706, [email protected]
New Metropole Hotel (25 rooms; mr; res)
Tel: 627 9777, Fax: 627 9779
[email protected], www.americancolony.com
St. Antonio Hotel (36 rooms; mr; cf;res;pf)
Tel: 222 9288, Fax: 222 9288
Inter-Continental Jericho
(181 rooms; su; bf; cf; mr; res; ter; tb)
Tel: 231 1200, Fax: 231 1222
Jericho Resort Village
(60 rooms; 46 studios; bf; cf; mr; res)
Tel: 232 1255, Fax: 232 2189
[email protected], www.jerichoresorts.com
House of Hope Guesthouse
Tel: 274 2325, Fax: 274 0928
[email protected]
House of Peace Hostel
Jerusalem Hotel (22 rooms)
Tel: 232 2444, Fax: 992 3109
Tel: 276 4739, http://www.houseofpeace.hostel.com/
Telepherique & Sultan Tourist Center
Inter-Continental Hotel (Jacir Palace)
(55 rooms)
Tel: 232 1590, Fax: 232 1598
[email protected]
(250 rooms; su; bf; cf; mr; res)
Tel: 276 6777, Fax: 276 6770
Lutheran Guesthouse “Abu Gubran”
Tel: 277 0047, [email protected], www.diyar.ps
Hebron Hotel
Manger Square Hotel (220 Rooms; bf; cf; mr;
res; cr)
Tel: 277 8888, Fax: 277 8889
[email protected]
Web: www.mangersquarehotel.com
Tel: 225 4240 / 222 9385, Fax: 222 6760
[email protected]
Murad Tourist Resort
Al-Qaser Hotel (48 rooms; 7 regular suites, 1 royal
Tel: 2759880, Fax:2759881, www.murad.ps
suite; bf; cf; mr; res)
Tel: 2341 444, Fax: 2341 944
[email protected], www.alqaserhotel.com
Nativity Bells Hotel (72 rooms; bf; cf; mr; res)
Tel: 274 8880, Fax: 274 8870
[email protected], www.nativitybellshotel.ps
Tel: 627 4466, Fax: 627 4171
76
77
Mövenpick Hotel Ramallah (171 rooms and Su;
Al-Yasmeen Hotel & Souq
(30 rooms; cf; mr; res)
Tel: 233 3555 Fax: 233 3666
[email protected], www.alyasmeen.com
bf; mr; cr; res;ter; cf; gm; pf; sp)
Tel: 298 5888, Fax: 298 533
[email protected]
[email protected]
www.moevenpick-ramallah.com
Rocky Hotel (22 rooms; cf; res; ter)
Tel: 296 4470, Telefax: 296 1871
Pension Miami (12 rooms)
Telefax: 295 6808
Ramallah Hotel (22 rooms; bf; mr; res)
Tel: 295 3544, Fax: 295 5029
Retno Hotel (33 rooms & su; res; mr; gm; sp)
Telefax: 295 0022, [email protected]
www.retnohotel.com
Royal Court Suite Hotel (34 suites; res; mr; ter;
cf; pf; i)
Tel: 296 4040, Fax: 296 4047
Star Mountain Guesthouse (10 rooms; wifi; pf)
Tel: 296 2705, Telefax: 296 2715
[email protected]
Asia Hotel (28 rooms, res)
Telefax: 238 6220
Chrystal Motel (12 rooms)
Telefax: 233 3281
International Friends Guesthouse (Hostel)
(mr; res; ter; cf; pf)
Telfax: 238 1064
[email protected], www.guesthouse.ps
Al-A’in Hotel (24 rooms and suites; mr; cf)
Tel: 240 5925 - 240 4353, Fax: 240 4332
[email protected]
Aladdin Hotel
Tel: 240 7689, 240 7921, Fax: 240 7687
[email protected]
Al-Bireh Tourist Hotel (50 rooms; cf; res)
Telefax: 240 0803
Al-Hajal Hotel (22 rooms; bf)
Telefax: 298 7858
Al Hambra Palace (Hotel Suites and Resort)
Tel: 295 6226 - 295 0031, Fax: 295 0032
[email protected]
www.alhambra-palace-hotel.com
Adam Hotel (76 rooms; bf; cf; mr; res)
Telefax: 282 3521/19, Fax: 282 5580
Al-Deira (22 Suits; cf; mr; res; ter)
Tel: 283 8100/200/300, Fax: 283 8400
[email protected], www.aldeira.ps
Al Mashtal Hotel
AlZahra Suites
Tel: 283 2500, Fax: 283 2510
[email protected]
www.almashtalarcmedhotels.com
Tel: 242 3019
[email protected], www.alzahrasuites.ps
Reef Pension (Jifna village) (8 rooms; res)
Telefax: 2810881, www.reefhousepension.ps
Almat’haf Hotel
Tel: 285 8444, Fax: 285 8440
[email protected], www.almathaf.ps
Al-Wihdah Hotel
Telefax: 298 0412
Al-Quds In­ter­na­tional Hotel
(44 rooms; 2 suites; bf; mr; res)
Telefax: 282 5181, 282 6223, 286 3481, 282 2269
Beach Hotel (25 rooms; bf; mr; res)
Telefax: 282 5492, 284 8433
Commodore Gaza Hotel (60 rooms;su; bf)
Tel: 283 4400, Fax: 282 2623
Ankars Suites and Hotel (30 suites)
Tel: 295 2602, Fax: 295 2603
[email protected]
Beauty Inn
Tel: 296 6477, Fax: 296 6479
[email protected], www.beautyinn.ps
Best Eastern Hotel (91 rooms; cf; res)
Tel: 296 0450, Fax: 295 8452, [email protected]
Caesar Hotel (46 rooms & su, 2 mr, cr, res, cf)
Tel: 297 9400, Fax: 297 9401
[email protected], www.caesar-hotel.ps
City Inn Palace Hotel (47 rooms; bf; cf; res)
Tel: 240 8080, Fax: 240 8091
[email protected], www.cityinnpalace.com
Gaza International Hotel
(30 rooms; bf; cf; res)
Tel: 283 0001/2/3/4, Fax: 283 0005
Grand Palace Hotel
(20 rooms; cr; mr; cf; res)
Tel: 284 9498/6468, Fax: 284 9497
Marna House (17 rooms; bf; mr; res)
Tel: 282 2624, Fax: 282 3322
Palestine Hotel (54 rooms; bf; cf; mr; res)
Tel: Tel: 282 3355, Fax: 286 0056
Grand Park Hotel & Resorts
(84 rooms; 12 grand suites; bf; cf; mr; res; sp; pf)
Tel: 298 6194, Fax: 295 6950, [email protected]
Gemzo Suites
Cinema Jenin Guesthouse (7 rooms; 2 su)
(90 executive suites; cs; mr; pf; gm; res)
Tel: 240 9729, Fax: 240 9532
[email protected], www.gemzosuites.net
Tel: 250 2455, Mob: 0599 317 968
[email protected], www.cinemajenin.org
Haddad Hotel & Resort
Manarah Hotel
Tel: 241 7010/1/2, Fax: 241 7013
[email protected]
www.haddadtourismvillage.com
Tel: 295 2122, Telefax: 295 3274
[email protected], www.manarahhotel.com.ps
Merryland Hotel (25 rooms)
Tel: 298 7176, Telefax: 298 7074
North Gate Hotel
Tel: 243 5700, Fax: 243 5701
[email protected], www.northgate-hotel.com
Key: su = suites, bf = business facilities; mr = meeting rooms, cr = conference facilities; res = restaurant,
ter = terrace bar; tb = turkish bath, cf = coffee shop; gm = gym; pf = parking facilities, sp = swimming pool
78
Dar al-Balad
Continental Cuisine
Tel: 274 9073
Divano Café and Restaurant
Al-Diwan (Ambassador Hotel)
Middle Eastern, French, and Italian
Cuisine
Tel: 541 2213, Fax: 582 8202
Alhambra Palace Jerusalem
Restaurant & coffee shop
Conferences workshops and social
activates, Theatre and Cinema
Tel: 626 3535, Fax: 6263737
[email protected]
Al-Shuleh Grill
Shawerma and Barbecues
Tel: 627 3768
Amigo Emil
Middle Eastern, American, Indian,
and Italian Cuisine
Tel: 628 8090, Fax: 626 1457
Antonio’s (Ambassador Hotel)
Middle Eastern, French, and Italian
Cuisine
Tel: 541 2213
Arabesque, Poolside, and
Patio Restaurants (American
Four Seasons Restaurants
and Coffee Shop
Barbecues and Shawerma
Tel: 628 6061, Fax: 628 6097
Garden’s Restaurant
Tel: 581 6463
