This Week in Palestine`s Print Edition

Issue No. 127, November 2008
Is
Jerusalem
P.O.Box 38234
Tel: 02-2349902 / 2343888
Fax: 02-2347219
Palestine
Printing in
Advancing
Studio Alpha
The Marketing Myth: Between Illusion and Reality........................................................ 4
Defining Graphic Design.............................................................................................. 10
Armenian Pottery and the Karakashians ..................................................................... 12
It is all about the idea and how we communicate…. ................................................... 16
Palestinian Design in the Context of Furniture Production .......................................... 20
Abdul-Rahman Hijjawi and Sons Printing Company ................................................... 22
Designing Palestinian Handicrafts ............................................................................... 24
Fawzy Jiries Nastas..................................................................................................... 30
The Palestinian Scarf ...
Fashion Statement or Symbol? A Palestinian Scarf Becomes Hip-hop Chic .............. 34
The Printing Business in Bethlehem: a Thriving Industry ............................................ 40
Taybeh Antique Floor Tiles .......................................................................................... 44
Elias Mourad Design and Tailoring .............................................................................. 46
Hospitality and Tourism Management Education:
Swiss Cooperation in Palestine ................................................................................... 48
Rami Kashou ............................................................................................................... 52
ZAN Studio .................................................................................................................. 58
Al-Kasaba Theatre and Cinematheque
International Film Festival, 12–25 November 2008 ..................................................... 60
In the Limelight ............................................................................................................ 62
Reviews ....................................................................................................................... 66
Events.......................................................................................................................... 70
Listings ...................................................................................................................76-94
Maps and Where to Go? ........................................................................................95-97
The Last Word ............................................................................................................. 98
Picturesque Palestine ................................................................................................. 99
Telefax: + 970/2-2-2951262
e-mail: [email protected]
www.thisweekinpalestine.com
Printed by Studio Alpha, Al-Ram, Jerusalem
Binding by Al-Asdika', Al-Ram, Jerusalem
Distributed by
The olive-picking season is an important event on the Palestinian calendar. It starts
sometime in October (or as early as end of September) and goes on well into November.
Palestinian schools give their students time off so that kids can help their parents in this
time-honoured endeavour. While hard work is at stake, it is, nonetheless, an enjoyable
task that everyone relishes and looks forward to every year. Families and large clans
come together, joined by friends and volunteers, to pick, sort, gossip, eat, and drink.
October and November in Palestine are characterised by mild weather, neither too
hot nor too cold, making a day in the fields a pleasant experience and a welcome
escape from the drudgery of one’s daily routine. The meals are an integral part of the
experience. While generally not elaborate affairs, they are made tastier due to their
unique setting. One is almost sure to find home-baked bread, white cheese, tomatoes
and cucumbers, and, of course, olives (from the previous season’s harvest), among
other things. Some families bring home-cooked meals to feed the hungry workers.
Stories are shared over mint- or sage-flavoured tea.
This idyllic setting, alas, has been disrupted in recent years by the construction of
Israel’s separation Wall, which has cut off farmers from their lands and made accessing
them a torturous affair. Israeli settlers are the other plague to hit the season. They
often attack farmers and prevent them from getting to their groves. Some farmers have
seen their trees torched or cut down. In either case, farmers lose an important source
of their income and livelihood.
Drive from Jerusalem to Ramallah and you will be bombarded with huge billboards
and all sorts and sizes of ads. Some are very interesting and witty, well designed and
attention-catching. This is where creative graphic design comes into play. This issue of
This Week in Palestine looks at the advertising and graphic design fields in Palestine
and their effect on other fields. Just leaf through this publication to see the graphic
design that goes into shaping each page by our master graphic designer Tayseer
Masriyeh, who lives in Italy.
There is a certain chill in the air that ruefully announces that summer is over. Winter
promises to be cold, especially in this tumultuous financial crisis. Keep warm and
minimise your risk.
Tony A. Khoury
Editor-in-chief
Forthcoming Issues:
Theme: Design and Advertising in Palestine
Cover by: Taisir Masrieh, Turbo Design
• This Week in Palestine turns 10! We would like
your feedback. - December 2008
• 1948 Palestinians - January 2009
• Sumud and Palestinian Identity - February 20099
Advisory Board
Omar Al-Qattan
Filmmaker & Cultural Animator
The views of all the articles do not neccessarily 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, and its
advisory board as to the legal status of any country, territory, city, or area, or of the authorities thereof, or as
to the delimitation of boundaries or national affiliation.
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Khaled Elayyan
Artist and Choreographer
Lily Elias Habash
Founder of Partners
for Women's Empowerment
Dr. Norma Masriyyeh Hazboun
Chairperson, Department of Social
Sciences, Bethlehem University
Ahmad Aweidah
CEO - Palestine Securities Exchange
Dr. Ali Qleibo
Anthropologist, Author, and Artist
3
The Marketing Myth:
Between Illusion and Reality
By Rania Jaber
will not get you anywhere.” To me, the
main objective of that marketing event
was a two-way process: To market my
programme to specialists and introduce
these companies to a new generation
of students. And we were able to do it. I
still recall the sense of humour of some
marketing mangers; I still hear the sound
of the laughs of our students … and I
will never forget the power of dialogue
and critical responses that all parties
participated in. I was proud.
The Brutal Truth
It all started behind the scenes ... It was
a bright sunny morning in May and there
I was, trapped between the walls of the
unknown. The setting: Birzeit University;
the occasion: a marketing event for a
new programme entitled “Marketing.”
I was reluctant and wondering: Who
will show up? From the corner of my
eye, I witnessed their strengths vaguely
covered with shadows of their weakness.
My goal was to make the marketing
day a great success. The event needed
to be strikingly different and attractive
for the sake of all parties involved:
the university, the students, and the
companies themselves.
The question remains: Are they able
to market their mission in a transparent
way? To what extent will they influence
new students? My challenge was to
break the boundaries and go beyond
the marketing myth that says: If at First
They Don’t Respond, It Means They’ll
Never Respond. I refused to give up. I
was determined to let them come; for the
sake of my students, they have to come;
for the sake of our Palestinian companies,
they have to come. The success was
complete, and finally they all showed up;
although not one advertising company
seemed to care about the event.… The
moment approached and with great
respect it was their golden moment to
market the companies’ image, identity,
and brand names. The audiences were
potential prospects, customers, and
marketing experts. I recall that my agenda
was packed with names of many wellestablished Palestinian companies, yet
only senior companies were rooted in
their corners on that morning full of life
and energy.
Let’s remember what Lee Iacocca
said: “You can have brilliant ideas, but if
you cannot get them across, your ideas
Deception or Truthfulness
Marketing is the spirit of all ages and
the driving engine that nurtures a new
generation of sustained customers. The
nature of this field is revealed through
deceptive images of what the customer
needs to accomplish. A one-dimensional
set of criticisms is directed towards the
marketing function by society in general.
Criticism from this larger public body
includes comments on 1) creating false
wants and too much materialism; 2) too
few social goods; 3) cultural pollution;
and 4) too much political power. In
addition, critics have also pointed out that
marketing’s impact on businesses may
not be good either. Marketing is accused
of harming competitors and reducing
competition by creating barriers to entry,
and using unfair marketing practices.
The primary criticisms of the marketing
function, with respect to the impact
on individual consumers, have been
categorised as high prices, deceptive
practices, high-pressure selling, shoddy or
unsafe products, planned obsolescence,
and poor service to disadvantaged
consumers. These criticisms have come
from a failure to meet individual consumer
welfare needs.
Let us take billboards as a practical
example. Although some may think that
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billboards are harmless, their
negative effects on our health
and our safety have been
documented, according to a
study by Texas A&M University.
Did you know that billboards
are sometimes designed to
distract motorists’ attention
from the road? In addition, they
destroy the panoramic scenery
of our natural beauty. Again, to
what extent are our Palestinian
companies socially responsible
in their marketing practices
towards our customers?
I believe that marketing is
an integral part of our lives
and touches us in some way
every day. It is said that “an
ad a day will keep us bright
all day.” To be successful,
each company that deals with
customers on a daily basis must
not only be customer-driven
but also customer-obsessed.
The best way to achieve this
objective is to develop a sound
marketing function within the
organisation.
Who Will Take the Lead?
To meet changing conditions
in their industries, Palestinian
companies need to look
ahead and develop long-term
marketing strategies. Strategic
planning involves developing
a strategy to meet competition
and ensure long-term survival
and growth. The marketing
function plays an important role
in this process in that it provides
information and other inputs to
help in the preparation of the
organisation’s strategic plan.
In carrying out their marketing
responsibilities, marketing
managers need a great deal
Photo by Alaa Badarneh
5
Photo courtesy of APIC
of information. “Information is power”
is a legitimate statement. Despite the
importance and growing supply of
information, managers often lack enough
of the right kind of information or have too
much of the wrong kind to make the critical
decisions necessary to be successful in
our highly competitive global marketplace.
Most marketing managers don’t need more
information, they need better information.
To overcome these problems, many
companies are taking steps to improve
their marketing information systems. A
commitment to an information system is
not just a technological commitment but a
corporate culture commitment as well.
Integrated marketing communications
involves identifying the target audience
and shaping a well-coordinated
promotional programme to elicit the
desired audience response. Too often,
marketing communications focus on
overcoming immediate awareness, image,
or preference problems rather than
managing the customer relationship
over time.
key locations for a particular audience.
Marketing managers must understand the
criticism that the marketing function may
encounter. By understanding the criticism,
the manager is better prepared to respond
to it in a proactive manner. Some of the
criticism is justified; some is not.
My simple event aroused many questions
and doubts about the standard of our local
marketing companies. To what extent do
these companies grant quality time and
effort towards achieving genuine and
sincere marketing efforts for their target
groups? What is more important: to get
new customers or to sustain them? It is
well known that getting a new customer is
more expensive than sustaining old ones.
I say: pay attention to your customers,
appreciate them, treat them as kings and
queens, and never forget that in Palestine,
exceptional people are born in exceptional
situations. Please make your marketing
plans as efficient as possible and enjoy
working while producing them.
The Breathless Marathon
Your marketing plans need to be designed
by authentic tasks and related to our
Palestinian context. Let healthy competition
take the lead among our Palestinian
organisations. The myth says: prospects
are not important – the only thing that
matters is sales! I say: prospects are the
most important, students are important,
universities are important. Value your
customers wherever they are!
A Step Ahead: Sense, Serve, Satisfy
Since “More is not always better,” a
marketing system should sense, serve,
and satisfy consumer needs and improve
the quality of consumers’ lives. In working
to meet consumer needs, marketers may
take some actions that are not approved
of by all the consumers or publics within
the social sector. These actions include
hands-on, practical and systematic
marketing plans, and appropriate media
selection, e.g., billboards need to be
catchy, selective, and positioned in
Rania Jaber is head of the Business
Administration Department at Birzeit
University.
6
Defining Graphic Design
By Ramzi Hodali
“Graphic design is the most universal of all the arts. It is all
around us, explaining, decorating, identifying; imposing meaning
on the world.... Without graphic design’s process and ingredients
– structure and organisation, word and image, differentiation – we
would have to receive all our information by the spoken word. We
would enter another Dark Ages, a thousand years of ignorance,
prejudice, superstition and very short life-spans.” Quentin Newark,
What Is Graphic Design? (2002)
What really is graphic design, and how is it helping us in our
daily lives? According to Philip Meggs in his book, History of
Graphic Design (1998), “Since prehistoric times, people have
searched for ways to give visual form to ideas and concepts, to
store knowledge in graphic form, and to bring order and clarity to
information. Over the course of history, these needs have been
filled by various people including scribes, printers, and artists. It
was not until 1922, when the outstanding book designer William
Addison Dwiggins coined the term “graphic design” to describe his
activities as an individual who brought structural order and visual
form to printed communications, that an emerging profession
received an appropriate name.”
During my undergraduate education I had to read certain books
on graphic design, but it was not until I had a few years of work
under my belt and was attending graduate school at L’Ecole des
beaux-arts - Toulouse, France, that I was able to really appreciate
much writing about design.
The word “graphic” comes from Greek – γραφικός. Graphics
are visual presentations on some surface, such as a wall, canvas,
computer screen, paper, or stone to brand, inform, illustrate, or
entertain. Examples are photographs, drawings, line art, graphs,
diagrams, typography, numbers, symbols, geometric designs,
maps, engineering drawings, or other images. Graphics often
combine text, illustration, and colour. Graphic design may consist
of the deliberate selection, creation, or arrangement of typography
alone, as in a brochure, flyer, poster, website, or book without any
other element.
Graphics are visual elements often used to point readers and
viewers to particular information and are considered among the
primary ways of advertising the sale of goods or services. They
are also used to supplement text in an effort to aid readers in their
understanding of a particular concept or to make the concept more
clear or interesting; they can also be used as charts in businesses,
textbooks, politics, film, and animation.
Ramzi A. Hodali is general manager of RAI - Marketing &
Promotional Studies; Zoom - Printing Press (offset, silk screen,
pad and sublimation printing); Infinity - Promotional Materials and
Trophies; Cartonage - Personalized Paper Cup Production and
Marketing. He can be reached at [email protected].
10
Armenian Pottery and the Karakashians
By Tzoghig Aintablian Karakashian
When you take a walk through the
market alleys of Jerusalem’s Old City
today, you are charmed by its unique
atmosphere and people, the spicy odours,
the unique sounds of church bells and
mosques calling for prayers. Of course
you cannot avoid the overzealous owners
of the myriad souvenir shops who want
to sell you their merchandise ranging
from olive wood to jewellery to colourfully
painted and glazed so-called Armenian
pottery. This kind of pottery is abundant
in the souvenir shops and bazaars of the
Old City and all across the Holy Land.
Little is known, however, about the origins
of this ancient Armenian art and how it
arrived in Palestine and established itself
in Jerusalem.
The journey started in a little town called
Kutahia, south east of Istanbul, Turkey,
Stepan Karakashian in his studio circa 1972
where many Armenians used to live and
work in the local potteries, making handpainted ceramic wares and tiles. Kutahia
was a centre of pottery and tile-making
in Turkey.