Goodies
The Scots Bistro
Coffee and Pastry
Tel: 673 2401, Fax: 673 1711
The Patio (Christmas Hotel)
Oriental and European Menu
Tel: 628 2588, 626 4418
Turquoise Lebanese
Restaurant
Fast Food
Tel: 585 3223
Kan Zaman (Jerusalem Hotel)
Mediterranean Cuisine
Tel: 627 1356
Lotus and Olive Garden
(Jerusalem Meridian Hotel)
Middle Eastern and Continental
Cuisine
Tel: 628 5212
Nafoura
Middle Eastern Menu
Tel: 626 0034
Tel: 627 7232, Fax: 627 7233
Versavee Bistro (Bar and Café)
Oriental and Western Food
Tel: 627 6160
Victoria Restaurant
Middle Eastern and Arabic Menu
Tel: 628 3051, Fax: 627 4171
Wake up Restaurant
Tel: 627 8880
Zad Rest. & Café
Tel: 627 7454, 627 2525
Nakashian Gallery Café
Tel: 627 8077
La Rotisserie (Notre Dame
Colony Hotel)
Western and Middle Eastern Menu
Tel: 627 9777, Fax: 627 9779
Hotel)
Gourmet Restaurant, European
and Mediterranean Menu
Tel: 627 9114, Fax: 627 1995
Armenian Tavern
Dina Café
Armenian and Middle Eastern Food
Tel: 627 3854
Coffee and Pastry
Tel: 626 3344
Askidinya
Panoramic Golden City
Italian and French Cuisine
Tel: 532 4590
Barbecues
Tel: 628 4433, Fax: 627 5224
Az-Zahra
Pasha’s
Oriental food and Pizza
Tel: 628 2447
Oriental Food
Tel: 582 5162, 532 8342
Borderline Restaurant Café
Patisserie Suisse
Italian and Oriental Menu
Tel: 532 8342
Fast Food and Breakfast
Tel: 628 4377
Burghoulji
Petra Restaurant
1890 Restaurant (Beit-Jala)
Tel: 277 8779
[email protected]
Abu Eli Restaurant
Barbecues
Tel: 274 2985
Afteem Restaurant
Oriental Cuisine
Tel: 274 7940
Al-Areeshah Palace (Jacir
Palace – InterContinental
Bethlehem)
Middle Eastern and Barbecues
Tel: 276 6777, Fax: 276 6154
Al-Hakura Restaurant
Chinese Cuisine
Tel: 626 3465, Fax: 626 3471
Tel: 628 4228
Coffee Bean Café
RIO Grill and Subs
Italian and French Cuisine
Tel: 583 5460
Rossini’s Restaurant Bar
Balloons
Educational Bookshop
Books and Coffee
Books and Coffee
Tel: 627 5858
El Dorada Coffee Shop and
Internet Café
Chocolates, Coffee, and Internet
Tel: 626 0993
Flavours Grill
International Cuisine with
Mediterranean Flavour
Tel: 627 4626
French and Italian Cuisine
Tel: 628 2964
Coffee Shop and Pizza
Tel: 275 0221, Fax: 277 7115
Philadelphia Restaurant
Barbara Restaurant
Mediterranean Menu
Tel: 532 2626, Fax: 532 2636
Shalizar Restaurant
Tel: 274 0130
[email protected]
Beit Sahour Citadel
Middle Eastern, Mexican, and
Italian Cuisine
Tel: 582 9061
Mediterranean Cuisine
Tel: 277 7771
The Gate Café
Coffee Shop and Continental
Cuisine
Tel: 274 0406
Fresh Juices, Coffee, and Tea
Tel: 627 4282
80
King Gaspar Restaurant
& Bar (Italian, Asian and
Mediterranean Cuisine)
Tel: 276 5301, Fax: 276 5302
Il’iliyeh Restaurant
Continental Cuisine
Tel: 277 0047
La Terrasse
Middle Eastern and Continental
Cuisine
Tel: 275 3678
Limoncello (Beit Jala)
Tel: 275 8844, Fax: 275 8833
Snack Bar
Tel: 275 0655
Mariachi (Grand Hotel)
Massina (Breakfast)
Chinese Restaurant
Sandwiches and Sushi
Tel: 627 0820
Continental Cuisine
Tel: 274 3224
Abu Shanab Restaurant
Quick Lunch
Pizza House
Golden Roof
Seafood and Mexican Cuisine
Tel: 274 1440, 274 1602/3
Fax: 274 1604
Pizza and Oriental Pastry
Tel: 627 3970, 628 8135
Cardo Restaurant
Barbecues and Taboon
Tel: 274 8844, Fax: 274 8889
Middle Eastern and Barbecues
Tel. 274 1897
Continental Cuisine
Tel: 627 0827
Oriental Cuisine
Tel: 627 7799
Grotto Restaurant
Layal Lounge
Middle Eastern and Fast Food
Tel: 277 3335
Al- Khaymeh (Jacir Palace –
InterContinental Bethlehem)
Middle Eastern and Barbecues
Tel: 276 6777, Fax: 276 6154
Al Makan Bar (Jacir Palace –
InterContinental Bethlehem)
Snack Bar
Tel: 276 6777, Fax: 276 6770
Armenian and Middle Eastern
Tel: 628 2072, Fax: 628 2080
Tel: 275 7276
[email protected]
Bonjour Restaurant and Café
Tel: 274 9110
Palmeras Gastropub
Continental Cuisine
Telefax: 275 6622
The Square Restaurant and
Coffee Shop
Mediterranean Cuisine
Tel: 274 9844
Zaitouneh (Jacir Palace –
InterContinental Bethlehem)
Continental Cuisine
Tel: 276 6777, Fax: 276 6154
Al-Nafoura Restaurant
(Jericho Resort Village)
Arabic Cuisine and Barbecues
Tel: 232 1255, Fax: 232 2189
Al-Rawda
Barbecues
Telefax: 232 2555
Green Valley Park
Oriental Cuisine and Barbecues
Tel: 232 2349
Jabal Quruntul
Continental Cuisine (Open Buffet)
Tel: 232 2614, Fax: 232 2659
Limoneh
Continental Cuisine
Tel: 232 2781
Barbecues and Oriental Cuisine
Tel: 237 1332
Qasr al-Jabi restaurant
Tel: 238 4180
Zeit Ou Zaater (Al-Yasmeen
Hotel)
Continental Cuisine and Pastries
Tel: 238 3164, Fax: 233 3666
911 Café
Riwaq Courtyard (Jacir Palace
Andareen Pub
Tel: 0598 333 665
The Tent Restaurant
(Shepherds’ Valley Village)
Barbecues
Tel: 277 3875, Fax: 277 3876
Mexican, Italian, Oriental
Tel: 296 5911
Mob: 0599 258 435
Al Falaha
Msakhan and Taboun
Tel: 290 5124
Akasha
Oriental
Tel: 295 9333
Allegro Italian Restaurant
Sima café
Mövenpick Hotel Ramallah
Italian fine cuisine
Tel: 298 5888
St. George Restaurant
Al- Riwaq All-day-dining
restaurant
Tel: 275 2058
Oriental Cuisine and Barbecues
Tel: 274 3780, Fax: 274 1833
[email protected]
Tachi Chinese
Chinese Cuisine
Tel: 274 4382
Taboo – Restaurant and Bar
Oriental and Continental Cuisine
Tel: 274 0711, Mob: 0599 205 158
Azure Restaurant and Coffee
Shop
Continental Cuisine
Telefax: 295 7850
Baladna Ice Cream
Ice Cream and Soft Drinks
Telefax: 295 6721
Bamboo Chinese Restaurant
Tel: 297 6667
Caesar’s (Grand Park Hotel)
Continental Cuisine
Tel: 298 6194
Café De La Paix
French Cuisine
Tel: 298 0880
Castello Restaurant & Café
Oriental
Tel: 297 3844/55
Chinese House Restaurant
Chinese Cuisine
Tel: 296 4081
Dauod Basha
Tel: 297 4655
Continental Cuisine
Tel: 295 0590/1
Diwan Art Coffee Shop
Continental Cuisine
Tel: 296 6483
Do Re Mi Café (Royal Court)
Continental Cuisine
Tel: 296 4040
Elite Coffee House
Italian and Arabic Cuisine
Tel: 296 5169
Pasta, Seafood, Steaks & Middle
Eastern
Tel: 0595 187 622
Roots Lounge (Beit Sahour)
Western Menu and Pizza
Tel: 295 6408, 298 1455
Darna
Salim Afandi
Peace Restaurant & Bar
– InterContinental Bethlehem)
Coffee Shop and Sandwiches
Tel: 276 6777, Fax: 276 6754
Angelo’s
Mövenpick Hotel Ramallah
International, Swiss and Oriental
cuisine
Tel: 298 5888
Awjan