In 1919 following an invitation by the
British Mandate in Jerusalem, several
Armenian potters were brought with their
families to Jerusalem
from Kutahia. They were
appointed by the British proJerusalem society to renovate the tiles
covering the external walls of the Dome of the
Rock. Among the artists in this group of craftsmen
was master painter Megerditch Karakashian.
Because of the persecutions of Armenians by the Turks
back home, these families decided to settle in Jerusalem,
where they established the art of Armenian ceramics.
Of the original Armenian families who came from Turkey to do
tile work for the Dome of the Rock, only two remain who continue
this centuries-old tradition of making Armenian pottery. They are
the Karakashians and Balians, who work and produce their art in
Jerusalem. Prior to their arrival, there was no tradition of hand-painted
ceramic tile or pottery-making in Jerusalem.
Megerditch and his partner, Neshan Balian, set up their pottery
workshop on Nablus Road in 1922, and started to produce hand-painted
ceramic wares and tiles. They introduced the art of Armenian pottery to
Jerusalem, contributing to the local art scene and culture.
Their designs included birds, peacocks, gazelles, and intricate floral
patterns based on ancient Kutahia and Iznik designs. They also integrated
local designs into their repertoire, such as the famous Tree-of-Life mosaic
from Hisham’s Palace in Jericho; the Jerusalem-map mosaic from
Madaba, Jordan, and the birds-in-vine mosaic from the ancient Musrara
Armenian chapel in Jerusalem.
The successful partnership produced many works which adorn the walls
of public and private buildings in and around Jerusalem. Examples of their
work include the Tree-of-Life fountain in the Legacy Hotel in Jerusalem, the
tile panels of the façade of Saint James Armenian Cathedral in Jerusalem,
and beautiful tile works in the Armenian cemetery.
The Karakashian family ceramic tradition continued with the two brothers
Stepan and Berge Karakashian. After the death of their father, the two
separated from the Balians and in 1964 established their own ceramic
Palestine Image Bank
Birds of Paradise Mural by Hagop Karakashian
12
give better results than the earlier woodfired kilns. Some colours are still mixed
according to the same recipes that their
father used eighty years ago. The colours
are obtained from metallic oxides; the rich
dark blue, which is greatly admired, is
made from cobalt oxide. The light blue,
green, and brown colours are made from
copper, chromium, and iron oxides.
In 1995 Hagop, the son of Stepan,
completed his higher education in the
United States and came back to join
the family business and preserve the
family tradition of pottery and tile making.
He created the www.jerusalempottery.
biz website to sell the family ceramics
worldwide, and also brought back to life
the making of large tile murals, introducing
his own style and designs.
The Karakashian studio and shop is
small but very rich with its unique plates,
bowls, candlesticks, mugs, and tiles in
many shapes and sizes. It is the perfect
place to find a gift or a memento of
Jerusalem.
There are many imitations of Armenian
pottery on the market today. These wares
are mass produced and of low quality.
One can tell the difference between
an original hand-painted bowl and an
imitation by noticing the brush strokes
on the original piece. The originals also
have the Karakashian family signature
on the back.
The Karakashians take great pride
in their work and in maintaining their
standard of craftsmanship. They look to
the future with the hope that Karakashians
will continue for generations to come to
supply Jerusalemites and those who visit
here with their unique style of Jerusalem
pottery. Already Hagop’s young daughter
Patil seems to want to continue on the
path of her grandfather Stepan by coming
to the studio and painting small things.
Who knows, maybe she will one day be
the fourth generation representing this
great art work.
The Tree of Life design from Hisham's Palace
studio called Jerusalem Pottery at 15 Via
Dolorosa in the Old City, which operates
to this day.
One of Stepan’s contributions to
Jerusalem was the making of the ceramic
street signs in the Old City, which can
be seen today. At first, the Jordanian
government commissioned Stepan and
his brother Berge to make the street signs
in English and Arabic. After the Israeli
occupation of Jerusalem, however, the
Israelis commissioned the brothers to
add the Hebrew names underneath each
street sign.
The designs of the Karakashians still
include the traditional motifs that their
father brought with him from Kutahia.
Graceful gazelles painted on a cobaltblue background graze peacefully among
foliage. Elegant peacocks with long
colourful plumage are painted on tiles and
symbolise long life. Many of their designs
are based on ancient mosaics and
Armenian manuscripts. In addition, they
have developed beautiful contemporary
tiles that represent Biblical stories and the
colourful Old City skyline with its various
quarters.
The clays used by the Karakashians
are brought from Hebron and mixed in
a specific proportion. This mixture is
especially strong and free from glazing
and firing defects.
All the decoration is done by hand in
the Karakashian studio. Nowadays, the
pieces are fired in electric kilns, which
Tzoghig Aintablian Karakashian is the
wife of Hagop Karakashian. She works
in the field of tourism.
14
It is all about the idea and how
we communicate….
Speaking about the advertising and public
relations industry in Palestine is a challenging
and controversial endeavour for multiple
reasons; we live in a relatively small and
simple social context in Palestine, where
word of mouth is one of the most effective
communication tools, and people’s priorities
are significantly beyond simply marketing their
products or managing perceptions; we are
influenced by all the political circumstances
surrounding us and the international concepts
and influences invading our territories. But let
us try to think more deeply.
war, you could certainly use it for peace. And
propaganda got to be a bad word because of the
Germans ... using it. So I tried to find some other
words – ‘counsel’ or ‘public relations.’”
If we think more deeply, we come to realise
that we manage people’s perceptions at all
times and in all places as individuals or as
communities. According to the English writer and
thinker, George Bernard Shaw, “The greatest
problem of communication is the illusion that it
has been accomplished.” In business and social
contexts, positive reputation creates a value of
social acceptance that leads people to change
Photo courtesy of APIC
It’s all about the idea … Advertising and public
relations are all about utilising creative ideas for
our benefit. Regardless of who we are, everything
we create begins with a simple idea.
In the seventeenth century, the advertising
industry began with a simple newspaper
advertisement, which included a short description
of a product and its price – enough to serve the
purpose of the producer at that time. In the latenineteenth century, when advanced technology
allowed colours and pictures to be added, this
simple form of communication was created – one
that typically attempts to persuade potential
customers to purchase or to consume more of
a particular brand of product or service.
Whereas the public relations industry can be
tracked to the first half of the twentieth century,
random advertising practices have appeared at
various times throughout history. The specific
term “public relations” began to be used after
Edward Bernays, one of the founders of the
public relations field, commented, “When I came
back to the United States [from World War I], I
decided that if you could use propaganda for
perceptions first and then change attitudes
toward any concept or idea that we promote;
we reach our goal of pushing our target to take
action either by buying this product or service
or by changing the attitude and perception of
a concept.
Advertising and public relations tools can be
used as a sword – a form of positive power if
used correctly and strategically. Thus let us
communicate our culture, our products, our
history, and our vision; and let us manage the
perceptions that others have of us.
As Palestinians we have something to show
to the whole world. Let us communicate it with
creativity, and let us learn how to speak the
language of others in order to reach the top of
the ladder.
It is basically about what we have … the idea
of how to promote it … and the skill with which
we communicate....
Courtesy of
16
Photo by George Azar
Palestinian Design in the Context
of Furniture Production
By Hani Mourad
Design is one of the most important elements that adds to the competitive advantage
of any product, yet we see that this is an aspect almost totally marginalised in Palestinian
society. We manufacture fewer and fewer goods, placing our confidence instead in
someone else’s design abilities and quality production; weakening, in the process, our
manufacturing sectors.
Furniture production in Palestine is no exception. Although it had some hope a few years
back, once Gaza fell under siege, production facilities there stagnated, and in the West
Bank, several producers turned into importers. What remains is the relatively insignificant
office/school/public-institution-type of production that is desperately trying to
hold on to a market that is being offered very little in the way of design
despite the demand.
This, however, is not the whole picture; innovative thinkers
tinker with creative ideas all the time, yet in general, very
few muster the courage to turn them into reality. One
little shining example is Crescent, a company founded
by two designers: one in graphics and the other in
fashion. These designers set about looking into the
handicraft sector in general and found that there
is room for hundreds of new items with viable
marketing possibilities. As soon as they came up
with the idea of hand-wrought iron – for garden
furniture – they knew that they had a winner
and decided not to look any further, at least for
the time being.
When you are in the Middle East you tend
to spend a good part of the year outdoors: on
your terrace or balcony or in the garden. Garden
furniture is a necessity. The market is saturated
with plastic furniture as well as some wooden and,
to a smaller extent, metal furniture. In Jerusalem, you
also have one luxurious alternative: A table with the
indigenous Jerusalem hand-painted ceramic tiles. These
tables have nice tiles, but the metalwork that supports them
is usually cheap, chunky, and badly produced.
Crescent designers set
about rethinking that product
and designed a whole range
of tables of all sizes as well
as chairs and armchairs
complete with cushions and
even weatherproof table
covers. Through it all, though,
they stayed focused on their
priorities: the products should
be beautiful, practical (e.g.,
folding tables and chairs for
easy handling and transport),
Hani Mourad is a multi-product designer who started out as the first-ever fashion designer
in Palestine. He is currently working as an international expert in the textiles/garments
and handicrafts sectors and can be reached at [email protected].
20
21
and competitive in price.
The following year was spent experimenting in factories
and workshops – bending iron, testing rust-protection
processes, and learning about special outdoor enamels.
That was only a beginning, though; the designers at
Crescent also tested tile grout, elastic adhesives,
and upholstery fabrics for the cushions. When they
thought that they were done, they remembered
packaging: how should such precious items be
protected during transport? How would one label
them? It was like going through a mountain of
challenges with a flowerpot’s spade.
All that is just a memory now. Two successful
seasons in a row have given Crescent more
confidence; work has continued on design
improvement and product development, and two
more collections were added during the summer
of 2008: the Crystal collection – an engraved
glass-top series, and the Mahogany collection – a
luxurious version of wood-and-metal garden furniture
with an incredibly competitive price.
More is certainly coming as creativity knows no
boundaries, and we will probably see new products with
every dawning of spring. Crescent is using a simple but effective
formula: be creative in designing something that is aesthetically
rewarding, and make sure that the product works and is of high quality
so that people will want to buy it and be satisfied.
Overhead costs have been kept to a minimum as Crescent has made use of the
abundance of available production facilities; all work is subcontracted and subject to
stringent quality control at all times.
Three years after our humble beginnings, we are producing amazing, functional designs
that have an unmistakable rich, yet simple beauty.
Abdul-Rahman Hijjawi and Sons
Printing Company
Abdul-Rahman Hijjawi and Sons Printing
Company was one of the first businesses
to introduce printing machines to both
Palestine and the Arab world. Following
the First World War, the number of printing
machines in Palestine was double that of
Syria. In Palestine, printing companies
have kept up with the development of the
general printing industry stage by stage,
and present standards are consistent
with international levels. Since 1935 A.R.
Hijjawi and Sons has had a direct impact
on this development and growth.
Abdul-Rahman Hijjawi, the founder of
the establishment, came from modest
beginnings. After being a paper trader and
manufacturer, he bought an automatic
printing machine from the Heidelberg
Company in 1935. Soon, the printing
machine won the complete confidence
of the company’s owners and managers.
As the needs of the society changed and
grew, so did the ability of Hijjawi and Sons
to address these needs.
After 1967, the company’s second
generation took over. The sons decided
to continue the efforts of the founder,
leading the company to develop
further. One of the most revolutionary
advancements in the printing world
was the introduction of offset printing
machines in which printing is carried
out directly from printing plates to paper.
To satisfy the requirements of the local
market, the company introduced offset
printing at its premises in 1972, while it
continued to use the printing machines
that were based on movable letters. In
1986, the letter-based printing machines
were replaced by the first electronic
Linotype machine, marking the beginning
of a new era at A.R. Hijjawi and Sons.
This development has not only been
instrumental in saving time and effort but
has also enriched technical diversification
through the use of computers and the
introduction of the most up-to-date
technical software programmes. As
a result of these developments, the
company has become better able to
satisfy the increasingly diversified market
demands and has introduced more
production lines and a special division
for designing and colour filtering.
Over the years, A.R. Hijjawi and Sons
has steadily climbed towards the top of
the industry. Technical capabilities and
wise management have contributed to
its distinguished status in the printing
sector both locally and regionally, and
its success has joined it to the ranks of
other successful businesses that have
a positive impact on the economy of
Palestine.
Courtesy of A.R. Hijjawi and Sons
22
Designing Palestinian Handicrafts
By Shirabe Yamada
Design genius and artist – it is a
title that befits the women who made
Palestine’s dresses in the old days. With
their meticulous embroidering skills and
extraordinary sense of colour and shape,
the women used fabric as a canvas for
their creativity.
Take, for example, a dress from the lost
village of Beit Dajan in central Palestine.
Cross-stitch in shades of red covers the
front panel of the dress made with locally
produced indigo-dyed cotton, while
the sleeves and side panels are lined
with orange and olive-coloured taffeta
appliqués embellished with circular
flower embroidery in silk threads. To top
it off, the neckline, sleeves, and skirt
are hemmed with various binding and
trimming stitches. The rich combination
of fabric, stitching styles, and colours is
stunning.
The question faced by women’s
embroidery groups today is how to design
marketable modern-day products that
show off Palestine’s renowned embroidery
tradition. Handicraft products like crossstitched red-and-black shawls and pillows
are the most visible representations of
today’s “Palestinian crafts.” However,
the diversity and richness of design
that characterised Palestinian craft
heritage have been diminished, as the
circumstances surrounding craft-making
have changed drastically.
First, there is a general decrease of
highly skilled embroiderers due in part
to the spread of machine embroidery.