Seafood, Breakfast, and Pizza,
Coffee Shop, Lebanese and Italian
Cuisine
Tel: 297 1776
Andre’s Restaurant
French and Italian Cuisine
Tel: 296 6477/8
81
European Coffee Shop
Coffee and Sweets
Tel: 2951 7031, 296 6505
Express Pizza
American Pizza
Tel: 296 6566
Fawanees
Pastries and Fast Food
Tel: 298 7046
Hoash Il’iliyet Restaurant
and Gallery
Traditional Palestinian Cuisine
(Birzeit)
Mob: 0599 868 914
Jasmine Café
Tel: 295 0121
K5M - Caterers
Cake and Sweets
Tel: 295 6813
Khuzama Restaurant
Oriental Cuisine
Tel: 298 8289
La Vie Café
Cafe, Bistro & Bar
Tel: 296 4115
La Vista Café and Restaurant
Oriental and Western Cuisine
Tel: 296 3271
Level 5
Saba Sandwiches
Zarour Bar BQ
Fusion European
Tel: 298 8686
Falafel and Sandwiches
Tel: 296 0116
Cann Espresso
Samer
Barbecues and Oriental Cuisine
Tel: 295 6767, 296 4480
Fax: 296 4357
Arabic and Italian Cuisine
Tel: 297 2125
Middle Eastern Food
Tel: 240 5338 - 240 3088
Mac Simon
Sangria’s
Pizza and Fast Food
Tel: 297 2088
Mr. Donuts Café
Donuts and Coffee Shop
Tel: 240 7196
Mr. Fish
Seafood
Tel: 295 9555
Mr. Pizza
Pizza and Fast Food
Tel: 240 3016, 240 8182
Muntaza Restaurant and
Garden
Barbecues and Sandwiches
Tel: 295 6835
Na3Na3 Café
Italian and Oriental Cuisine
Tel: 296 4606
Newz Bar
Lounge and “Le Gourmet” pastries’
corner
Mövenpick Hotel Ramallah
Tel: 298 5888
French, Italian, and Mexican
Cuisine
Tel: 295 6808
Sinatra Cafe and Cheese
Cake
Italian and American Cuisine
Tel: 297 1028
Sky Bar (Ankars Suites and
Hotel)
Continental Cuisine
Tel: 295 2602
Sparkles Bar
Cigar bar
Mövenpick Hotel Ramallah
Tel: 298 5888
Stones
Continental Cuisine
Tel: 296 6038
Tabash (Jifna Village)
Barbecues
Tel: 281 0932
Tal El-Qamar Roof
Middle Eastern and Western Menu
Tel: 298 7905/ 6
Osama’s Pizza
TCHE TCHE
Pizza and Fast Food
Tel: 295 3270
The Vine Restaurant
Orjuwan Lounge
Palestinian-Italian Fusion
Tel: 297 6870
Palms Lounge
Resto/Bar
Tel: 298 5376
Pesto Café and Restaurant
Italian Cuisine
Tel: 297 0705, 297 0706
Pizza Inn
Pizza and Fast Food
Tel: 298 1181/2/3
Philadelphia Restaurant
Middle Eastern Menu
Tel: 295 1999
Plaza Jdoudna Restaurant
and Park
Middle Eastern Menu
Tel: 295 6020, Fax: 296 4693
Pronto Resto-Café
Italian Cuisine
Tel: 298 7312
Zeit ou Zaater
Pastries and Snacks
Tel: 295 4455
Ziryab
Barbecues, Italian, and Oriental
Cuisine
Tel: 295 9093
Al Daar
Barbecues
Tel: 288 5827
Al-Deira
Mediterranean Cuisine
Tel: 283 8100/200/300
Fax: 2838400
Almat’haf
Mediterranean Cuisine
Tel: 285 8444, Fax: 285 8440
Al-Molouke
Shawerma
Tel: 286 8397
Al-Salam
Seafood
Tel: 282 2705, Telefax: 283 3188
Avenue
Tel: 288 2100, 288 3100
Big Bite
Tel: 296 4201
Continental Cuisine
Tel: 295 7727
THE Q GARDEN
Roof-top garden International Cusine
Tel: 295 7727
Fastfood
Tel: 283 3666
Carino’s
Tel: 286 6343, Fax: 286 6353
LATERNA
Tel: 288 9881, Fax: 288 9882
Light House
Tomasso’s
Tel: 288 4884
Pizza and Fast Food
Tel: 240 9991/ 2
Marna House
Telefax: 282 3322, 282 2624
Tropicana
Mazaj Coffee House
Mexican Cuisine, Oriental Menu,
and Zarb
Tel: 297 5661
UpTown (Ankars Suites and
Hotel)
Continental Cuisine
Tel: 295 2602
Values Restaurant
International and Sea Food
Tel: 296 6997
Vatche’s Garden Restaurant
European Style
Tel: 296 5966, 296 5988
Tel: 286 8035
Mazaj Resturant
Tel: 282 5003, Fax: 286 9078
Orient House
Telefax: 282 8008, 282 8604
Roots - The Club
Oriental Cuisine
Tel: 288 8666, 282 3999, 282 3777
Abu Mazen Restaurant
Tel: 221 3833, Fax: 229 3111
Zam’n Premium Coffee
Al Quds Restaurant
Tel: 229 7773, Fax: 229 7774
Tel: 297 34511
Coffee Shop Style
Tel: 295 0600
Golden Rooster
Roma Café
Zaki Taki
Telefax: 221 6115
Sandwiches
Tel: 296 3643
Hebron Restaurant
Telefax: 222 7773
Zam’n Premium Coffee
Masyoun
Orient House Restaurant
Coffee Shop Style
Tel: 298 1033
Royal Restaurant
QMH
Italian Light Food
Tel: 296 4228
Rukab’s Ice Cream
Ice Cream and Soft Drinks
Tel: 295 3467
82
Telefax: 221 1525
Tel: 222 7210
East Jerusalem (02) Armenian Museum, Old City, Tel: 628 2331, Fax: 626 4861, Opening hours:
Mon.- Sat. from 9:00 - 16:30 • Dar At Tifl Museum (Dar At Tifl Association), Near the Orient House,
Tel: 628 3251, Fax: 627 3477 • Islamic Museum (The Islamic Waqf Asso­ciation), Old City, Tel: 628 3313,
Fax: 628 5561, opening hours for tourists: daily from 7:30 - 13:30 • Math Museum, Science Museum, Abu
Jihad Museum for the Palestinian Prisoners Studies - Al-Quds University, Tel: 279 9753 - 279 0606,
[email protected], opening hours Saturday - Wednesday 8:30 - 15:00 • Qalandia Camp Women’s Handicraft
Coop., Telefax: 656 9385, Fax: 585 6966, [email protected] • WUJOUD Museum, Tel: 626 0916, Fax:
0272625, [email protected], www.wujoud.org
Ramallah & Al-Bireh (02) Museum of Palestinian Popular Heritage - In’ash el Usra, In’ash el
Usra society, Al-Bireh, Tel: 240 2876, Fax: 240 1544, Opening hours: daily from 8:00 - 15:00 except Fridays •
Ramallah Museum, Al-Harajeh St., Across from Arab Bank, Old Town, Ramallah, Telefax: 295 9561,
open daily from 8:00 - 15:00 except friday and Saturday • The Birzeit University Ethnographic and Art
Museum Tel: 298 2976, [email protected], Opening hours: daily from 10:00 - 15:00 except for Fridays and Sundays
Bethlehem (02) Al-Balad Museum for Olive Oil Production, Tel: 274 1581, Opening hours: 8:00-14:30
Monday through Saturday • Baituna al Talhami Museum, (Folklore Museum) Arab Women’s Union,
Tel: 274 2589, Fax: 274 2431, Opening hours: daily from 8:00 - 13:00/ 14:00 - 17:00 except for Sundays and
Thursdays afternoon • Bethlehem Peace Center Museum, Tel: 276 6677, Fax: 274 1057, [email protected],
www.peacenter.org , Opening hours: daily from 10:00-18:00 except Sundays from 10:00 - 16:00 •
International Nativity Museum, Telefax: 276 0076, [email protected],
w w w. i n t e r n a t i o n a l n a t i v i t y m u s e u m . c o m • N a t u r a l H i s t o r y M u s e u m , Te l e f a x : 0 2 - 2 7 6
5 5 7 4 , e e c @ p - o l . c o m , w w w. e e c p . o r g • A r t a s O l d V i l l a g e H o u s e / M u s e u m ,
Mob: 0597 524 524, 0599 679 492, 0502 509 514, [email protected], Opening Hours: By Appointment
• Palestinian Heritage Center, Telefax: 274 2381, [email protected], www.