Second, in the Palestinian handicraft
sector, which is primarily made up of
small income-generation groups, it is
important that wage-earning opportunity
be shared widely in the community,
which may include embroiderers of
varying skill levels. Therefore, for easier
and faster production, present-day
embroidery is done predominantly on
the European canvas fabric (itameen in
Arabic), which has tiny holes that form
uniformly sized squares in order to assist
stitch placement. Although it ensures an
even outcome, the reliance on itameen
has steered Palestinian embroidery to
the cross-stitch. The rest of the stitching
styles that made up a rich heritage –
binding, couching, appliqué, and trimming
– have been largely neglected, and few
women remain who can still embroider
with these techniques, which threaten
to vanish with the passing of the older
generation.
A collection of pillows made with Moreh, Ghabbani, and Saya fabrics from Syria, featuring Tashreem appliqué technique, Tahriri
couching stitch, and the Almond Blossoms motif from central and southern Palestine. Made by Women’s Child Care Society (Beit
Jala) and Haneen Project (Balata Refugee Camp, Nablus). (Photo: Garo Nalbandian)
24
Hejab pendant: The modern-day
interpretation of Hejab, an amulet worn
in the old days to ward off the evil eyes.
Made by Idna Ladies’ Association (Hebron).
(Photo: Steve Sabella)
Third, the use of a wide array of
regional textiles – Egyptian cotton,
Iraqi wool, Syrian satin and silk, Greek
linen – which flowed freely into historic
Palestine, has ceased due to limited
access. Palestine’s local textile
industry was wiped out with
the Nakba, and locally
woven fabric, such as the
Majdalawi from the south,
is no longer produced
commercially.
As patterns are
mechanically copied and
stitched on the grid canvas
fabric to produce handicraft items for
sale, the spontaneity, playfulness, and
creativity of the designs from the old
Palestine have been lost.
In addition, a scarcity of properly trained
designers contributes to the lack of proper
product development in the handicraft
sector. Producing marketable, quality
items takes professional knowledge
and skills, such as pattern-making,
knowledge of various materials, sewing
and finishing techniques, costing, and
quality control, all in addition to artistic
talent and familiarity with the local
heritage. Most craft income-generation
projects do not have access to such
professional resources.
However, some organisations have
successfully developed attractive
products, made by women whose skill
can fill the surface of finely-woven fabric
with tiny, even stitches without the aid
of itameen. Products by Surif Women’s
Cooperative (Hebron) and UNRWA
Sulafa Embroidery Project (Gaza) are
prime examples of this artisanship.
And the beautiful and stylish products
of Atfaluna Crafts (Gaza) are a result
of creative use of fabrics, including
the Majdalawi fabric woven by their
own artisans, who have revitalised this
historic textile.
Sunbula, a Jerusalem-based fair trade
organisation, has been running designoriented product-development courses
with Hamada Atallah, a Jerusalem-born
fashion designer. More than 120 new
items were designed and produced by
eight craft organisations that received
training by Atallah over the last two years.
The courses aim to bring the diversity and
beauty of traditional Palestinian design to
today’s handicraft products. The courses
also aim to equip the women with
25
Duffle bag: Travel with style with this denim duffle bag featuring the
Slices and Cypress Trees motif from the Negev and Sinai areas.
Made by Haneen Project. (Photo: Idioms Film)
practical skills and knowledge for producing
more marketable and profitable items in order
to help supplement family income.
Revisiting elements of old Palestinian
designs was the key factor in successfully
diversifying the product line. During the
training, the women studied the range and
richness of Palestine’s embroidery and textile
heritage, and were encouraged to let their
imaginations run and creativity flow. Through
the creative process – with discussions,
exchange of ideas, trial and error – the
women were trained to experiment with
colour combinations and to be daring with
their use of fabric.
The result was a collection of gorgeous
products made with silk, satin, wool, velvet,
linen, and various types of cotton, featuring
a variety of traditional embroidery patterns
and stitching techniques that are absent
in common handicraft items. Returning to
tradition, in fact, gave these products a fresh
and new look. And the popularity of these
products has brought about a tangible,
immediate economic impact on the women
and their families in refugee camps and rural
villages.
Palestine’s handicraft sector has a great
potential to leap forward, and the key to
success is design. This is particularly true
given the relatively high cost of material and
labour compared to that of neighbouring
countries.
In order to make design flourish at every
26
woman’s needle point, the traditional
heritage needs to become more
accessible and available, as at
present most valuable antique
pieces are in museums and private
collections overseas. Picture books
on historical Palestinian garments
are mostly in foreign languages
and are expensive, putting them
beyond the reach of the majority of
artisans. In addition, urgent efforts
must be made to document various
embroidery and weaving techniques
that are on the verge of perishing
and to train another generation to
inherit the knowledge.
Finally, nourishing the talent
of young local designers is
crucial for the development of
the handicraft sector. When more
women embroiderers are aided
by home-grown professionals who
have the technical knowhow and
passion for their heritage, it will help
Palestinian craftsmanship reach its
full potential.
Shirabe Yamada is with Sunbula
and can be reached at shirabe@
sunbula.org.
Sunbula is a Palestinian fair trade
organisation dedicated to supporting
the economic self-help efforts of
women, refugees, and people with
disabilities. All products mentioned in
this article are available at Sunbula’s
Craft Shop in Jerusalem (Monday –
Saturday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.; Tel.: (02)
672-1707), or at the Sunbula Online
Craft Market: www.sunbula.org.
Clutch: Made with Ghabbani cotton from Syria and
features Tashreem embroidery, a local specialty of
Bethlehem. Made by Women’s Child Care Society.
(Photo: Steve Sabella)
Palestinian Advertising Starts a New Era
At the end of 2007, just after its opening
and guided by 120 years of experience of
the yellow pages industry all over the world,
Pal Yellow Pages began its campaign to
circulate the notion of the first Palestinian
business directory. Pal Yellow Pages
directory is an excellent tool that introduces
sellers to buyers. It provides an advertising
space that puts together businesses and
commercial establishments. In addition,
the directory gives buyers the opportunity
to look for sellers and to freely select from
products and services published in the
directory.
Pal Yellow Pages has lived through
and taken advantage of Yellow Pages
International’s modernisation of new
concepts, which have been adopted
throughout the world. The Yellow Pages is
no longer just a space that keeps a yeararound introduction of seller to buyers: it has
become a creative broker between buyers
and sellers.
Pal Yellow Pages, which is owned by
UAE Al-Wahda Express, is changing the
advertising industry in Palestine. It has
become a pioneer within local markets,
following in the footsteps of other companies
owned by UAE Al-Wahda Express in the
United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt,
and Turkey. By developing its website and
its mobile portal, Pal Yellow Pages has
increased advertising opportunities for its
customers.
Users of the Pal Yellow Pages directory
will have easy access to sellers through
categories that reflect the specificity of
the Palestinian market and the domestic
economy. The Pal Yellow Pages directory
includes more than 26,000 businesses, and
its local search team classifies and adds
1,000 new businesses each week.
The Pal Yellow Pages directory has three
main sections in Arabic and English. The
first section provides a list of important
governmental and non-governmental
institutions and includes telephone numbers
of emergency centres, government
ministries, and foreign embassies, as well
as a list of international zip codes. The
second section of the directory includes
maps of all Palestinian cities in the West
Bank and the Gaza Strip. The third section
lists businesses, which are alphabetised
according to sector. Paid advertisements,
also in alphabetical order, are interspersed
within businesses categories.
The directory is very accessible and easy
to use. Product searches can be performed
by browsing the categories bar. Since it is
impossible to specify a separate category
for every single product, Pal Yellow Pages
has implemented the referral categorisation
concept. For example, if a user wishes to
search for cooking-gas suppliers, he or she
would not find a category called cooking
gas. There would be a message to refer
the user to the appropriate category: “For
cooking gas, see household appliances
sector, page 350.” This would not only
facilitate buyers finding sellers but would
also be a way for investors to save money,
given that they would not need to advertise
in multiple categories.
Pal Yellow Pages’ large database on
advertisers and suppliers has enabled
the company’s staff to make visits to
thousands of businesses and commercial
establishments within a very short period
of time. Through these visits, business
establishments and organisations were
introduced to Pal Yellow Pages and shown
how to access its services, thus ensuring
widespread use of the directory. We expect
that the majority of directory users will rely
on it for approximately 80 percent of their
commercial interactions. And we will leave
it to you to guess the number of benefits
realised by both the directory users, on
one hand, and advertisers and owners
of businesses listed in the directory, on
the other. Our confidence level has been
boosted immensely by the feedback we
received from those who made promotional
visits.
The Pal Yellow Pages philosophy to “talk
little and listen carefully” has enabled our
agents to effortlessly identify problems
faced by businesses and clients with
respect to marketing and advertising affairs.
This has enriched the Pal Yellow Pages
collective experience and has led the
company to become a national reference
in the marketing and advertising fields. In
addition, our capacity to develop services
and tools has increased significantly via
the interaction with clients and ongoing
market changes. We were even able to
add new services within our first season.
Even more commendable is the fact that
Pal Yellow Pages feedback and solutions
will soon be presented in 100,000 copies of
its printed directory, which will be distributed
throughout the Palestinian territories for
free.
I have great confidence in the staff at
Pal Yellow Pages, and I believe that their
loyalty is a result of their belief in the
services that Pal Yellow Pages offers. It
is important to note that Pal Yellow Pages
provides a comfortable and congenial
work environment where every member
of the staff participates in the realisation
of a dream: the dream to produce the first
Palestinian business directory. Only 40
days are left! We are all eager to witness
the realisation of this dream.
Mohammad Sbeih
General Director
Fawzy Jiries Nastas
After more than forty years of working
and sculpturing, Fawzy Jiries Nastas is
an experienced artist whose works can
be found throughout the world.
Nastas was born in Bethlehem on
1 July 1948, and inherited his artistic
talent from his father and grandfathers
who were also famous sculptors and
stone carvers. The grandfather of
his father, Mr. Ibrahim Nastas, is the
artist who designed and created the
decoration at Jacir Palace (today
the Intercontinental Hotel). His many
other projects include the columns
and capitals of the Carmelite convent’s
church and the entrance to the Milk
Grotto in Bethlehem.
His father, Mr. Jiries Nastas,
also worked on various projects in
Bethlehem and Jerusalem. However,
his greatest project was the renovation
and re-production of the capitals of
the columns at the Holy Sepulchre
Church in Jerusalem. The young
Fawzy used to help his father during
school holidays. After finishing high
school, Nastas travelled to Milan and
spent eight years studying art history,
sculpture, and anatomy at Brera Art
Academy. He excelled in his studies
and creations and received several
honour certificates from the academy
as well as appreciation certificates from
the Milan Municipality for his works
and monuments, which had been
installed in public squares, churches,
and museums in Milan and other
Italian cities.
In 1972, after receiving his PhD,
Nastas returned home to Palestine.
First, he established his own studio
next to his parent’s house near the
Monastery of St. Elias on the main road
between Jerusalem and Bethlehem.
Palestinian Woman
30
Later, at the beginning of the eighties,
he moved his studio to Beit Jala, where
he developed and enlarged it.
Fawzy Nastas is well known for
his realistic and classical style. He
has mastered all the techniques of
sculpting and carving in stone, marble,
granite, and other types of hard and
soft stone. He enjoys making classical
monuments, life-size figures, and
Greek-style decorations; he loves to
accept challenging projects and pays
special attention to anatomy and small
details. His high-end artwork has made
him famous in Palestine as well as
abroad.
In addition to his studio work,
Fawzy Nastas joined the Palestinian
Artists League during its first year
of establishment in 1975. He joined
Sliman Mansour, Nabil Anani, Vera
Tamari, and several others who worked
hard to strengthen the Palestinian
identity and to spread art education
throughout the Palestinian community.
He taught art at the teachers’ college in
Ramallah between 1975 and 1979.
In 1975, he established a fine arts
academy in cooperation with the Arab
Women’s Union in Bethlehem. He was
the main teacher until the end of 1987,
when it was forced to close its doors
by the Israeli Military forces at the
beginning of the first Intifada.
Between 1984 and 1998, Nastas
was a member of the faculty
of Bethlehem University and
taught courses in fine arts and
art appreciation. Since 1998,
however, he has spent most of
his time in his studio, focusing
primarily on producing his own
creations.
During August of both
2007 and 2008, Nastas
participated in a sculpture
symposium called “Arte In
Strada” organised by and
hosted at the Municipality of
Temù, Italy. The symposium
is held for 7 days and hosts
22 sculptors from 22 different countries.
Each artist is given a piece of wood
to create his/her own sculpture. Mr.
Nastas won second prize for the year
2007, and first prize for his contribution
for the year 2008, a piece which
represents his hope for peace in his
homeland.
Sculpturing since childhood, Fawzy
Nastas has produced numerous
works of art that are exhibited and
installed in Palestine and throughout
the world. Although it would be difficult
to give a comprehensive account of
his achievements and works, here are
some highlights:
Abdul-Qader Al Husseini
31
• Peace statue: six meters high, sculpted in 1973,
the Mount of Olives, Jerusalem
• Palestinian Woman: 1.6 meters high, sculpted
in 1974, installed in front of al-Bireh Municipality
but confiscated by the Israeli Military forces and
never found again
• Our Lady of Lourdes statue: life size, sculpted
in 1977 upon commission from the European
Artistic Committee and sent to the Louvre
Museum in Paris
• Statue of Jesus Christ: larger than life, sculpted
and shipped to the Philippines in 1985
• Martyrs’ monument at Kfar Kassem: five meters
high, installed in 1986, and includes the names
of 49 martyrs
• A copy of the Venus statue of Canova: life size, sculpted and shipped to London,
England, in 1999
• Virgin Mary statue: three meters high, installed on the rooftop of Mary’s House
Convent and Hostel in the Old City of Bethlehem in 2000
• Abed al-Qader al-Husseini statue: life size, sculpted in 2002, and installed at Birzeit
University
To see some of the works of Fawzy Nastas,
visit http://www.fawzinastas.com/gallery.htm.
32
The Palestinian Scarf ...
Fashion Statement or Symbol?
A Palestinian Scarf Becomes Hip-hop Chic
By Lawrence Delevingne
In 1988, I bought my very first black and white Palestinian scarf from a clothing shop
in my city, Jenin. I used to wear it as a symbol and to cover my face when we were
going to fight against the occupation and throw stones at the Israeli soldiers. In 2008,
I saw something that looked like a kaffiyeh, but with lots of colours, at a clothing shop
in Berlin, and I wondered whether this was the Palestinian scarf. Then I saw that the
owner called it the scarf with the “PLO touch.” I talked to him and discovered that he
did not understand what the design of the scarf meant, but he used the sign to attract
people’s attention in hopes that they would buy the scarf, choosing from the various
colours that were available. That experience gave me an idea: I decided to make a
project out of the kaffiyeh issue and began to photograph people on the streets who
were wearing a kaffiyeh and ask them why they were wearing it and what it meant to
them. To my amazement, I discovered that most people wore it knowing that it was a
symbol of the Palestinians and their struggle. Yet the kaffiyeh has become more popular
since its appearance in a fashion show by designer John Galliano.
Khaled Jarrar
I am a Hispanic teenager and own a black and white Palestinian scarf, but I don’t wear
it to be fashionable. I wear it as a sign of support for the Palestinian right to freedom.
I knew what the scarf’s meaning was before I bought it, and as my friends always tell
me: “Yo man, the scarf is hot.” I always ask them if they know what it stands for, but
they all answer me with a no. I tell them what it means and they always ask me why I
wear it. I just tell them that every person deserves to live in freedom. So I still wear it
to show that I support the Palestinian struggle for freedom.
Jaime
Tracy Thompson noticed the scarves early
this year.
Young people in her neighbourhood, Harlem,
were wearing around their necks a checkerpatterned cloth with tassels, like a bandana
pulled down off the face.
A few even came into her clothing store,
Connection One Fashion, which specialises
in urban apparel, to ask if she carried them.
No one knew their name, and several asked
for “A-rab,” “Taliban,” or “Bin Laden” scarves.
The epithets gave Thompson a hint of
political connotations, but she decided to give
them a try anyway. She bought the traditional
black and white colours, plus purple, pink,
green, red, and a few other patterns and
displayed them beginning in March for $10
apiece next to jeans, belts, and sneakers.
They almost sold out immediately.
“Everybody is wearing them on the street,”
said Thompson, 41, whose main display in
the storefront window is a female mannequin
wearing a stylised purple-hooded sweatshirt, a
matching baseball hat, and a black and white
kaffiyeh, the scarf’s traditional name. “They
wear anything in style; they don’t even know
the meaning.”
The kaffiyeh, traditionally a symbol of
Palestinian nationalism, is gaining popularity
in hip-hop fashion in New York, Washington,
D.C., San Francisco, and other cities – and
losing its potent symbolism in the process.
Mainstream artists such as Kanye West, Justin
Timberlake, and Chris Brown have sported
the checkered Middle Eastern scarf in recent
months, fuelling a long-running debate on the
commercial adoption of the politically charged
square fabric popularised by Yasser Arafat,
Hamas, and others.
34
“The phenomenon of people like Jay-Z, Jermaine
Dupri, and other mainstream hip-hop guys wearing
it is a new development,” said Ted Swedenburg,
a professor of anthropology at the University of
Arkansas who has studied the kaffiyeh and its
place in American fashion. “The tendency is towards
diluting the political message.”
The kaffiyeh’s political message took shape when
Palestinian peasants wore the utilitarian cloth over
their heads in solidarity against British rule in the
1930s. Its place in Palestinian identity was solidified
in the 1960s when Arafat and his resistance
movement adopted it in their fight against Israel.
Today, the kaffiyeh is worn by people throughout
the Arab world. But because Palestinian groups
such as Fatah and Hamas often wrap themselves
in the scarf (black and white or red and white,
respectively) it is the most recognisable symbol of
the Palestinian independence movement, provoking
both admiration and anger, depending on one’s
political beliefs.
The kaffiyeh’s political roots are often lost as the
fashion grows in hip-hop style.
“I always liked the style – it doesn’t really have any
meaning for me,” said Messai Belayneh, a 19-yearold student at the University of Maryland at College
Park, who has worn a black and white kaffiyeh
around his neck on-and-off since December. “I
don’t like sounding ignorant, but I don’t know much
about the history of soldiers wearing it. I just like that
particular style of scarf.”
Others see significance beyond fashion, but not
tied to the Palestinian cause specifically.
“I’m not into pop culture and all that fashion
stuff,” said Adam Ababiya, a 20-year-old student
at College Park, who for a year has had a black
and white checkered kaffiyeh that he considers a
symbol of Islam. “I wear it to show that I’m a Muslim
and proud of it.”
Regardless, the kaffiyeh is readily available in
stores that specialise in urban apparel.
Underground Sportswear, a hip-hop clothing
chain with four stores in the Bronx and Harlem, has
stocked Jordanian-made kaffiyehs since March, and
has sold several hundred a week at $20 each.
“The kids now, they don’t even know what it’s for,”
said Raslan Mohamad, 36, a Palestinian native who
works at the Harlem store. “But it’s what the people
want, I guess.”
Aria, a small store in Greenwich Village, has at
35
Photo by Khaled Jarrar
Photo by Khaled Jarrar
Photo by Khaled Jarrar
Hatta shirt, Sunbula, photo by Walid Husseini
least 16 different-coloured iterations of the kaffiyeh on display for $10 each,
and has sold an average of 25 Chinese-made scarves a day for the last
six months.
“It’s just fashion,” said Mohammed Jacob, 24, an employee at Aria, which
is on St. Mark’s Place, a street where the kaffiyeh is as ubiquitous as the
latest imitations of designer sunglasses. “They don’t even know the name;
they just say ‘scarf.’”
The kaffiyeh did not appear in hip-hop style overnight.
Americans have worn kaffiyehs since the late 1980s to show either
direct support for Palestinian nationalism or as a general countercultural
statement, but they were typically young activists, and its reach was
limited in black communities.
The kaffiyeh fashion hit in 2007 among young, style-conscious
urbanites, sometimes called “hipsters,” and celebrities such as David
Beckham, Mary-Kate Olsen, and Kirsten Dunst. Teen Vogue called
Dunst’s kaffiyeh “breezy, global chic” and the “it” accessory in 2007.
Urban Outfitters, a trend-setting U.S.-based clothing chain with more
than 119 stores in North America and Europe, sold “anti-war woven
scarves” as part of its spring 2007 line. But after criticism from Jewish
and Arab groups online, alternatively for implying support for terrorism
or trivialising a freedom struggle, the item was pulled from shelves
in January 2007.
Now, the trend has spread to urban style. BET and MTV R&B
favourites like Omarion and Chris Brown have worn kaffiyehs in
recent months, its political meaning less and less apparent.
Politically minded rappers have worn kaffiyehs in the past, but
their political leanings indicated an understanding of the symbolism.
Mos Def, for example, has been seen in a kaffiyeh, but he has
been vocal about Palestinian issues in his music.
“Politically conscious rappers such as Common and Mos
Def are hip to the Palestinian cause,” said Swedenburg, the
Arkansas professor. “It doesn’t lose its political significance
altogether. If Lupe Fiasco is promoting it, I don’t think he is just
being fashionable.”
It’s clear that the kaffiyeh is increasingly commercial in hiphop fashion, even if some rappers understand its Palestinian
symbolism. Urban Outfitters quietly put an $18 black and white,
tasselled item in its spring 2008 line.
This time, it’s called a “Houndstooth Desert Scarf.”
Lawrence Delevingne is a journalist based in New York City.
He is currently interning with BusinessWeek, and focuses on
philanthropy and international news, among other topics.
Khaled Jarrar was born in 1976, and completed his studies
in interior design at Palestine Polytechnic University in 1996.
He entered the world of photography in 2003, and currently
studies at the International Academy of Art - Palestine. His
art exhibits include At the Checkpoint (2007) and Passage
(2008). He can be reached at [email protected].
Tank-top made with Hatta, Sunbula, photo by Walid Husseini
36
Al - Quds
Capital of Arab Culture 2009
Drawing on its rich and vibrant cultural
experience, and with confidence,
open-mindedness, and a longing for
a better future, Palestine will host AlQuds/Jerusalem: the Capital of Arab
Culture 2009.
Celebrating Al-Quds Capital of
Arab Culture 2009 at the popular,
official as well as local, Arab and
international levels emphasizes the
city's significance as an inseparable
part of the occupied Palestinian land
in 1967 and its political importance as
the Capital of the independent State
of Palestine coupled with its religious
significance and its Arab cultural
identity.
The event aims at mobilizing cultural
activities in and around Al-Quds as well
as rehabilitating its culture infrastructure
and decreasing the sufferings of its
inhabitants. It also aims at having Arab
Capitals implement related activities as
well as coordinating with regional and
international bodies and the solidarity
movement for promoting Al-Quds'
identity, culture and history as the
Capital of the Palestinian State.
Preparations are underway towards
this important event through a clear
vision, objectives and an events plan.
The vision is built on the importance
of cultural activities as a significant
component for the survival and
sustenance of a national identity. The
opening will be sparked from the heart
of Al-Quds with the participation of a
variety of cultural institutions of different
specialties, the local community and
international organizations in the city
moving on to other Palestinian cities
and Arab and foreign Capitals
"We sing for Al-Quds: the children of
Babel…..the newborns of chains…..
you will soon return to Al-Quds….
you will soon grow….. tears turning to
(Wheat spikes)….. You will soon return
to Al-Quds……. and will soon grow up"
Mahmoud Darwish
www.alquds2009.org
Tel +970 2 2978548 / 2960277
Fax +970 2 2960278
[email protected]
The Printing Business in Bethlehem:
a Thriving Industry
By Paola H. Michael in cooperation with David Nour
On a hill in Beit Jala with a spectacular
view of Bethlehem stands Nour Print
Design (formerly known as Bethlehem
Commercial Press), run by the same
family for more than 40 years. There are
very few simple foot- or hand-operated
machines or boxes with movable letters
like the olden days in the main office. The
printing company is mainly run now with
computers, digital printers, and state-ofthe-art printing machines. The only sign
in the office that this business was one of
the first printing companies in Bethlehem
is an old printing machine near the front
door, which the owner’s son has kept
as a keepsake. Little do we know when
we head to the back area that there lies
a shrine to the old printing world with
machines dating back to 1919, hundreds
of Latin and Arabic letters all arranged
neatly in place, copper and lead formas,
and samples of printing of bygone days
in Bethlehem dating back to 1967.
Although the early history of printing
in Bethlehem is yet to be fully explored,
it is proper to recall the historical
circumstances surrounding the arrival
of the press in Palestine. It has been
recorded that the religious Christian
missionaries installed the first printing
press for the education of the local
Christian community. In Bethlehem’s
case, the Salesian Technical School
had brought printing machines from Italy
and offered the opportunity for the locals
to train in printing as well as carpentry,
electrical work, or metal engraving.
Whereas the other skills flourished,
printing did not. It was said that many
local families opted for skills that they
knew well, like carpentry, but printing
was not a business that people were
familiar with and ready to explore. That
is one reason the Salesian Technical
School terminated its training programme
in printing.
Even though printing presses could be
found in other cities in Palestine in the
early 1950s, Elias Aazar owned the only
printing shop in the Bethlehem area. He
owned a printing machine that ran with
no electricity, and every summer young
Bishara Nour would go to train with him
and learn as much as he could about the
fascinating world of printing. Nour went
on to work at the biggest printing press
in Amman, that of Nouri Saman. His skills
also led him to work at the Jordanian Army
printing press and at printing presses in
the Gulf and in Hebron, where he was
one of the very few people at the time
who had skills and know-how in printing.
He returned to Bethlehem in 1967 with
40
the dream to open his own printing press.
He purchased his machinery from the
Salesians for 1,175 Jordanian dinars and
travelled to Lebanon in February 1967 to
bring back German-made Arabic letters
from Fonderie Typographique Orientale
S.A.L. His dream was soon crushed when
the 1967 war brought business to a halt
for an entire year. But slowly and surely
things began to pick up.
From the late 1960s until the late 1980s,
Elias Aazar (Bethlehem Modern Press),
Bishara Nour (Bethlehem Commercial
Press), and Pierre Habash (Habash
Printing Press) were the only three
printers in the Bethlehem area. Elias
Aazar eventually closed his business,
but Nour and Habash both continued
to operate their printing businesses
on Nativity Road. With an increase in
demand from locals and no competition,
both men thrived in what they did; they
printed everything from ads, commercial
documents (invoices, envelopes, and
letterheads), business cards, labels for
medicine, receipts, greeting cards, and
wedding invitations to death notices
and devotional books. At the time, 100
business cards would have cost about
.3 dinars.
The process of printing anything
required time, precision, and creativity. At
times, these printers would work through
the night since it was the only time that
they could be sure not to be disturbed
and to be able to concentrate totally on
the task at hand. The whole process itself
is very intricate. The customer would
place an order, and the printer would
have to create a forma, which consisted
of hundreds of spaces and lines of lead
and copper with the option of a cliché
(picture). The printer would create a prova
for the client, carefully putting letter by
letter along with the precision of space
and font. Everything was usually printed
in black and white. The demand for colour
was more costly and it required more
work. The printer would have to wash
the machine, add coloured ink, and run
it again. The process of a simple sample
could take from one to three hours.
41
After the prova was ready, operators
would install the printing plate with the
images to be printed and adjust the
pressure at which the machine would
print. Then they would ink the presses,
load the paper, and adjust the press
to the paper size. They then fed paper
through the press cylinders. While
printing presses were running, printing
machine operators monitored their
operation and kept the paper feeders
well stocked. Throughout the run,
operators would regularly pull sheets
to check for any printing imperfections.
Operating a press was physically and
mentally demanding and tedious as
operators were on their feet most
of the time. Often they would work
under pressure to meet deadlines.
Any mistake would cost the operator
several more hours of work.
Up until 1987, there was almost no
competition in this field in Bethlehem.
However, that began to change once
Al Andalus (operated by the Abu Farha
family) opened its doors in Beit Sahour
with the first computer and offset.