palestinianheritagecenter.com
Gaza (08) Al Mathaf, Tel: 285 8444, [email protected], www. almathaf.ps
East Jerusalem (02) Car Rental • Car & Drive, Tel: 656 5562/3 • Dallah Al-Barakah, Tel: 656 4150 •
Good Luck, Tel: 627 7033, Fax: 627 7688 • Green Peace Rent A Car Ltd., Telefax: 585 9756 • Jerusalem
Car Rental & Leasing ltd., Tel: 582 2179, Fax: 582 2173 • Orabi, Tel: 585 3101 • Middle East Car Rental,
Tel: 626 2777, Fax: 626 2203, [email protected] • Taxis Abdo,Tel: 585 8202 (Beit Hanina), Tel: 628 3281
(Damascus Gate) • Al-Eman Taxi & Lemo Service, Tel: 583 4599 - 583 5877 •Al-Rashid, Tel: 628 2220
• Al-Aqsa, Tel: 627 3003 • Beit Hanina, Tel: 585 5777 • Holy Land, Tel: 585 5555 • Imperial, Tel: 628 2504
• Jaber - Petra, Tel: 583 7275 - 583 7276 • Khaled Al-Tahan, Tel: 585 5777 • Mount of Olives, Tel: 627
2777 • Panorama, Tel: 628 1116 • Tourist Trans­por­tation Abdo Tourist, Tel: 628 1866 • Jerusalem of
Gold, Tel: 673 7025/6 • Kawasmi Tourist Travel Ltd., Tel: 628 4769, Fax: 628 4710 • Mount of Olives,
Tel: 627 1122 • Mahfouz Tourist Travel, Tel: 628 2212, Fax: 628 4015 •
Bethlehem (02) Car Rental Murad, Tel: 274 7092 • Nativity Rent a Car, Tel: 274 3532, Fax: 274 7053 Taxis
Asha’b, Tel: 274 2309 • Beit Jala, Tel: 274 2629 • Al Fararjeh Taxi - 24 Hours, Tel: 275 2416
Hebron (02) Car Rental Holy Land, Tel: 222 0811 • Taxis Al-Asdiqa’, Tel: 222 9436 • Al-Itihad, Tel: 222 8750
Jericho (02) Taxis Petra, Tel: 232 2525
Nablus (09) Car Rental Orabi, Tel: 238 3383 • Taxis Al-Ittimad, Tel: 237 1439 • Al-Madina, Tel: 237 3501
Ramallah & Al-Bireh (02) Car Rental Good Luck, Tel: 234 2160 • Orabi, Tel: 240 3521 • Petra,
Tel: 295 2602 • TWINS, Tel: 296 4688 • Taxis Al-Bireh, Tel: 240 2956 • Al-Masyoun Taxi, Tel: 295 2230 •
Al-Salam, Tel: 295 5805 • Al-Wafa, Tel: 295 5444 • Al-Itihad, Tel: 295 5887 • Hinnawi Taxi, Tel: 295 6302
• Omaya, Tel: 295 6120 • SAHARA Rent a Car Co., Tel: 297 5317/8 • Shamma’ Taxi Co., Tel: 296 0957
Gaza Strip (08) Car Rental Al-Ahli, Tel: 282 8534 • Al-Farouq, Tel: 284 2755 • Imad, Tel: 286 4000
• Luzun, Tel: 282 2628 • Taxis Al-Nasser, Tel: 286 1844, 286 7845 • Al-Wafa, Tel: 284 9144 - 282 4465 •
Azhar, Tel: 286 8858 • Midan Filastin, Tel: 286 5242
84
Hebron (02) AL-Afaq for Travel & Umrah, Telefax: 221 1332, [email protected] • AlArrab Tours
East Jerusalem (02) 4M Travel Agency, Tel: 627 1414, Fax: 628 4701, [email protected], www.4m-
travel.com • Abdo Tourist & Travel, Tel: 628 1865, Fax: 627 2973, [email protected] • Aeolus Tours,
Tel: 0505 635 5496, Fax: 656 5823, [email protected] • Albina Tours Ltd., Tel: 628 3397, Fax: 628 1215,
[email protected]; [email protected], www.albinatours.com • Alliance Travel Solutions, Tel: 581 7102,
Fax: 581 7103, [email protected], www.alliancetravel-jrs.com • Arab Tourist Agency (ATA), Tel:
627 7442, Fax: 628 4366,[email protected] • Atic Tours & Travel Ltd., Tel: 628 6159, Fax: 626 4023, info@
atictour.com, www.atictour.com • Awad & Co. Tourist Agency, Tel: 628 4021, Fax: 628 7990, admin@awad.
tours.com, www.awad-tours.com • Aweidah Bros. Co., Tel: 6282365, [email protected] • B. Peace
Tours & Travel, Tel: 626 1876, Fax: 626 2065, [email protected] • Bible Land Tours, Tel: 627 1169,
Fax: 627 2218, [email protected] • Blessed Land Tours, Tel: 628 6592, Fax: 628 5812, blt@blessedlandtours.
com, www.blessedlandtours.com • Carawan Tours and Travel, Tel: 628 1244, Fax: 628 1406, carawan@
jrol.com, www.carawan-tours.com • Daher Travel, Tel: 628 3235, Fax: 627 1574, [email protected], www.
dahertravel.com • Dajani Palestine Tours, Tel: 626 4768, Fax: 627 6927, [email protected] • Dakkak
Tours Agency, Tel: 628 2525, Fax: 628 2526, [email protected] • Destination Middle East, info@
destination-middle-east.com • Dynamic Links Travel and Tourism Bureau, Tel: 628 4724, Fax: 628 4714,
[email protected] • George Garabedian Co., Tel: 628 3398, Fax: 628 7896, [email protected]
• GEMM Travel, Tel: 628 2535/6, [email protected] • Guiding Star Ltd., Tel: 627 3150, Fax: 627 3147,
[email protected], www.guidingstarltd.com • Holy Jerusalem Tours & Travel, Tel: 540 1668; Fax: 540
0963, [email protected], www.holyjerusalemtours.com • Holy Land Tours, Tel: 532 3232, Fax: 532
3292, [email protected] • Jata Travel Ltd., Tel: 627 5001, Fax: 627 5003, [email protected] • Jiro
Tours, Tel: 627 3766, Fax: 628 1020, [email protected], www.jirotours.com • Jordan Travel Agency, Tel:
628 4052, Fax: 628 7621 • Jerusalem Orient Tourist Travel, Tel : 628 8722, Fax: 627 4589, hamdi@jottweb.
com • JT & T, Tel: 628 9418, 628 9422, Fax: 628 9298, [email protected], www.jttours.com • KIM’s Tourist &
Travel Agency, Tel: 627 9725, Fax: 627 4626, [email protected], www.kimstours.com • Lawrence Tours &
Travel, Tel: 628 4867, Fax: 627 1285, [email protected] • Lions Gate Travel & Tours, Tel: 627 7829,
Fax: 627 7830, Mobile: 0523 855 312, [email protected] • Lourdes Tourist & Travel Agency, Tel: 627
5332, Telefax: 627 5336, [email protected] • Mt. of Olives Tours Ltd., Tel: 627 1122, Fax: 628 5551
[email protected], www.olivetours.com • Nawas Tourist Agency Ltd., Tel: 628 2491, Fax: 628
5755 • Nazarene Tours and Travel, Tel: 627 4636, Fax: 627 7526 • Near East Tourist Agency
(NET), Tel: 532 8706, Fax: 532 8701, [email protected], www.netours.com • O.S. Hotel Services,
Tel: 628 9260, Fax: 626 4979, [email protected] • Overseas Travel Bureau, Tel: 628 7090, Fax: 628
4442, [email protected] • Priority Travel and Tours LTD., Tel: 627 4207, Fax: 627 4107 • Safieh
Tours & Travel Agency, Tel: 626 4447, Fax: 628 4430, [email protected] • Samara Tourist
& Travel Agency, Tel: 627 6133. Fax: 627 1956, [email protected] • Shepherds Tours &
Travel, Tel: 6284121- 6287859, Fax: 6280251, [email protected], www.shepherdstours.com
• Shweiki Tours Ltd., Tel: 673 6711, Fax: 673 6966 • Sindbad Travel Tourist Agency, Tel: 627 2165,
Fax: 627 2169, [email protected], www.Sindbad-Travel.com • Swift Travel, Tel: 628 0704, Fax: 627 2783,
[email protected] • Terra Sancta Tourist Co, Tel: 628 4733, Fax: 626 4472 • Tower Tours & Travel
Ltd., Tel: 628 2365, Fax: 628 2366, [email protected], www.tower-tours.com • Tony Tours Ltd., Tel:
244 2050, Fax: 244 2052, [email protected] • Traveller Experience Tours, Telefax: 585 8440, Mob. 0548 050
383, [email protected], www.travellerexperience.com • United Travel Ltd., Tel: 583 3614, Fax: 583
6190, [email protected], www.unitedtravelltd.com • Universal Tourist Agency, Tel: 628 4383, Fax: 626
4448, [email protected], www.universal-jer.com • William Tours & Travel Agency, Tel: 623 1617, Fax: 624
1126, [email protected] • Yanis Tours & Travel, Telefax: 627 5862, [email protected] • Zatarah
Tourist & Travel Agency, Tel: 627 2725, Fax: 628 9873, [email protected]
Tel: 221 1917, [email protected] • Al-Buhaira Tours and Travel co., Telefax: 225 2095, www.AL-BUHAIRA.
com, [email protected] • Alkiram Tourism, Tel: 225 6501/2, Fax: 225 6504, [email protected] •
Al Raed Travel Agency, Telefax: 229 3030, Mob: 0599 889 477, [email protected] • Al-Salam Travel and
Tours Co., Tel: 221 5574, Fax: 223 3747 • Sabeen Travel Tourism, Telefax: 229 4775, [email protected]
Ramallah (02) Al-Asmar Travel Agency, Telefax: 295 4140, 296 5775, [email protected] • All Middle East
Pilgrimage and Tourism Coordination Office, Tel:  289 8123, Fax: 289 9174, [email protected], www.