Demands were met quicker and with
more options. The printing industry
would never be the same. Entering
the computer age gave birth to a new
thriving industry and sounded the
death knell for the old way of doing
things.
Pierre Habash bought his first
machinery from Aazar, and to this day
uses the old printing press to do his
work. His load is not as heavy as that
of the other printers since he works
with a limited clientele in the Old City
of Bethlehem.
Bishara Nour has retired and his son
David has taken over operations. He
has brought his father’s business into
the 21st century.
Nowadays, there are about ten
printing and design companies in
the Bethlehem area, all competing
fiercely for clientele. The expansion of
economic activity and new businesses
in the Bethlehem area, and progress in
education among the Palestinians living
there, all contribute to the increasing
need for quality printers. New massproduction presses have emerged in
response to this demand. Nowadays
marketing, customer service, graphic
designing, and up-to-date machinery
play a significant role in allowing these
companies to survive. Furthermore, the
pace of development has accelerated,
which requires that presses continually
expand their production capacities
and upgrade their equipment. This
expansion of the printing industry in
Bethlehem reflects not only a desire
for self-expression on the part of
printing-press owners but also their
desire to respond to the demands of
the current market.
Paola H. Michael teaches English at
Bethlehem University; David Nour is the
owner of Nour Print Design in Beit Jala.
He can be reached at [email protected].
42
Taybeh Antique Floor Tiles
By Maria C. Khoury, Ed. D.
into the cast-iron mould. The press lies
between two tables where Daoud prepares
the mould and cement and lays the tiles
he has removed from the press. It was
amazingly interesting to have a tour of the
workshop.
Dahoud showed me the heavy cast-iron
mould (20 x 20 cm) with three separate
parts. The cliché is the lightweight copper
or tin design-mould that has a number of
compartments that form the design.
I saw lots of little containers for various
colours and many small bowls to hold the
coloured cement and water. The coloured
tile has three layers – a top, a middle, and
a bottom layer – made out of three different
concrete mixes that must be individually
prepared each time the manufacturing
process is begun. The middle one even has
to be prepared twenty-four hours in advance
so that it is dry when used.
In its publication, Traditional Floor Tiles in
Palestine by Suad Amiry and Lena Sobeh
(2000), Riwaq - Centre for Architectural
Conservation has concentrated on the
artistic documentation of Palestinian cultural
heritage in floor tiles. Riwaq reports that the
first floor-tile factory in Palestine was started
in Jerusalem in 1912 by the Qassiyeh
brothers, with machinery imported from Italy.
This factory closed down two years after the
Israeli occupation of East Jerusalem. Today
you can actually come to Taybeh and order
these beautiful antique floor tiles, thanks to
Dahoud Nasser.
In this new millennium where it has
become more economical to produce
machine-made tiles, someone is bringing
back the tradition of handcrafted coloured
tiles. Among the new local products this
fall at the Taybeh Oktoberfest – the annual
village festival that aims to promote local
products – were the unique floor tiles
handcrafted by Dahoud Tawfiq Nasser, a
father of three and the founder of the Taybeh
Antique Floor-Tile Workshop.
Since 2000 Dahoud, the son of a retired
Orthodox priest, had been contributing
to the 50 percent unemployment rate in
Taybeh since he could no longer maintain
his permit to enter Jerusalem after working
thirteen years as a purchasing manager at
the prominent Notre Dame Hotel.
But in 2005 Dahoud got into the business
of making handcrafted floor tiles after
listening to many of his friends and relatives
complain that such traditional tiles were
hard to replace. He would often hear:
“My tiles have become old and need to
be replaced, but they are not available
anymore.” These words, “not available,”
encouraged Dahoud to learn the skills
needed to make handcrafted tiles. He
participated in brief training sessions with
other local experts who produce traditional
coloured tiles for floors, and afterwards
began the quest for the right machinery
to set up his workshop, which currently
overlooks the new illegal Israeli settlement
on one of the mountaintops of picturesque
Taybeh.
Using his specialised machinery, Dahoud
has created twenty handmade patterns or
clichés. The press, the main production
machine, is relatively small – about two
meters high. It is used to press the cement
Dahoud Nasser can be reached by phone
or fax at +972-2-289-8383 or by e-mail at
[email protected]. His work will be
on display at the next Taybeh Oktoberfest,
3 and 4 October 2009.
44
Elias Mourad
Design and Tailoring
By Ibrahim Mourad
Originating from the imagination
and creativity of the greatest haute
couture designers, the unique ideas
that are transformed into reality
through high-quality fabrics are
transported from the busy atelier in
the centre of Bethlehem to the Elias
Mourad boutique, located at No.
5 Sultan Suleiman Street in East
Jerusalem.
Luxury is unlimited, precious
materials and rich details pour in
unbounded. However, everything
has a flavour of style and simplicity.
Creations that come out of a dream
are materialised by desire, strong
will, extreme precision, and strict
quality-control to become durable
works of art.
Ibrahim E. Mourad draws the designs
for the ideal woman who has no name
and no precise features, if not for the
fact that she is an active woman,
self-assured, and able to make her
own decisions. Designs made of
separate pieces allow a woman to
choose what suits her without having
to succumb to the arbitrary whims of
fashion magazines.
From the atelier of the Maison
Mourad where five tailors and two
cutters and patternmakers work, the
creations of high fashion designed
by Ibrahim include ingredients of
femininity and high quality that the
Mourads are famous for. He is
following in the footsteps of the
previous great masters of fashion
and garment production: Hani E.
Mourad, the fashion designer, and the
late Elias Mourad, the distinguished
tailor.
Hani, the very first Palestinian
fashion designer, has developed the
highly precise system of production
that was used by Elias Mourad, the
father and founder of the business,
export. The shipments will stay on the
airport storage shelves until the new
clothes are magically transformed by
a two-month delay into last season’s
stock. The value of the collection
will consequently decrease, thus
generating a loss rather than a
profit.
Although numerous other obstacles
also contribute to the significant
challenges faced by Maison Mourad,
Elias Mourad’s determination,
ingenuity, and creativity have been
passed down from generation to
generation and form the unshakeable
foundation on which Ibrahim Mourad
has built his success.
its own, Hani went to Gaza to found
another fashion school, which now
operates independently as well.
Hani has become an internationally
known consultant who is specialised
in fashion school management and
troubleshooting.
The founder of this business,
established in 1956, was Mr. Elias
Mourad, who could find beauty in
any human being. Using the fine wool
fabrics of England and Scotland as
well as the artistic talent that flowed
from his heart and his hands, Elias
Mourad creatively tailored highquality men’s suits.
This history of high quality is
preserved by Ibrahim Mourad’s
fidelity to sophisticated garment
design, despite the difficulties that
threaten even the most stable of
businesses. The Israeli occupation
has a direct impact on business
success. For example, the Israeli
authorities will often deliberately delay
shipments of ordered collections for
Ibrahim Mourad is the manager of
Maison Mourad. He is also a designer
and supervises quality control along
with his wife, Maggie. They have
three daughters, the eldest of whom
is continuing in her grandfather’s
and father’s footsteps and studying
design. Mr. Mourad can be reached
at [email protected].
and added the touch of professional
design, to finalise the equation:
precision + design = Hani Mourad’s
fashion collections. The multiple
expressions of Hani’s universe were
made up of prêt-à-porter lines –
shaped jackets, innovative raincoats,
sporty dresses, shirts, and suits
– distributed in various exclusive
boutiques in Israel and even abroad
in Sweden, Belgium, and New York.
But, alas, Hani moved to Sweden
with his family in order to gain
broader experience in the design
and production of fashion. He then
returned with the skills to found a
very well-equipped fashion school
in Beit Sahour called the Fashion
and Textile Institute (FTI). As soon
as the FTI was able to function on
46
47
Hospitality and
Tourism Management Education:
Swiss Cooperation in Palestine
For years, Switzerland has had the
worldwide reputation of being the best
place for learning hospitality and tourism
management. As I am presently the
director of marketing for DCT International
Hotel & Business Management School in
Lucerne, Switzerland, my colleague, Mr.
Jamal Kleibo, suggested that we travel
to Jordan and Palestine to visit the hotel
management institutes located there. This
trip would give us the opportunity to discuss
with the leaders of these institutes ideas of
how our schools might cooperate to offer
students further educational opportunities
and options for greater international study
and working experience.
During the visit – my first to this
breathtaking place – I was overwhelmed
by the scenery and landscape as well as
the beautiful history and deeply religious
background of the land.
One of our first meetings was at
Bethlehem University, where I was
impressed not only with the quality of
the education provided but also by the
students’ eagerness to learn. In spite of the
fact that many have experienced difficulties
in their past, all the students have dreams
of better days to come when Palestine will
once again be a key tourist destination for
people from all over the world.
Another one of our visits was to the
Notre Dame Center in Jerusalem, where
the same warm and generous welcome
awaited us. After a nice lunch prepared by
the students, we toured the premises and
saw how well-equipped the campus is.
My visits to these and several other
institutes during my stay in the region
convinced me of the importance of
establishing programmes for educational
cooperation, which can also offer better
career opportunities to the new generation
of Palestinians who are interested in
studying this field. My colleague Mr.
Kleibo, being a Jerusalemite himself, met
By Sharon Spaltenstein
with the Palestinian minster of education
and the minster of tourism, both of
whom expressed interest in the idea of
having mutual cooperation arrangements
between local institutions and DCT in
Switzerland.
But to achieve this goal, we will need
the support and help of all Palestinian
organisations, governmental and nongovernmental, as well as capable
business leaders – visionaries who see
the importance of offering international
higher education to new generations of
Palestinians. This opportunity would better
equip these young people to create a more
promising future for themselves and for
Palestine. Concretely, both sponsorships
and on-the-job training opportunities will be
vital for students of international hospitality
management.
We at DCT open our hands and hearts in
welcoming all proposals and suggestions
that might assist students in the fields
of hospitality and tourism management.
During my brief stay, I was honoured to
meet many people, and I look forward to
my next visit.
Mrs. Sharon Spaltenstein is the
director of marketing and admission
at DCT International Hotel & Business
Management School in Switzerland,
where she has worked since its founding
in 1991.
48
Rami Kashou
I was born in the beautiful city of
Jerusalem on 11 May 1976, the son of
a former Miss Jordan, and was raised in
Ramallah. My three brothers spent most
of their time outside playing basketball
and my two sisters, who enjoyed dressing
up Barbie dolls, occasionally allowed
me to wrap them in bed-sheet designs.
As I was growing up I spent many hours
listening to music, flipping through
fashion magazines, and sketching
ideas of designs that I firmly believed
women would wear one day. My father
is a successful businessman who to this
could go and what I could do. Going
to an all-boys school in Jerusalem was
anything but exciting, though I would
sometimes spend after-school time with
friends in the Manarah in Ramallah.
We would go to restaurants or have
coffee in various places in the city to kill
time or to share about our future hopes
and dreams. Although I wasn’t a fan of
homework, I knew that I had to do it in
order to pass my courses and graduate.
At the age of eight I recall often skipping
my studies and sketching in my bedroom
until 3:00 a.m. It became a therapeutic
my designs made and wear them proudly. It
gave me a sense of pride and purpose at an
early age. Suddenly there seemed to be a
light at the end of the tunnel. I began to look
forward to finishing high school to pursue
my dream.
High school graduation finally came, and
soon after I moved to the United States with
the help and support of my parents. I was only
18 at the time, which made living in another
country very exciting yet quite difficult at times
as I was far away from my family. Living in
California was wonderful: the sun never
slept, palm trees stood tall, and there were
endless opportunities. I never feared that my
background or lack of experience would stop
day remains a source of inspiration and
generosity. My mother is the best cook I
have ever known and has a big heart of
gold. They both taught me that working
hard and having values and goals earns
you great rewards and gives purpose to
your life.
My childhood in Ramallah under the
Israeli occupation was very limiting, and
consequently, I was pretty miserable as a
teenager. I often imagined what it would
be like to live freely someday, without
being bound by limitations on where I
process, a world of imagination far away
from the dull reality that I grew up in – far
away from the endless curfews and the
piercing bullet sounds that echoed in the
background of everyday life. At fourteen
I began to have a clear vision that one
day I would become a fashion designer.
I loved the idea of talking to my mother
and her friends about what they should
wear. They trusted me at a young age
and would often bring me along with them
to a local seamstress. I began to design
clothes for them. They would then have
me from doing whatever I wanted. I began
to attend fashion design courses at Brooks
College, Long Beach, soon after my arrival.
Classes were overflowing with students,
and the programmes lacked creativity. My
frustration with this situation led me to decide
to drop out and begin my learning in a handson environment. I took on several retail jobs
to study the fashions. Whenever there was
a travel opportunity at work, I was the first
to volunteer to go. I was eager to learn and
discover new things. With the help of my
father, I bought two sewing machines and
52
53
began to teach myself how to sew.
I used to go to second-hand stores
to buy used garments that piqued my
interest; I would take each piece apart
in order to understand the process of
pattern-making. I would spend endless
hours sewing and experimenting with
designs and ideas. I recall a strong sense
of drive and passion: “the world couldn’t stop
me” from becoming a designer if it tried. I also
recall not being afraid or intimidated by the
designer names that dominated the press, such
as Versace, Gucci. I believed that I would become
like them one day.
I began to display some of my designs in the
Hollywood boutique where I worked. My pieces started
to sell. I met stylists of celebrities who also began to
photograph my work, and suddenly my clothes were
being worn by celebrities in magazines and on the red
carpet. It was very exciting because I was only 24 years
old. I recall having a genuine sense of self-identity for the
first time. My work was credited in the Los Angeles Times
newspaper. My eyes teared as I read the article; as I walked
down Hollywood Boulevard, I suddenly realised that I had come
a long way and accomplished something – a childhood dream.
After a few trips to Europe as a buyer for the boutique, I decided
that it was time to take a risk and leave retail altogether in order
to spend all my time in design. I proceeded to piece together a
collection and called up high-end boutiques for appointments. I took
orders from reputable shops, and my pieces began to sell out.