ameptco.com • Amani Tours, Telefax: 298 7013, [email protected] • Anwar Travel Agency, Tel: 295 6388,
295 1706, [email protected] • Apollo Travel & Tourism Agency, Mob: 0568 038 536, 0568 038 534, Tel:
241 2510, Fax: 251 2567, [email protected] • Arab Office for Travel & Tourism, Tel: 295 6640, Fax:
295 1331 • Arseema for Travel & Tourism, Tel: 297 5571, Fax: 297 5572, [email protected] • Atlas Tours
& Travel, Tel: 295 2180, Fax: 298 6395, www.atlasavia.com • Darwish Travel Agency, Tel: 295 6221, Fax:
295 7940 • Golden Globe Tours, Tel: 296 5111, Fax: 296 5110, [email protected] • Issis & Co., Tel: 295
6250, Fax: 295 4305 • Jordan River Tourist & Travel Agency, Tel: 298 0523, Fax: 298 0524 • Kashou’
Travel Agency, Tel: 295 5229, Fax: 295 3107, [email protected] • Mrebe Tours & Travel, Tel: 295
4671, Fax: 295 4672, [email protected] • The Pioneer Links Travel & Tourism Bureau, Tel: 240 7859,
Fax: 240 7860, [email protected] • Travel House For Travel & Tourism, Tel: 295 7225, Fax: 296
2634, www.travelhouse.ps • Rahhal Tours & Travel, Tel: 242 3256, Fax: 242 9962, [email protected], www.
rahhalyours.ps • Raha Tours and Travel, Tel: 296 1780, Fax: 296 1782, www.rahatt.com, www.rahatravel.
com • Reem Travel Agency, Tel: 295 3871, Fax: 295 3871 • Royal Tours, Tel: 296 6350/1, Fax: 296 6635 •
Sabeen Travel Tourism, Telefax: 240 5931, [email protected] • Salah Tours, Tel: 295 9931, Fax: 298
7206 • Shbat & Abdul Nur, Tel: 295 6267, Fax: 295 7246
Jenin (04) Asia Travel Tourism, Telefax: 243 5157, www.asia-tourism.net • Al Sadeq Travel & Tourism,
Tel: 243 8055, Fax: 243 8057, email: [email protected]
Nablus (09) Almadena Tours, Tel: 239 3333, Telefax: 239 3366, [email protected], www.almadena.ps •
Dream Travel & Tourism, Tel: 233 5056, Fax: 237 2069 • Firas Tours, Tel: 234 4565, Fax: 234 7781 • Top
Tour, Tel: 238 9159, Fax: 238 1425, [email protected] • Yaish International Tours, Telefax: 238
1410, 238 1437, [email protected] • Zorba’s Travel Show, Tel: 234 4959, Mob: 0569 282 726
Tulkarem (09) Faj Tours, Tel: 2672 486, Fax: 2686 070, [email protected]
Gaza Strip (08) Al-Muntazah Travel Agency, Tel: 282 7919 Fax: 282 4923 • Halabi Tours and Travel
Co., Tel: 282 3704, Fax: 286 6075, [email protected], www.halabitours.ps • Maxim Tours, Tel: 282 4415,
Fax: 286 7596 • National Tourist Office, Tel: 286 0616, Fax: 286 0682, [email protected] • Time Travel
Ltd., Tel: 283 6775, Fax: 283 6855, [email protected]
Bethlehem (02) ACA Travel & Tourism, Tel: 274 1115, Fax: 275 2263, [email protected], www.aca.ps •
Angels Tours and Travel, Tel: 277 5813, Fax: 277 5814, [email protected], www.angelstours.com.ps • Arab
Agency Travel & Tourism, Tel: 274 1872, Fax: 274 2431, [email protected], www.aca-palestine.com
• Bethlehem Star Travel, Telefax: 277 0441, [email protected], www.bst.ps • Crown Tours & Travel Co. Ltd.,
Tel: 274 0911, Fax: 274 0910, [email protected], www.crown-tours.com • Four Seasons Co. Tourism &
Travel, Tel: 277 4401, Fax: 277 4402, [email protected] • Gloria Tours & Travel, Tel: 274 0835, Fax: 274
3021, [email protected] • Golden Gate Tours & Travel, Tel: 276 6044, Fax: 276 6045, [email protected]
• Kukali Travel & Tours, Tel: 277 3047, Fax: 277 2034, [email protected] • Laila Tours & Travel, Tel: 277
7997, Fax: 277 7996, [email protected], www.Lailatours.com • Lama Tours International, Tel: 274 3717,
Fax: 274 3747, [email protected] • Millennium Transportation, TeleFax: 676 7727, 050-242 270 • Mousallam
Int’l Tours, Tel: 277 0054, Fax: 277 0054, [email protected] • Nativity Travel, Tel: 274 2966, Fax: 274 4546
• Sansur Travel Agency, Tel: 274 4473, Telefax: 274 4459 • Sky Lark Tours and Travel, Tel: 274 2886,
Fax: 276 4962, [email protected] • Terra Santa Tourist Co., Tel: 277 0249 Fax: 277 0250 • Voice of Faith
Tours, Tel: 275 70 50 Fax: 275 70 51, [email protected], www.gmtravel.co.il
Beit Jala (02) Guiding Star Ltd., Tel: 276 5970, Fax: 276 5971, [email protected]
Beit Sahour (02) Alternative Tourism Group, Tel: 277 2151, Fax: 277 2211, [email protected], www.atg.
ps • Brothers Travel & Tours, Tel: 277 5188, Fax: 277 5189, [email protected], www.brostours.
com • Grace Tours, Tel: 275 7363, Fax: 277 2420, [email protected] • Magi Tours, Telefax: 277 5798,
[email protected]
86
87
Consulates
East Jerusalem (02) Apostolic Delegation, Tel: 628 2298, Fax: 628 1880 • Belgium, Tel: 582 8263,
Fax: 581 4063, [email protected] • European Community - Delegation to the OPT, Tel: 541 5888,
Fax: 541 5848 • France, Tel: 591 4000, Fax: 582 0032 • Great Britain, Tel: 541 4100, Fax: 532 2368, britain.
[email protected], www.britishconsulate.org • Greece, Tel: 582 8316, Fax: 532 5392 • Italy, Tel: 561 8966,
Fax: 561 9190 • Spain, Tel: 582 8006, Fax: 582 8065 • Swedish Consulate General, Tel: 646 5860, Fax:
646 5861 • Turkey, Tel: 591 0555-7, Fax: 582 0214, [email protected], www.kudus.bk.mfa.gov.tr •
United States of America, Tel: 622 7230, Fax: 625 9270
Representative Offices to the PNA
Ramallah & Al-Bireh (02) Argentina Representative Office to the PA, Tel: 241 2848/9, Fax: 241
2850, [email protected] • Australia, Tel: 242 5301, Fax: 240 8290, [email protected], ausaid@palnet.
com • Austria, Tel: 240 1477, Fax: 240 0479 • Brazil, Tel: 241 3753, Fax: 241 3756, admin-office@rep-brazil.
org • Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Tel: 240 58 60/1, Fax: 2405862, representacionenpalestina@yahoo.
com, [email protected] • Canada, Tel: 297 8430, Fax: 297 8446, [email protected]
• Chile, Tel: 296 0850, Fax: 298 4768, [email protected] • Cyprus, Tel: 240 6959, Fax: 240 4897 • Czech
Republic, Tel: 296 5595, Fax: 296 5596 • Denmark, Tel: 242 2330, Fax: 240 0331 • Egypt, Tel: 297 7774, Fax:
297 7772 • Finland, Tel: 240 0340, Fax: 240 0343 • Germany, Tel: 298 4788, Fax: 298 4786, gerrprof@palnet.
com • Hungary, Tel: 240 7676, Fax: 240 7678, [email protected] • India, Tel: 290 3033, Fax: 290 3035, roi_
[email protected] • Ireland, Tel: 240 6811/2/3, Fax: 240 6816, [email protected] • Japan, Tel: 241 3120, Fax:
241 3123 • Jordan, Tel: 297 4625, Fax: 297 4624 • Mexico, Tel: 297 5592, Fax: 297 5594, ofimex-ramala@palnet.
com • Norway, Tel: 235 8600, Fax: 235 8699, [email protected] • Poland, Tel: 297 1318, Fax: 297 1319 • Portugal,
Tel: 240 7291/3, Fax: 240 7294 • Republic of Korea, Tel: 240 2846/7, Fax: 240 2848 • Russian Federation,
Tel: 240 0970, Fax: 240 0971 • South Africa, Tel: 298 7355, Fax: 298 7356, [email protected], www.sarep.org •
Sri Lanka, Telefax: 290 4271 • Switzerland, Tel: 240 8360, [email protected] • The Netherlands,
Tel: 240 6639, Fax: 240 9638 • The People’s Republic of China, Tel: 295 1222, Fax: 295 1221, chinaoffice@
palnet.com
Gaza Strip (08) Egypt, Tel: 282 4290, Fax: 282 0718 • Germany, Tel: 282 5584, Fax: 284 4855 • Jordan,
Tel: 282 5134, Fax: 282 5124 • Morocco, Tel: 282 4264, Fax: 282 4104 • Norway, Tel: 282 4615, Fax: 282 1902
• Qatar, Tel: 282 5922, Fax: 282 5932 • South Africa, Tel: 284 1313, Fax: 284 1333 • Tunisia, Tel: 282 5018,
Fax: 282 5028
United Nations and International Organisations
FAO - Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Jerusalem (02), TeleFax: 532 2757, 532 1950,
[email protected], www.fao.org • IBRD - International Bank for Reconstruction and De­vel­opment (World
Bank), West Bank (02), Tel: 236 6500 Fax: 236 6543, Gaza (08) Tel: 282 4746 Fax: 282 4296, firstletterofsurname.