54
Shortly afterwards I began to receive sponsorship invitations to show my work on the
runways, which generated a great deal of press and more orders from buyers. All of a
sudden my designs appeared on celebrities such as Jessica Alba, Heidi Klum, Paris
Hilton, Fergie, Lindsay Lohan, and many others. At this point my work became very
recognisable to the public eye. It was never an easy road, but I learned throughout
this process that hard work pays off. I graduated from living and sewing inside a
small studio to working in my own office where I built a team of sewers. I was
dedicated to producing my brand and creating a signature that would encourage
women to dress in a modern way that merged both elegance and sophistication.
I believe that every woman should feel like a goddess every day of her life.
I wake up every morning and think of ways to design clothes that make
women feel celebrated and special through my work.
During the past year I was contacted by the producers of a television
reality hit show called Project Runway. I was invited to be one of 15
designer contestants who must go through a series of challenges to
get to New York Fashion Week and to have the chance to win a prize
of $ 100,000. After giving it some thought I decided that it was time
for my career to have international exposure. I ended up as a finalist
(second to the winner) and was able to show my work in New York
City, where I gained much respect and publicity. The show opened
new windows of opportunities and led to attractive business
deals. I landed an invitation from the Home Shopping Network
to design an exclusive line to sell on its show. I am currently
in the process of working on this collection that will reach
many women throughout the United States. My eveningand bridal-wear special orders have grown tremendously.
Women from various parts of the world, including the
Middle East, are now coming in to meet with me. I
am currently working with brides from Lebanon and
Saudi Arabia. The demand to purchase my designs
through my website has also doubled and helped my
business continue to grow tremendously. I will fly to
Washington, DC, to receive an accomplishment
award from the American Task Force on Palestine.
I have worked very hard throughout the past ten
years to make something special, to create
beauty. Today I feel proud and grateful to be
55
able to do what I love. Now as I look
back on my years as a teenager in a
small city who had nothing but a big
dream, I realise that dreams can, in
fact, become reality.
Rami Kashou has been recognised
in the United States and abroad as
an innovative designer. His designs
can be found around the world from
Europe to Asia, and have sold in
such stores as Harrod’s in London
and Big Drop in New York. In 2005,
Kashou was commissioned to create
the costumes for America’s Next Top
Model national ad campaign. Rami
has also been honoured by a variety
of prominent institutions such as the
Make-a-Wish Foundation, the LA
Fashion Awards, Seeds of Peace,
and the Los Angeles City Council.
Visit his website at
www.ramikashou.com.
Dresses designed by Rami
Kashou, photos courtesy of Rami
Kashou.
56
ZAN Studio
The New Media industry in Palestine, in both its technical and
artistic sides, is still in its early stages, yet we believe that this
industry holds immense potential for the Palestinian work force
by opening up many new job opportunities, especially among
youth. Furthermore, New Media and certain forms of visual
arts do not face the same physical obstacles that the Israeli
occupation imposes on other industries through its checkpoints,
road closures, and confiscations. New Media also brings us
closer to international markets; for example, ZAN has worked
on numerous projects around the world directly from our studio
in Ramallah.
Furthermore this industry doesn’t have major start-up or running
costs. When ZAN was first established we simply started with our
personal computers and desks, and that is pretty much how it still
is. The only thing we bought is a baby-foot table, which we use for
competitions with our friends and other artists. We even have our
very own “ZAN league competition” – which Dirar usually wins.
During the past three years ZAN also hosted and trained a
number of young students, offering them space and technical
support. ZAN aims to expand the studio and include an academy
to help build the creative industry in Palestine.
Courtesy of ZAN Studio
When we decided to establish the studio
in 2005, our first problem was the name.
We would often sit for hours thinking
and brainstorming, as that is the most
interesting part of the process. And then,
all of a sudden, Hasan came up with ZAN
Studio. And that’s possibly the first and
last thing we all agreed upon. But what
does ZAN mean? Well, it’s a kind of wood
(“beech”) in Arabic; it means “woman” in
Persian, and “mountain” in Japanese.
Anyway, it wasn’t so much the meaning
but the sound of the name that we liked
most – ZAN Studio.
In the beginning we didn’t know in
which direction we were heading. It was
a kind of avant-garde experiment, an
adventure, but with a vision. Our vision
was simple: we wanted to create an open
space to contain the multi-disciplines
held in our group: architecture, graphic
design, animation, Web development,
and photography. The vision developed
with time, as did the group. We began
with five people, and now we are ten;
but we are not limited to this. We are
always looking to create a more open
and alternative environment to help us
develop as a studio and as individuals.
During the past three years, ZAN has
taken part in a number of cultural events,
art festivals, and political campaigns. Our
work was exhibited through various means
– from art exhibitions and workshops
to architectural competitions and
advertisements on billboards. However,
despite the diversity of our projects, they
all converge in one important aspect:
our awareness of community needs. We
began with establishing a system of work
without a hierarchical structure and no
“boss.” It is a system based on partnership
and equality. Of course, sometimes this
way of working is an obstacle as there
is no clear decision maker – this comes
up especially when someone has an
idea that is conceptually extreme – but
in general, it is actually what keeps the
group solid and together.
ZAN also tries to extend the boundaries
of an ordinary design studio by offering
pro bono services and interacting directly
with the community. We believe that New
Media and visual arts can serve as tools
for social change and we therefore try to
contribute to society through our work.
58
59
Al-Kasaba Theatre and Cinematheque
International Film Festival, 12–25 November 2008
Al-Kasaba Film Festival will open with
Annemarie Jacir’s film Salt of This Sea,
which was screened at the Cannes Film
Festival 2008.
The film tells the story of Soraya,
born into a working-class community of
Palestinian refugees in Brooklyn, who
discovers that her grandfather’s savings
were frozen in a bank account in Jaffa
when he was exiled in 1948. Stubborn,
passionate, and determined to reclaim
what is hers, she fulfils her life-long dream
of “returning” to Palestine. Slowly she
is taken apart by the reality around her
and is forced to confront her own anger.
She meets Emad, a young Palestinian
whose ambition, contrary to hers, is to
leave forever. Tired of the constraints that
dictate their lives, they know that in order
to be free, they must take things into their
own hands, even if it is illegal.
Al-Kasaba will screen more than 47
feature, documentary, and short films
from all over the world, including films by
the Spanish director Pedro Almodovar.
Al-Kasaba International Film Festival
2008 promises to be as successful
as the festivals of 2006 and 2007. AlKasaba has become the leading cinema
in Palestine and an important venue for
artistic, cultural, and political events.
The Syrian Films
The Arabic cultural capital of Damascus
will be featured this year with films by
the Syrian director Omar Amiralay.
One of his most significant films is
The Euphrates Dam. This first film of his
follows the construction of a dam on the
Euphrates River that is supposed to bring
tremendous improvement to the lives of
the surrounding villages. Thirty years
later, the filmmaker will revisit the site in
A Flood in Baath Country.
Young Palestinian Directors
Al-Kasaba Film Festival will also feature
a number of short films that were directed
by a group of young Palestinian directors
who aspire to gain success in the field
of cinema.
Al-Kasaba International Film Festival
is funded by the Palestinian Ministry
of Culture, Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung,
the Swiss Agency for Development and
Cooperation, the Ramallah Municipality,
and Spanish Cooperation, in cooperation
with the French Consulate General and
the Goethe-Institut.
The films will be screened in Ramallah,
Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Jenin, and
Nablus. The Syrian films will be screened
in Khalil Sakakini Cultural Centre.
60
jewellery from silver-cast oak
leaves is to praise this tree, which
is mentioned several times in the
Bible, as it glorifies the magnificent
landscape of the Holy Land.
The silver pieces of the olive
and oak leaves are unique; each
one is different. The pieces are
handcrafted from the heart, with
special attention to the smallest
detail from its conception to its
completion. The leaves are picked
and each leaf is delicately fixed
onto a wax column and then coated
in gypsum to produce a replica
leaf mould. Melted silver is then
carefully cast into the mould. During
the cooling process, the gypsum
hatches giving birth to a magnificent
silver leaf, which is used to design
distinctive pieces of jewellery.
The secret behind Nadia’s success
is her awareness of the importance
of marketing and public relations.
She participates in many exhibitions
locally and internationally. She is a
member of the ICB and a permanent
exhibitor at its al-Kahf Gift Shop;
she has a link on the ICB website
and participates in all its exhibitions.
Her arts are also exhibited in
It was not until March 2005
that Nadia decided to focus her
talents on silver designing. Her
creativity and innovation were
provoked after joining a silvercasting jewellery course at Al-Kahf
Arts and Crafts workshop, which
belongs to the International Center
of Bethlehem (ICB). A few months
to produce new designs. The oak
leaf was the theme of her second
collection.
The oak tree is an icon of life and
wisdom. It secures food, narrates
stories, represents longevity,
symbolises beauty, signifies
spirituality, and suggests sanctuary.
The idea behind the creation of
the permanent exhibition at the
Bethlehem Chamber of Commerce
and Industry and Dar al-Balad Gift
Shop, Beit Sahour.
Nadia has also participated in
several exhibitions organised by the
Bethlehem Chamber of Commerce
and Industry. Moreover, she
participated in the two exhibitions of
Book of the Month
Artist
Month
Since childhood, Nadia Abu
Ghattas, the famous silver designer
who was born in Beit Jala, showed
talent and interest in arts and crafts.
She practiced embroidery, sewing,
painting on silk, and weaving and
attended several courses in the fields
of handicrafts, manuscript restoration,
design, and marketing. This talent has
often materialised through special
and distinctive pieces of art.
later, she joined another course
that focused on hand techniques.
Continuous success made Nadia
more attached to this new talent
and more determined than ever
to transform this interest in silver
designing and production into a
real career. Nadia is now one of the
most famous silver designers and
producers in the West Bank.
Nadia learned to cast original
silver pieces that are duplicates
of original olive leaves taken fresh
from the tree at the ICB. In the
Palestinian context, the olive leaf
is a symbol for peace, rootedness,
and belonging. Each silver piece is
unique as there are no duplicates
in nature.
From the beginning, Nadia has
taken most of her inspiration from
olive leaves and created many
designs for pendants, necklaces,
earrings, bracelets, rings, brooches,
key chains, and other types of
accessories. She casts olive leaves
and combines them with beads,
semi-precious stones, and olive
pits to make them fashionable and
stylish.
Nature has always inspired Nadia
Nadia Abu-Ghattas
62
national products that were organised
by the Federation of the Chambers of
Commerce in Palestine; the first was
in Ramallah in August 2007, and the
second in Nablus in August 2008.
During the spring of this year,
Nadia was commissioned to design
and create gifts for the special
guests of the Palestine Investment
Conference. She produced 1,000
pendants using the olive-leaf motif.
Nadia and the organisers of the
conference hope that the participants
will wear the pendants near their
hearts as a meaningful memento
from Palestine.
Nadia is currently preparing a new
collection that she will release this
spring.
For more information, contact
Nadia Abu Ghattas at +972-2-2742635 or by e-mail at nadia_mittri@
yahoo.com, or visit her website:
www.vag-club.com/nadia_jewels/home.
html.
63
Book of
of the
the Month
Month
alternative portrayal of Palestinian society;
the view of Palestine that Palestinians
themselves see, the vantage point
which has been the foundation for the
Palestinians’ unnatural steadfastness in
the face of incomprehensible odds.
Through Silwadi’s camera lens, Palestine
comes alive in ways that it is alive in the
hearts and minds of Palestinians around
the world, be they living the treacherous
reality of decades of military occupation
or struggling to survive in refugee camps
in Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan, or spread
out in the Diaspora.
Silwadi was born in Ramallah and
began his career over 15 years ago. He
has worked as a freelance photographer
for various local newspapers and later
worked for Agence France-Presse for
three years. He worked for six years for
Reuters and for the prestigious French
photo agency GAMMA as permanent
correspondent for Palestine.
He has published “Constant Giving
and Creativity,” a book on the lives of
Palestinian women. In July 2005, with
the cooperation of MIFTAH and Jawwal,
he published “Here We Are,” a photo
album featuring 10 years of Palestinian
daily life.
Silwadi’s work has been exhibited at the
esteemed Sony Gallery for Photography
in Cairo, Egypt, at the Ohio Arts Council,
Ohio, and the Arab Students Club at
Georgetown University, USA, at a group
exhibition in Rome, Italy, and at the
Ministry of Culture in Palestine. It was
also published around the world in
countless publications, including Time
Magazine, Newsweek, USA Today, and
the International Herald Tribune.
Palestine…
How Are You?
By Osama Silwadi
Palestine, 2008
This is the latest photo book of renowned
Palestinian photojournalist Osama
Silwadi. This collection of photographs
is unique in that it portrays Palestine in
the light it should be seen in – a country,
a people, a culture, just as colourful as
any other on this earth.
Whereas many collections of photos
have been published on and from
Palestine, the majority of them are
resigned to reflect the bitter reality that
Palestinians have been forced to live in for
over 60 years. A reality of dispossession,
military occupation, death, destruction, all
contributing to no less than a sophisticated
campaign of ethnic cleansing carried out
by Israel with the full acquiescence of the
international community.
The colourful and telling photos offer an
(Courtesy of the publisher)
64
Restaurant Review
Al Koukh Restaurant
Manger Street
Bethlehem
Tel. 02-274 9124
Open 7 days a week for lunch and dinner
Al Koukh serves diverse cuisines in a
relaxed and informal setting in the heart
of one of the busiest streets in Bethlehem.
Relatively new, this restaurant opened its
doors early this summer and has been
rather busy ever since. What makes it
largely popular is the outdoor seating
area that is quite appealing to those
who want to benefit from the breeze
of summer nights while smoking the
arguileh. The restaurant also has two
spacious floors inside where people can
sit. The first floor is smoke free while
upstairs people can dine while having
an arguileh.
The menu itself offers a good selection
of food, with generous portions. Choices
range from western-style appetizers
(chicken wings, quesadillas, shrimps),
salads (Caesar, Greek, rocket and Al
Koukh), and sandwiches (burgers, club,
chicken), to Middle Eastern mezzes,
meats, fish, and pastas. The food on
the menu is varied, yet the favourite
remains Al Koukh’s burger which is a
beef burger served with cheddar cheese,
salami, mushrooms, onions and BBQ
sauce. Order the ever popular and highly
recommended Al Koukh arguileh as you
contemplate your entrée choices.
You could go with any item off the
trusty menu, but regulars know that the
magic lies in the ambiance of this place.
This new restaurant/café has panache
above its counterparts, with lots of space,
wicker-weave chairs, and leather booths
mixed with a kheme (tent) style ceiling. It
mixes old and new, east and west.
The atmosphere is interesting. In its
partly open design, the café loses some
of the intimacy and cosiness people like.
What it gains, however, is a spacious
look. And it's a simply interesting place
to be. Al Koukh is a place that you’ll
remember and will want to be hanging
out in again.
66
CD of the Month
What if
inspired by my personal history and that
of my country, and the manner in which I
have lived it.” – Ramzi Aburedwan.
“The CD What if shows the importance
of a profound, infinite, incredibly low
sound that touches the deepest wounds
of the heart, while telling the story of Exile
of the Palestinian People.” – Alessio
Allegrini, Italian musician.
“The bouzouq, an instrument whose
place in Middle Eastern music is
ambivalent, is presented in a new light
in the CD What if. Essentially played by
the gypsies of the Near and Middle East,
it has also been exclusively exploited
rhythmically by those who have known
how to tame it. What if, through my
compositions, reveals the bouzouq anew,
under a far more melodic and delicate
angle than usual, thus restoring to it the
melodic nobility that is its due and of
which it has often been deprived.
“The pieces that I have composed result
from a mixture both subtle and strange
of two cultures in which I have lived and
developed – that of Palestine, where
I grew up, and that of France, where I
learned to discover music differently. This
explains the varied dynamics and colours
of the various melodies, all tied to and
What if contains a booklet of 92 pages
that tells the story of the Nakba through
that of Ramzi. This work is supported by
the A.M. Qattan Foundation’s Performing
Arts Development Project in partnership
with the Ford Foundation.
What if is available in cultural centres and
Al Kamandjâti music centres (Ramallah,
Jenin). For more information, please
visit www.alkamandjati.com or www.
dalouna.net.
68
Note: Please make sure to contact the venue to check whether the programme is still running.
Friday 28
15:00 Herşey Çok Güzel Olacak (Turkish with
English subtitles), Turkish Cultural Center
EAST JERUSALEM (02)
Centre for Jerusalem Studies at Al-Quds
University, tel. 628 7517; Turkish Cultural Center,
tel. 540 0592; Palestinian Art Court- Al Hoash
627 3501
TOURS
The tours "Jerusalem, a Palestinian Perspective"
are organized by the Center for Jerusalem
Studies of Al Quds University (CJS). The Dates
of the tours are to be confirmed. For further
information please call the Center of Jerusalem
Studies, tel. 02- 628 7517
ART
Thursday 13
19:00 Inauguration of a video art exhibition,
organized by Al Hoash’s, Al Hoash
FILMS
Saturday 1
Nineteenth-century Jerusalem "Austria in
Jerusalem", Centre for Jerusalem Studies
Friday 7
15:00 İnşaat (Turkish with English subtitles),
Turkish Cultural Center
Tuesday 4
15:00 Sheikh Jarrah Quarter Tour, Centre for
Jerusalem Studies
Friday 14
15:00 Filler ve Çimen (Turkish with English
subtitles), Turkish Cultural Center
Tuesday 11
15:00 Old City settlements, Centre for Jerusalem
Studies
Friday 21
15:00 Neredesin Fi! ruze (Turkish with English
subtitles), Turkish Cultural Center
Tuesday 25
15:00 Jerusalem Post-Crimean War, Centre for
Jerusalem Studies
70
by the Edward Said National Conservatory of
Music, in cooperation with Bethlehem Peace
Center, Bethlehem Peace Center
BETHLEHEM and BEIT JALA (02)
Bethlehem Peace Centre, tel. 276 6677;
International Centre of Bethlehem (Dar Annadwa),
tel. 277 0047; Palestinian Association for Cultural
Exchange (PACE), tel. 240 7611
Friday 14
19:00 European-Palestinian Hip-Hop Concert
Tour, Dar Annadwa
ART
FILMS
Friday 7
16:30 Inauguration of an art exhibition entitled
"Deep in the Soul" by Palestinian artist Rania
Andon (through December 8 daily), Dar Annadwa/
Al Kahf gallery
Shashat 4th Women’s Film Festival, organized by
Shashat, in cooperation with Al-Najah University
& Bethlehem Peace Center
Al Kasaba International Film Festival, organized
by Al Kasaba Theatre & Cinematheque, in
cooperation with Dar Annadwa
CHILDREN'S ACTIVITIES
Wednesday 5
18:00 Shashat 4 th Women’s Film Festival:
Confession (Arabic with English subtitles),
Bethlehem Peace Center
Friday 7
09:30-12:30 Friday Club, Bethlehem Peace
Center
Friday 14
09:30-12:30 Friday Club, Bethlehem Peace
Center
Thursday 6
18:00 Indiana Jones & the Kingdom of the Crystal
Skull, Bethlehem Peace Center
Friday 21
09:30-12:30 Friday Club, Bethlehem Peace
Center
Friday 7
18:00 Shashat 4th Women’s Film Festival: On the
East Side & Full Bloom (Qamar 14) (Arabic with
English subtitles), Bethlehem Peace Center
Friday 28
09:30-12:30 Friday Club, Bethlehem Peace
Center
Wednesday 12
18:00 Shashat 4th Women’s Film Festival: Stop
for God’s Sake & Take Me Home (Arabic with
English subtitles), Bethlehem Peace Center
CONCERTS
Saturday 1
19:00 Sweet String Night by a string group
(Violin, Viola, Cello, Double Bass) from Sweden
& Palestine, directed by Eva Birgert, organized
Thursday 13
18:00 Wall - E, Bethlehem Peace Center
72
Saturday 1
Electronic Exhibitions: MASARAT Palestine 2008
(through November 30 daily 24 hours)
Electronic Exhibitions: artist of the month Emily
Jacir (through November 30 daily 24 hours)
Electronic Exhibitions: The Young Artist of the
Year 2008 (through November 30 daily 24
hours)
Friday 14
18:00 Shashat 4th Women’s Film Festival: The
Last Station & I Want to See, Bethlehem Peace
Center
Thursday 20
18:00 Death Race, Bethlehem Peace Center
Friday 21
18:00 Shashat 4th Women’s Film Festival: Family
(Danish with English subtitles), Bethlehem
Peace Center
FILMS
Wednesday 12
18:30 Al Kasaba International Film Festival: Salt
of this Sea (opening), Al Kasaba
Tuesday 25
18:00 Al Kasaba International Film Festival:
Wall-E, Dar Annadwa
Tuesday 25
19:00 Al Kasaba international Film Festival: Al
Rais Omar harb (closing) , Al Kasaba
Wednesday 26
18:00 Al Kasaba International Film Festival:
Cabaret, Dar Annadwa
18:00 Shashat 4th Women’s Film Festival: Our
Heedless Wars (Arabic & French with English
subtitles), Bethlehem Peace Center
PLAY
Wednesday 12
18:00 Last Supper in Palestine, Ashtar Theatre
Thursday 27
18:00 Al Kasaba International Film Festival: A
Plate of Sardines, Dar Annadwa
18:00 Journey to the Center of the Earth,
Bethlehem Peace Center
SPECIAL EVENTS
Wednesday 12
19:00 Fashion Show, organized by FrancoGerman Cultural Centre, Al-Mahatta Gallery
Thursday 13
19:00 Fashion Show, organized by FrancoGerman Cultural Centre, Al-Mahatta Gallery
Friday 28
18:00 Al Kasaba International Film Festival: 5
Minutes from Home, Dar Annadwa
18:00 Shashat 4th Women’s Film Festival: The
Wretched Life of Juanita Narboni (Spanish/
English/French with Arabic subtitles), Bethlehem
Peace Center
TOURS
Sunday 16
9:00-17:00 A tour to Ramallah & vicinity, PACE
PLAY
NABLUS (09)
Friday 7
The Palestinian Association for Cultural Exchange
(PACE), tel. 02 240 7611
17:00 The Red Apple, in cooperation with Al
Harah Theatre, Dar Annadwa
TOURS
SPECIAL EVENTS
Sunday 2
9:00- 17:00 Nablus & vicinity, PACE
Sunday 30
11:00 8th Annual Christmas Market, Christmas
food and gifts from around the world, Christmas
music and caroling & special shows for children,
Bethlehem Peace Center
HEBRON (02)
The Palestinian Association for Cultural Exchange
(PACE), tel. 02 240 7611
TOURS
TOURS
Sunday 9
9:00-17:00 Bethlehem City, PACE
Sunday 23
9:00-17:00 Hebron & vicinity, PACE
RAMALLAH (02)
JERICHO (02)
Al Kasaba Theatre & Cinemathque, tel. 296 5292;
Birzeit Ethnographic & Art Museum, tel. 298
2976; Franco-German Cultural Center, tel. 298
1922; The Palestinian Association for Cultural
Exchange (PACE), tel. 240 7611;
The Palestinian Association for Cultural Exchange
(PACE), tel. 02 240 7611
TOURS
Sunday 30
9:00-17:00 Jericho & vicinity, PACE
ART
Electronic Exhibition, http://virtualgallery.birzeit.
edu
74
[email protected]
East Jerusalem (02)
The Edward Said National
Conservatory of Music
Al-Jawal Theatre Group
Telefax: 628 0655
Tel: 627 1711, Fax: 627 1710
[email protected], www.birzeit.edu/music
Alruwah Theatre
Tel: 626 2626
[email protected]
Theatre Day Productions
Tel: 585 4513, Fax: 583 4233
[email protected], www.theatreday.org
Al-Ma’mal Foundation for Contemporary Art
Tel: 628 3457, Fax: 627 2312
[email protected]
www.almamalfoundation.org
Turkish Cultural Centre
Tel: 540 0592, Fax: 532 3310
[email protected]
www.kudusbk.com
Al-Urmawi Centre for Mashreq Music
Tel: 234 2005, Fax: 234 2004
[email protected], www.urmawi.org
Yabous Productions
Tel: 626 1045; Fax: 626 1372
[email protected], www.yabous.org
Ashtar for Theatre Productions & Training
Telefax: 582 7218
[email protected], www.ashtar-theatre.org
Bethlehem (02)
British Council
Al-Harah Theatre
Tel: 626 7111, Fax: 628 3021
[email protected]
www.britishcouncil.org/ps
Telefax: 276 7758
[email protected]
[email protected], www.alharah.org
Center for Jerusalem Studies/Al-Quds University
Alliance Française de Bethléem
Tel: 628 7517
[email protected], www.jerusalem-studies.alquds.edu
Telefax: 275 0777
[email protected]
Community Action Centre (CAC)
Anat Palestinian Folk & Craft Center
Tel: 627 3352, Fax:627 4547
www.cac.alquds.edu
Telefax: 277 2024
[email protected]
French Cultural Centre
Arab Educational Institute (AEI)-Open
Windows
Tel: 628 2451 / 626 2236, Fax: 628 4324
[email protected]
Tel: 274 4030
www.aeicenter.org
Gallery Anadiel
Tel: 628 2811, Fax: 626 4403
Artas Folklore Center
Tel: 276 0533, 0599 938 0887
[email protected]
Hakawati Group
[email protected]
Badil Centre
Issaf Nashashibi Center for Culture &
Literature
Tel: 277 7086
Telefax: 581 8232
[email protected]
Beit Jala Community Based-Learning
& Action Center
Tel: 277 7863
Jerusalem Centre for Arabic Music
Tel: 627 4774, Fax 656 2469
[email protected]
Bethlehem Academy of Music/ Bethlehem
Music Society
Palestinian Art Court - Al Hoash
Tel: 277 7141, Fax: 277 7142
Telefax: 627 3501
[email protected], www.alhoashgallary.org
Bethlehem Peace Center
Tel: 276 6677, Fax. 276 4670
[email protected], www.peacenter.org
Palestinian National Theatre
Tel: 628 0957, Fax:627 6293
[email protected]
Cardinal House
Telefax: 276 4778
[email protected], www.cardinalhouse.org
Public Affairs Office
Tel: 628 2456, Fax: 628 2454
www.uscongen-jerusalem.org
Catholic Action Cultural Center
Tel: 274 3277, Fax 274 2939
[email protected], www.ca-b.org
Sabreen Association for Artistic
Development
Centre for Cultural Heritage Preservation
Tel: 532 1393, Fax: 532 1394
[email protected], www.sabreen.org
Tel: 276 6244, Fax: 276 6241
[email protected]
www.bethlehem2000.org/cchp
Sanabel Culture & Arts Theatre
Tel: 671 4338, Fax: 673 0993
76
Inad Centre for Theatre & Arts
Telefax: 276 6263
www.inadtheatre.org
[email protected], www.duramun.org
[email protected], www.amideast.org
[email protected], www.riwaq.org
Palestinian Child Arts Center (PCAC)
Ashtar for Theatre Production
Sandouq Elajab Theatre
Yes Theater
Baladna Cultural Center
Shashat
Tel: 222 4813, Fax: 222 0855
[email protected], www.pcac.net
International Centre of Bethlehem-Dar
Annadwa
Tel: 277 0047, Fax: 277 0048
[email protected]
www.annadwa.org
Telefax: 229 1559,
www.yestheatre.org, [email protected]
The International Palestinian Youth League
(IPYL)
ITIP Center “Italian Tourist Information Point”
Telefax: 276 0411
[email protected]
Tel:222 9131, Fax: 229 0652
[email protected], www.ipyl.org
Palestinian Heritage Center
Telefax: 274 2381, 274 2642
[email protected]
www.palestinianheritagecenter.com
Telfax: 295 8435
British Council
Carmel Cultural Foundation
The Edward Said National Conservatory of
Music
Sabreen Association for Artistic
Development
Municipality Theatre
Tel: 232 2417, Fax: 232 2604
Tel: 240 2853, Fax: 240 2851
[email protected], www.el-funoun.org
Tent of Nations
The Freedom Theatre/Jenin Refugee Camp
Franco-German Cultural Centre Ramallah
British Council- Al Najah University
Telefax: 237 5950
[email protected]
www.britishcoumcil.org/ps
Telefax: 275 2492
[email protected]
www.thehigherinstituteofmusic.ps
Cultural Centre for Child Development
Tel: 238 6290, Fax: 239 7518
[email protected], www.nutaleb.cjb.net
Turathuna - Centre for Palestinian Heritage
(B.Uni.)