[email protected] • IMF, - International Monetary Fund, www.imf.org, Gaza (08), Tel: 282 5913; Fax:
282 5923, West Bank (02), Tel: 236 6530; Fax: 236 6543 • ILO - International Labor Organization, Jerusalem
(02), Tel: 626 0212, 628 0933, Fax: 627 6746, [email protected], Ramallah (02), Tel: 290 0022, Fax: 290
0023, Nablus (09), Tel: 237 5692 - 233 8371, Fax: 233 8370 • OHCHR - Office of the High Commissioner for
Human Rights, Gaza (08), Tel: 282 7021, Fax: 282 7321, [email protected], West Bank Office, Telefax: 02-296
5534 • UNESCO - United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, Ramallah (02),
Tel: 295 9740, Fax: 295 9741, [email protected] • UNFPA - United Nations Population Fund, Jerusalem
(02), Tel: 581 7292, Fax: 581 7382, [email protected], www.unfpa.ps • UNICEF - United Nations Children’s
Fund, Jerusalem (02), Tel: 583 0013,4 Fax: 583 0806, Gaza (08), Tel: 286 2400, Fax: 286 2800, Jerusalem@
unicef.org • UNIFEM - United Nations Development Fund for Women, Telefax: 628 0450, Tel: 628 0661 •
UN OCHA - United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Tel: 582 9962/02 - 582 5853,
Fax: 582 5841, [email protected], www.ochaopt.org • UNRWA - United Nations Relief and Works Agency,
Gaza (08), Tel: 677 7333, Fax: 677 7555, [email protected], West Bank (02), Tel: 589 0401, Fax: 532 2714,
[email protected] • UNSCO - Office of the Special Coordinator for the Middle East
Peace Process, Tel: 08-284 3555/02-568 7276, Fax: 08-282 0966/02-568 7288, [email protected], www.
unsco.org • UNTSO - United Nations Truce Supervision Organization, Jerusalem (02), Tel: 568 7222 - 568
7444, Fax: 568 7400, [email protected] • WFP - World Food Programme, Gaza (08), Tel: 282
7463, Fax: 282 7921, Jerusalem (02), Tel: 540 1340, Fax: 540 1227, [email protected] • WHO - World
Health Organization, Jerusalem (02), Tel: 540 0595, Fax: 581 0193, [email protected], Gaza (08), Tel: 282
2033, Fax: 284 5409, [email protected] • World Bank, Tel: 236 6500, Fax: 236 6543
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
Programme of Assistance to the Palestinian People (PAPP)
4 Al-Ya’qubi Street, Jerusalem, Tel: 02 6268200, Fax: 02 6268222
E-mail: [email protected] / URL: http://www.papp.undp.org
88
Bethlehem (02) Hospitals Al-Dibis Maternity, Tel: 274 4242 • Al-Hussein Government, Tel: 274
Ramallah (02) Quds Bank (Al-Masyoon), Tel: 297 9562, (El-Bireh), Tel: 298 3391 • Al Rafah Microfinance
Bank, Tel: 297 8710, Fax: 297 8880 • Arab Bank, (Al-Balad) Tel: 298 6480, Fax: 298 6488 • Arab Bank,
(Al-Bireh), Tel: 295 9581, Fax: 295 9588 • Arab Bank, (Al-Manara) Tel: 295 4821, Fax: 295 4824 • Arab Bank
(Masyoun Branch), Tel: 297 8100 • Arab Land Bank, Tel: 295 8421 • Bank of Palestine, Tel: 296 5010, Fax:
298 5920 • Bank of Palestine, (Al-Irsal) Tel: 296 6860, Fax: 296 6864 • Arab Palestinian Investment Bank,
Tel: 298 7126, Fax: 298 7125 • Beit Al-Mal Holdings, Tel: 298 6916, Fax: 298 6916 • HSBC Bank Middle
East, Tel: 298 7802, Fax: 298 7804 • Cairo-Amman Bank, Tel: 298 3500, Fax: 295 5437 • The Center for
Private Enterprise Development, Tel: 298 6786, Fax: 298 6787 • Commercial Bank of Palestine, Tel:
295 4141, Fax: 295 4145 • Cooperative Development Unit, Tel: 290 0029, Fax: 290 0029 • Deutsche
Ausgleichsbank (DTA), Tel: 298 4462, Fax: 295 2610 • The Housing Bank, Tel: 298 6270, Fax: 298 6276 •
International Islamic Arab Bank, Tel: 240 7060, Fax: 240 7065 • Jordan Bank, Tel: 295 8686, Fax: 2958684
• Jordan-Gulf Bank, Tel: 298 7680, Fax: 298 7682 • Jordan-Kuwait Bank, Tel: 240 6725, Fax: 240 6728 •
Jordan National Bank, Tel: 295 9343, Fax: 295 9341 • Palestine International Bank (PIB), Tel: 298 3300,
Fax: 298 3333 • Palestine Investment Bank, Tel: 298 7880, Fax: 298 7881 • Palestine Islamic Bank, Tel:
295 0247, Fax: 295 7146 • Union Bank, Tel: 298 6412, Fax: 295 6416
Hebron (02) Hos­pi­tals Amira Alia, Tel: 222 8126 • Al-Ahli, Tel: 222 0212 • Al-Meezan, Tel: 225 7400/1
• Mohammed Ali, Tel: 225 3883/4 • Shaheera, Tel: 222 6982 • St. John’s Opthalmic, Tel: 223 6047 • The
Red Crescent, Tel: 222 8333 • Yattah Governmental Hospital, Tel: 227 1017, 227 1019 Clinics and
Centers Red Crescent Society, Tel: 222 7450 • UPMRC, Tel: 222 6663
Gaza Strip (08) Quds Bank (Al-Remal), Tel: 284 4333 • Arab Bank, Tel: 08-286 6288, Fax: 282 0704 •
Arab Bank (Al-Rimal), Tel: 282 4729, Fax: 282 4719 • Arab Bank, (Khan Younis) Tel: 205 4775, Fax: 205 4745
• Arab Bank (Karny), Tel: 280 0020, Fax: 280 0028 • Arab Land Bank, Tel: 282 2046, Fax: 282 1099 • Bank
of Palestine Ltd., Tel: 282 3272, Fax: 286 5667 • Beit Al-Mal Holdings, Tel: 282 0722, Fax: 282 5786 •
Cairo-Amman Bank, Tel: 282 4950, Fax: 282 4830 • Commercial Bank of Palestine, Tel: 282 5806, Fax:
282 5816 • The Housing Bank, Tel: 282 6322, Fax: 286 1143 • Jordan Bank, Tel: 282 0707, Fax: 282 4341 •
Palestine Development Fund, Tel: 282 4286, Fax: 282 4286 • Palestine International Bank (PIB), Tel:
284 4333, Fax: 284 4303 • Palestine Investment Bank, Tel: 282 2105, Fax: 282 2107
East Jerusalem (02) Hospitals Augusta Victoria, Tel: 627 9911 • Dajani Maternity, Tel: 583 3906
• Hadassah (Ein Kerem), Tel: 677 7111 • Hadassah (Mt. Scopus), Tel: 584 4111 • Maqassed, Tel: 627 0222
• Red Crescent Maternity, Tel: 628 6694 • St. John’s Opthalmic, Tel: 582 8325 • St. Joseph, Tel: 591
1911 • Clinics and Centers Arab Health Center, Tel: 628 8726 • CHS Clinics, Tel: 628 0602/0499 • Ibn
Sina Medical Center, Tel: 540 0083/9, 532 2536 • Jerusalem First Aid Clinic, Tel: 626 4055 • Medical
Relief Womens, Health Clinic, Tel: 583 3510 • Palestinian Counseling Center, Tel: 656 2272, 656
2627 • Peace Medical Center, Tel: 532 7111, 532 4259 • Red Crescent Society, Tel: 582 8845 • Spafford
Children’s Clinic, Tel: 628 4875 • The Austrian Arab Commu­nity Clinic (AACC), Tel: 627 3246 • The
Jerusalem Princess Basma Center for Disabled Children, Tel: 628 3058
1161 • Bethlehem Arab Society for Rehabilitation, Tel: 274 4049-51, Fax: 274 4053 • Caritas Baby, Tel:
275 8500, Fax: 275 8501 • Mental Health, Tel: 274 1155 • Shepherd’s Field Hospital, Tel: 277 5092 • St.
Mary’s Maternity, Tel: 274 2443 • The Holy Family, Tel: 274 1151, Fax: 274 1154 Clinics and Centers
Beit Sahour Medical Center, Tel: 277 4443 • Bethlehem Dental Center, Tel: 274 3303
Jericho (02) Hospitals Jericho Government, Tel: 232 1967/8/9 Clinics and Centers UPMRC, Tel:
232 2148
Nablus (09) Hospitals Al-Aqsa Hospital and Medical Center, Tel: 294 7666 • Al-Ittihad, Tel: 237
1491 • Al-Watani, Tel: 238 0039 • Al-Zakat Hospital (TolKarem), Tel: 268 0680 • Aqraba Maternity
Home, Tel: 259 8550 • Rafidia, Tel: 239 0390 • Salfit Emergency Governmental Hospital, Tel: 251 5111
• Specialized Arab Hospital, Tel: 239 0390 • St. Luke’s, Tel: 238 3818 • UNRWA Qalqilia Hospital
(Qalqiliya), Tel: 294 0008 Clinics and Centers Al-Amal Center, Tel: 238 3778 • Arab Medical Center,
Tel: 237 1515 • Hagar (Handicapped Equipment Center), Tel: 239 8687 • Red Crescent Society, Tel:
238 2153 • UPMRC, Tel: 283 7178
Ramallah & Al-Bireh (02) Hospitals Arabcare Hospital, Tel: 298 6420 • AL-Karmel
Maternity Home, Tel: 247 1026 • Al-Mustaqbal Hospital, Tel: 240 4562 • AL-Nather Maternity
Hospital, Tel: 295 5295 • Ash-Sheikh Zayed Hospital, Tel: 298 8088 • Birziet Maternity Home,
Tel: 281 0616 • Care Specialized Dental Center, Tel: 297 5090 • Khaled Surgical Hospital, Tel:
295 5640 • Ramallah Government Hospitals, Tel: 298 2216/7 • Red Crescent Hospital, Tel: 240
6260 Clinics and Centers Arab Medical Center, Tel: 295 4334 • Arabcare Medical Center,
Tel: 298 6420 • Emergency & Trauma Center, Tel: 298 8088 • Harb Heart Center, Tel: 296 0336
• Modern Dental Center, Tel: 298 0630 • National Center for Blood Diseases “Hippocrates”
Thalessemia and Hemophilia Center, Tel: 296 5082, Fax: 296 5081 • Patients’ Friends Society
K. Abu Raya Re­ha­bili­tation Centre, Tel: 295 7060/1 • Palestinian Hemophilia Association-PHA,
Telefax: 297 5588 • Peace Medical Center, Tel: 295 9276 • Red Crescent Society, Tel: 240 6260 • UPMRC,
Tel: 298 4423, 296 0686
Gaza Strip (08) Hospitals Al-Ahli Al-Arabi, Tel: 286 3014 • Dar Al-Salam, Tel: 285 4240 • Nasser, Tel:
205 1244 • Shifa, Tel: 286 2765 Clinics and Centers Arab Medical Center, Tel: 286 2163 • Beit Hanoun
Clinic, Tel: 285 8065 • Dar Al-Shifa, Tel: 286 5520 • Hagar (Handicapped Equipment Center), Tel: 284
2636 • St. John’s Opthalmic, Tel: 284 8445 • UPMRC, Tel: 282 7837
Nablus (09) Quds Bank, Tel: 235 9741, (Nablus Aljded) , Tel: 239 7782 • Arab Bank, Tel: 238 2340, Fax:
238 2351 • Arab Bank (Askar), Tel: 231 1694, Fax: 234 2076 • Arab Land Bank, Tel: 238 3651, Fax: 238 3650
• Bank of Palestine Ltd., Tel: 238 2030, Fax: 238 2923 • Bank of Palestine (Al-Misbah), Tel: 231 1460, Fax:
231 1922 • Cairo-Amman Bank, Tel: 238 1301, Fax: 238 1590 • Commercial Bank of Palestine, Tel: 238
5160, Fax: 238 5169 • The Housing Bank, Tel: 238 6060, Fax: 238 6066 • Jordan Bank, Tel: 238 1120, Fax:
238 1126 • Jordan-Gulf Bank, Tel: 238 2191, Fax: 238 1953 • Jordan-Kuwait Bank, Tel: 237 7223, Fax:
237 7181 • Jordan-National Bank, Tel: 238 2280, Fax: 238 2283 • Palestine Investment Bank, Tel: 238
5051, Fax: 238 5057 • Palestine International Bank, Tel: 239 7780, Fax: 239 7788
City
Fire
Ambulance
Police
Jerusalem*
CHS (Old City Jerusalem)
Bethlehem
Gaza
Hebron
Jericho
Jenin
Nablus
Ramallah
Child Helpline Palestine
Tulkarem
Qalqilia
02-6282222
101 / 050-319120
02-274 1123
08-2863633
102/22 28121-2-3
02-232 2658
04-250 1225
09-238 3444
02-295 6102
(121) free line
09-267 2106
09-294 0440
101
100
101 / 02-274 4222
101 / 08-2863633
101
101 / 02-232 1170
101 / 04-250 2601
101 / 09-238 0399
101 / 02-240 0666
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
101 / 09-267 2140
101 / 09-294 0440
100
100
Telephone Services
East Jerusalem (02) Quds Bank (Al-Ezzarieh), Tel: 279 8803 • Arab Bank (Al-Ezzarieh), Tel: 279 6671,
Fax: 279 6677 • Arab Bank (Al-Ram), Tel: 234 8710, Fax: 234 8717 • Center for Development Consultancy
(CDC), Tel: 583 3183, Fax: 583 3185 • Commer­cial Bank of Palestine, Tel: 279 9886, Fax: 279 9258
Bethlehem (02) Arab Bank, Tel: 277 0080, Fax: 277 0088 • Arab Land Bank, Tel: 274 0861 • Cairo-
Amman Bank, Tel: 274 4971, Fax: 274 4974 • Jordan National Bank, Tel: 277 0351, Fax: 277 0354 • Bank
of Palestine Ltd., Tel: 276 5515/6, Fax: 276 5517 • Palestine Investment Bank, Tel: 277 0888, Fax: 277 0889
Hebron (02) Quds Bank, Tel: 221 1357 • Al-Ahli Bank, Tel: 222 4801/2/3/4 • Arab Bank, Tel: 222 6410,
Fax: 222 6418 • Bank of Palestine Ltd., Tel: 225 0001/2/3 • Cairo-Amman Bank, (Wadi Al-Tuffah) Tel: 222
5353/4/5 • Cairo-Amman Bank, (Al-Balad) Tel: 222 9803/4 • Cairo-Amman Bank, (The Islamic Branch)
Tel: 222 7877 • Islamic Arab Bank, Tel: 2254156/7 • Islamic Bank, Tel: 222 6768 • Jordan Bank, Tel: 222
4351/2/3/4 • Palestine Investment Bank, Tel: 225 2701/2/3/4 • The Housing Bank, Tel: 225 0055
90
Bezeq
Wake up calls
Talking Clock
Time around the world
Vocal Information
Pager Service
Repeat call
Last call
Call waiting
Call forwarding
General information
Services
Corporate services
1475
1455
1975
1705
*41
*42
*70
*71
199
164
166
Paltel
Wake up calls
Free fax service
Follow me
(forwarding calls)
Phone book
Maintenance
Information
Internet maintenance
175
167
Tourism and An­tiq­uities
Police
72*
144
166
199
167
Border Crossings
Calls from Overseas
Dial access code, international
country code (972) or (970),
area code (without the zero),
desired number
91
Bethlehem
Gaza
Jericho
Nablus
Allenby Bridge
Arava Border
Eretz Crossing
Rafah Border
Sheikh Hussien
02-277 0750/1
08-282 9017
02-232 4011
09-385 244
02-994 2302
08-630 0555
08-674 1672
08-673 4205
04-609 3410
As Palestine continues its struggle for independence, it has already begun to acquire sovereign cyberspace recognition.
A difficult three-year international debate resulted in the “Occupied Palestinian Territory” being officially assigned the
two-letter suffix, “.ps,” in the ISO 3166-1 list for the representation of names of countries or territories. The successful
struggle to attain country code 970 led the way for the Internet Corporation for Associated Names and Numbers
(ICANN), the international corporation that manages the country code Top-Level Domain (ccTLD) system on the
Internet, on 22 March 2000, to assign Palestine its unique country identifier, “.ps,” in line with other sovereign nations
such as .fr for France and .ca for Canada.
Arts and Culture: Al Rowwad Theatre Centre www.alrowwad.virtualactivism.net, A.M. Qattan
Foundation www.qattanfoundation.org, Ashtar Theater www.ashtar-theatre.org, Al Kasaba Theatre and
Cinematheque www.alkasaba.org, Al-Ma’mal Foundation for Contemporary Art www.almamalfoundation.
org, Al Mathaf www.almathaf.ps, ArtSchool Palestine www.artschoolpalestine.com, Baha Boukhari www.
baha-cartoon.net, Educational Bookshop www.educationalbookshop.com, Family Net www.palestinefamily.net, Khalil Sakakini Cultural Center (Ramallah) www.sakakini.org, Paltel Virtual Gallery (Birzeit
University) www.virtualgallery.birzeit.edu, Rim Banna www.rimbanna.com, RIWAQ: Centre for Architectural
Conservation www.riwaq.org, Sunbula (fair trade/crafts) www.sunbula.org, The Popular Arts Centre
www.popularartcentre.org, Sumud www.sumud.net, Pal­es­tinian Pottery www.pal­es­tinianpottery.com, The
International Center of Bethlehem (Dar Annadwa) www.annadwa.org, The Musical Intifada www.
docjazz.com, El-funoun www.el-funoun.org, Sabreen Association for Artistic Development www.sabreen.
org, The Virtual Gallery www.virtualgallery.birzeit.edu,
Business and Economy: Arab Pal­es­tinian In­vestment Com­pany www.apic-pal.com, Hebron Store
www.hebron-store.com, Jawwal www.jawwal.ps, Massar www.massar.com, The Palestinian Economic
Council for De­vel­opment and Re­con­struction (PECDAR) www.pecdar.org, Pal­es­tinian Securities
Ex­change, Ltd. www.p-s-e.com, Pal­es­tine Development and In­vestment Ltd. (PADICO) www.padico.
com, Paltel Group. www.paltelgroup.ps, Tatweer Information Technology & Business Solutions www.
progress.ps, Wataniya Palestine www.wataniya-palestine.com
Directories, ISPs and Por­tals: Jaffa Net www.weino.com, Hadara www.hadara.ps, Al-Quds Network
www.alqudsnet.com, Masader, the Palestinian NGO Portal www.masader.ps, Palseek www.palseek.
com, Paleye www.paleye.com, Al Buraq www.alburaq.net, The Palestinian NGO Portal www.masader.ps
Government: PLO Negotiations Affairs Department (NAD) www.nad-plo.org, PNA www.pna.gov.ps,
Ministry of Higher Edu­cation www.mohe.gov.ps, Min­is­try of In­dus­try www.industry.gov.ps, Ministry of
Education www.moe.gov.ps, Min­is­try of Health www.moh.gov.ps, Government Computer Center www.
gcc.gov.ps, Orient House www.orienthouse.org
Health and Mental Health: Augusta Victoria Hospital www.avh.org, Gaza Community Mental Health
Programme www.gcmhp.net, Ministry of Health www.moh.gov.ps, Palestinian Counseling Center
www.pcc-jer.org, Red Crescent Society www.palestinercs.org, Spafford Children’s Clinic www.spaffordjerusalem.org, UNFPA www.unfpa.ps, Union of Palestinian Medical Relief Committees www.upmrc.org,
Bethlehem Arab Society for Rehabilitation www.basr.org, Palestine Medical Council www.pmc.ps
Human Rights Organisations: Al Haq www.alhaq.org, Defence for Children International Palestine
Section www.dci-pal.org, Human Rights and Good Governance Secretariat in the oPt www.humanrights.
ps, LAW - The Pal­es­tinian Society for the Pro­tection of Human Rights and the Environment
www.lawsociety.org, The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights www.pchrgaza.org, BADIL www.badil.org,
Women’s Affairs Technical Committee (WATC) www.pal-watc.org; www.pcc-jer.org
Research and News: Applied Research Institute - Jerusalem www.arij.org, JMCC www.jmcc.org,
PASSIA www.passia.org, MIFTAH www.miftah.org, AMIN www.amin.org, Al Quds www.alquds.com, Al
Ayyam www.al-ayyam.com, WAFA www.wafa.pna.net, Palestine Wildlife Society www.wildlife-pal.org, 93.6
RAM FM www.ramfm.net, Ramallah on line www.ramallahonline.com, Ramattan Studios www.ramattan.
com, Palestine Family Net www.palestine-family.net, Palestine Mapping Centre www.palmap.org, The
Palestine Monitor www.palestinemonitor.org, The Palestinian Center for Rapprochement between
People www.imemc.org, OCHA- The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian
Affairs www.ochaopt.org, Englishpal www.englishpal.ps, Ma’an News Agency www.maannews.net/en
Tourism: Ministry of Tourism www.travelpalestine.ps, Arab Hotel Association www.palestinehotels.
com, Holy land Incoming Tour Operators Association www.holylandoperators.com, Diyafa Hospitality
Management Consultants Group www.diyafa.ps, Ramallah Tourist Information Center tic@ramallah.
ps, visitpalestine www.visitpalestine.ps
Travel Agencies: Al­ter­native Tourism Group www.patg.org, Atlas Aviation www.atlasavia.com, Awad
Tourist Agency www.awad-tours.com, Aweidah Tours www.aweidah.com, Blessed Land Travel www.
blessedland.com, Crown Tours www.crown-tours.com, Daher Travel www.dahertravel.com, Guiding Star
www.guidingstarltd.com, Halabi Tours and Travel Co. www.halabitours.ps, Jiro Tours www.jirotours.com, Mt.
of Olives Tours www.olivetours.com, Pioneer Links www.pioneer-links.com, Raha Tours www.rahatravel.
com, Ramallah Travel Agency www.kaoud.org, United Travel www.unitedtravelltd.com, Universal Tourist
Agency www.universal-jer.com
Universities: Birzeit University www.birzeit.edu, An-Najjah University www.najah.edu, Al-Quds
University www.alquds.edu, Al-Azhar University (Gaza) www.alazhar-gaza.edu, Arab American University
www.aauj.edu, Bethlehem University www.bethlehem.edu, Hebron University www.hebron.edu, The
Islamic University (Gaza) www.iugaza.edu, Palestine Polytechnic www.ppi.edu
92
Map Source: PalMap - GSE
© Copyright to GSE and PalMap
Map source, designer and publisher:
GSE - Good Shepherd Engineering & Computing
P.O.Box 524, 8 Jamal Abdel Nasser St.,
Bethlehem, West Bank, Palestine
Tel: +970 2 2744728 / Fax: +970 2 2751204 (Also +972)
[email protected] / www.gsecc.com / www.palmap.org
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97
Giving It Your Best
“There is so much hatred in this part of the world,” a
friend of mine recently wrote on Facebook. Unfortunately,
this is so true. If hatred is measureable, I pray that we do
not measure up to that of the Tutsis and Hutus who slaughtered each other during the
Rwandan genocide in 1994, when approximately one million people were killed; that’s 20
percent of the whole population!
Judging from the horrific scenes we saw on TV during the last assault on Gaza and during
that of 2007, however, indiscriminate killing has not only become easy but also almost
acceptable as collateral damage. I pray that we’re not heading in the direction of Rwanda.
But ask yourself: What’s really stopping us? Is it our morality? Our ethics? International
law? International observers? What?
We’re living in a cycle of violence which is self-perpetuating and which feeds on itself.
As this last round of violence ended, someone jokingly asked his friend, “So when will the
Gaza front flare up again?” The friend replied, “A couple of months before the next Israeli
elections, silly!” Sad, actually.
I was playing a virtual game on my iPhone the other day. An Israeli who noticed that I was
Palestinian sent me a chat message: “How mad are you?” Realising that he was referring
to Gaza, I immediately replied, “How mad are you?” I then wrote, “We won!” to which he
replied, “We won!” In reality, we both lost since there’s no real victor in war. Ramifications of
the aggression will become clear as time passes. Doubtful they’ll have a major effect on the
results of the Israeli elections in January, but no one knows for sure. Fresh documentation
of human rights violations may come in handy after Palestine becomes a non-member
state at the United Nations. Meanwhile life slowly returns to normal, all relative of course,
till the next Israeli elections; I mean till the next round of violence.
The year 2012 is almost behind us, and what a tough year it has been for us Palestinians.
Somehow, though, we get by; we always do. In fact, some of us even excel. With all its
negativity, life under occupation somehow forces us to give it our best. This is possibly
most visible in artistic expression, but it surely doesn’t stop there. Being blessed with a
job that requires me to seek success and uniqueness, I get to know remarkable stories
of exceptionally gifted and talented people, in every walk of life, who excel in what they
do and make a difference in their society. The articles in this issue are but the tip of the
iceberg of what we have.
This December also marks This Week in Palestine’s fourteenth anniversary. Since
December 1998, we’ve published an issue every single month without fail, come rain or
shine, rather, come curfew, travel restriction, or incursion! I have no guarantee for the
future, not even for what tomorrow may hold, but I am truly proud that, for so long a time,
our magazine has played a role in promoting our beloved Palestine and in documenting its
events, its cultural heritage, its achievements, and yes, its shortcomings. This past week, our
website has been under attack by hackers, even to the point of being disabled for a while.
It’s up now, but we know that they’re still trying to take it down. I wrote on our Facebook
page: “What took you so long, guys? I was beginning to take offence!” In all humility,
though, I can say that we know we’re making progress in our role as an effective media tool.
I would like to take this opportunity not only to thank the dedicated team of This Week
in Palestine who has been simply remarkable, but also to to wish you all an early Merry
Christmas and a wonderful, prosperous, and healthy New Year.