Cultural Heritage Enrichment Center
Tel. 237 2863, Fax. 237 8275
[email protected]
Tel: 274 1241, Fax: 274 4440
[email protected], www.bethlehem.edu
French Cultural Centre
Hebron (02)
Tel: 238 5914, Fax: 238 7593
[email protected]
Al Sanabl Centre for Studies and Heritage
Nablus The Culture
Tel: 256 0280
e-mail: [email protected]
www.sanabl.org, www.sanabl.ps
Tel: 233 2084, Fax: 234 5325
[email protected], www.nablusculture.ps
Association d’Echanges Culturels HebronFrance (AECHF)
Telefax: 222 4811
[email protected], wwww.hebron-france.org
Telefax: 229 1559
[email protected]
British Council- Palestine Polytechnic University
Al Kasaba Theatre and Cinematheque
Children Happiness Center
Al-Rahhalah Theatre
Tel: 296 5292/3, Fax: 296 5294
[email protected], www.alkasaba.org
Telefax: 229 9545
[email protected]
Telefax: 298 8091
[email protected]
Dura Cultural Martyrs Center
Amideast
Tel: 228 3663
Tel: 240 8023, Fax: 240 8017
78
Young Artist Forum
Telefax: 296 7654
[email protected]
Gaza Strip (08)
In’ash Al-Usra Society- Center for Heritage
& Folklore Studies
Al-Qattan Centre for the Child
Tel: 283 9929, Fax: 283 9949
[email protected]
www.qattanfoundation.org/qcc
Tel: 240 1123 / 240 2876, Telefax: 240 1544
[email protected], www.inash.org
Khalil Sakakini Cultural Center
Arts & Crafts Village
Tel: 298 7374, Fax: 296 6820
[email protected], www.sakakini.org
Telefax: 284 6405
[email protected], www.gazavillage.org
Manar Cultural Center
Ashtar for Culture & Arts
Tel: 295 7937, Fax: 298 7598
Telefax: 283 3565
[email protected]
Mazra’a Qibliyeh Heritage and Tourism Centre
Telefax: 281 5825
[email protected]
www.geocities.com/mazraaheritage/
Fawanees Theatre Group
Telefax: 288 4403
Culture & Light Centre
Palestinian Association
for Contemporary Art PACA
Palestinian Association for Cultural
Exchange (PACE)
Telefax: 229 3717
[email protected]
www.britsishcouncil.org.ps
Tele: 298 0036, 296 4348/9, Fax: 296 0326
[email protected]
Telefax: 298 1736/ 298 0546
[email protected]
A. M. Qattan Foundation
Tel: 297 3101
[email protected], www.alkamandjati.com
The Palestinian Network of Art Centres
Greek Cultural Centre - “Macedonia”
Ramallah & Al-Bireh (02)
Al-Kamandjâti Association
Tel. 0545- 671 911 or 0599- 926 107
www.palcircus.ps, info@ palcircus.ps
Tel: 298 1922 / 7727, Fax: 298 1923
[email protected], www.ccf-goethe-ramallah.org
Tel: 296 7601, fax: 295 1849
[email protected], www.pal-paca.org
Tel: 296 0544, Fax: 298 4886
[email protected], www.qattanfoundation.org
Beit Et Tifl Compound
The Palestinian Circus School
First Ramallah Group, Sareyyet Ramallah
Jenin (04)
Nablus (09)
Tel: 295 9070, Fax: 295 9071
[email protected], www.birzeit.edu/music
El-Funoun Dance Troupe
Tel: 295 2706 - 295 2690, Fax: 298 0583
[email protected], www.sirreyeh.org
Tel. 250 3345
[email protected]
Tel: 298 6121/ 2, Fax: 298 8160
[email protected], www.tamerinst.org
Tel: 298 7375, Fax: 298 7374
Tel: 275 0091, Fax: 275 0092
[email protected], www.sabreen.org
The Higher Institute of Music
Tel: 296 7741, Fax: 296 7742
[email protected], www.sharek.ps
Jericho Community Centre
Telefax: 232 1047
Telefax: 274 8726
[email protected], www.birzeit.edu/music
Sharek Youth Forum
Tel. 298 2976
www.virtualgallery.birzeit.edu
Tamer Institute for Community Education
Jericho Culture & Art Center
The Edward Said National Conservatory of
Music
Tel: 297 3336, Fax: 297 3338
[email protected], www.shashat.org
BirZeit Ethnographic and Art Museum
Tel: 296 3293-6, Fax: 296 3297
[email protected]
www.britishcouncil.org/ps
Telefax: 274 7945
Tel: 274 3071, Fax: 276 7446
[email protected], www.tentofnations.org
Tel: 296 5638, 295 3206
[email protected]
Jericho (02)
Telefax: 232 5007
Palestinian Group for the Revival of Popular
Heritage
Tel: 298 0037, Fax: 296 0326
[email protected], www.ashtar-theatre.org
Telefax: 286 5896, [email protected]
French Cultural Centre
Tel :286 7883, Fax : 282 8811
[email protected]
Gaza Theatre
Tel: 240 7611, Telfax: 240 7610
[email protected], www.pace.ps
Tel: 282 4860, Fax: 282 4870
Global Production and Distribution
Popular Art Center
Telefax: 288 4399
[email protected]
Tel: 240 3891, Fax: 240 2851
[email protected], www.popularartcentre.org
Goethe Institute
Ramallah Cultural Palace
Tel: 284 7595, Fax: 284 7595
Tel: 298 4704 / 295 2105, Fax: 295 2107
[email protected]
www.ramallahculturalpalace.org
Holst Cultural Centre
Tel: 281 0476, Fax: 280 8896
[email protected]
RIWAQ: Centre for Architectural
Conservation
Theatre Day Productions
Telefax: 283 6766
[email protected]
Tel: 240 6887, Fax: 240 6986
79
Gloria Hotel (94 rooms; mr; res)
Tel: 628 2431, Fax: 628 2401
[email protected]
East Jerusalem (02)
Addar Hotel (30 suites; bf; mr; res)
Tel: 626 3111, Fax: 626 0791
www.addar-hotel.com
Golden Walls Hotel (112 rooms)
Tel: 627 2416, Fax: 626 4658
[email protected], www.goldenwalls.com
Alcazar Hotel (38 rooms; bf; mr; res)
Tel: 628 1111; Fax: 628 7360
[email protected], www.jrscazar.com
Holy Land Hotel (105 rooms; bf; cf; mr; res)
Tel: 627 2888, Fax: 628 0265
[email protected], www.holylandhotel.com
Ambassador Hotel (122 rooms; bf; cf; mr; res)
Tel: 541 2222, Fax: 582 8202
[email protected]
www.jerusalemambassador.com
Jerusalem Hotel (14 rooms; bf; mr; res; live music)
Tel: 628 3282, Fax: 628 3282
[email protected], www.jrshotel.com
American Colony Hotel(84 rooms; bf; cf; mr; res)
Tel: 627 9777, Fax: 627 9779
[email protected], www.americancolony.com
Austrian Hospice
Tel: 626 5800, Fax: 627 1472
[email protected]
www.austrianhospice.com
Azzahra Hotel (15 rooms, res)
Tel: 628 2447, Fax: 628 3960
[email protected], www.azzahrahotel.com
Capitol Hotel (54 rooms; bf; mr; res)
Tel: 628 2561/2, Fax: 626 4352
Christmas Hotel (37 rooms; bf; mr; res)
Jerusalem Claridge Hotel (30 rooms; bf; mr; res)
Lawrence Hotel (30 rooms; business facilites; res)
Tel: 234 7137, Fax: 234 7139
[email protected]
Tel: 626 4208, Fax: 627 1285
[email protected]
Jerusalem Meridian Hotel
Legacy Hotel
St. Andrew’s Scottish Guesthouse
“The Scottie” (17 rooms + 1 hostel)
Tel: 673 2401; Fax: 673 1711
[email protected], www.scothotels.co.il
(74 rooms; bf; mr; res)
Tel: 628 5212, Fax: 628 5214
www.jerusalem-meridian.com
Tel: 627 0800, Fax: 627 7739
[email protected], www.jerusalemlegacy.com
Jerusalem Panorama Hotel
Tel: 628 2507, Fax: 628 5134
St. George’s Pilgrim Guest House
(74 rooms; bf; mr; res)
Tel: 627 2277, Fax: 627 3699
[email protected]
Mount of Olives Hotel (61 rooms; bf; mr; res)
Tel: 628 4877, Fax: 626 4427
[email protected], www.mtolives.com
(25 rooms; bf; res)
Tel: 628 3302, Fax: 628 2253
[email protected]
Hashimi Hotel
Mount Scopus Hotel (65 rooms; bf; mr; res)
Strand Hotel (88 rooms; mr; res)
New Imperial Hotel (45 rooms)
Victoria Hotel (50 rooms; bf; res)
Tel: 627 4466, Fax: 627 4171
Tel: 628 2588, Fax: 626 4417
Tel: 628 4410, Fax: 628 4667
[email protected]
Commodore Hotel (45 rooms; cf; mr; res)
Tel: 627 1414, Fax: 628 4701
Knights Palace Guesthouse (50 rooms)
Tel: 628 2537, Fax: 628 2401, [email protected]
St. George Hotel (144 rooms; bf; cf; mr; res)
Tel: 627 7232 - 627 7323, Fax: 628 2575
[email protected], www.hotelstgeorge-jer.com
Metropol Hotel
Tel: 628 0279, Fax: 628 4826
Tel: 582 8891, Fax: 582 8825
[email protected]
Tel: 627 2000, Fax: 627 1530
Bethlehem (02)
New Metropole Hotel (25 rooms; mr; res)
Alexander Hotel (42 rooms; bf; mr; res)
Tel: 277 0780, Fax: 277 0782
Tel: 628 3846, Fax: 627 7485
New Regent Hotel (24 rooms; bf; mr; res)
Al-Salam Hotel (26 rooms; 6f; mr; cf; res)
Tel: 276 4083/4, Fax: 277 0551
[email protected]
Tel: 628 4540, Fax: 626 4023
[email protected]
New Swedish Hostel
Beit Al-Baraka Youth Hostel (19 rooms)
Tel: 627 7855, Fax: 626 4124
[email protected]
www.geocities.com/swedishhostel
Tel: 222 9288, Fax: 222 9288
Beit Ibrahim Guesthouse
Notre Dame Guesthouse
Tel: 274 2613, Fax: 274 4250
[email protected]
www.abrahams-herberge.com
Tel: 627 9111, Fax: 627 1995
Petra Hostel and Hotel
Bethlehem Hotel (209 rooms; bf; cf; mr; res)
Tel: 277 0702, Fax: 277 0706
[email protected]
Tel: 628 6618
Pilgrims Inn Hotel (16 rooms; bf; mr; res)
Tel: 627 2416
[email protected]
Bethlehem Inn (36 rooms; bf; mr; res)
Tel: 274 2424, Fax: 274 2423
Ritz Hotel Jerusalem (104 rooms, bf, mr)
Tel: 626 9900, Fax: 626 9910
[email protected]
www.jerusalemritz.com
Bethlehem Star Hotel (72 rooms; cf; bf; res)
Rivoli Hotel
Casanova Hospice (60 rooms; mr; res)
Tel: 628 4871, Fax: 627 4879
Tel: 274 3981, Fax: 274 3540
Savoy Hotel (17 rooms)
Casanova Palace Hotel (25 rooms; bf; res)
Tel: 628 3366, Fax: 628 8040
Tel: 274 2798, Fax: 274 1562
Seven Arches Hotel (197 rooms; bf; mr; res)
Everest Hotel (19 rooms; bf; mr; res)
Tel: 274 3249 - 277 0285, Fax: 274 1494
[email protected]
Tel: 274 2604, Fax: 274 1278
Tel: 626 7777, Fax: 627 1319
[email protected]
80
81
Grand Hotel (107 rooms; bf; cf; mr; res)
Tel: 274 1602 - 274 1440, Fax: 274 1604
[email protected]
Hebron (02)
Hebron Hotel
Tel: 225 4240 / 222 9385, Fax: 222 6760
e-mail: [email protected]
Golden Park Resort & Hotel (Beit Sahour)
(54 rooms; res, bar, pool)
Tel: 277 4414
Regency Hotel (76 rooms; su; res; tb; cf; bf)
Inter-Continental Hotel (Jacir Palace)
Tel: 225 7389/98, Fax: 225 7388
[email protected], www.hebron-regency.com
(250 rooms; su; bf; cf; mr; res)
Tel: 276 6777, Fax: 276 6770
Nablus (09)
Lutheran Guesthouse “Abu Gubran”
Al-Qaser Hotel (38 rooms; bf; cf; mr; res)
Tel: 277 0047
Tel: 238 5444, Fax: 238 5944
[email protected]
Murad Tourist Resort
Tel: 2759880, Fax:2759881
www.murad.ps
Al-Yasmeen Hotel & Souq
(30 rooms; cf; mr; res)
Tel: 233 3555 Fax: 233 3666
[email protected], www.alyasmeen.com
Nativity Hotel (89 rooms; bf; cf; mr; res)
Tel: 277 0650, Fax: 274 4083
[email protected], www.nativity-hotel.com
Asia Hotel (28 rooms, res)
Telefax: 238 6220
Paradise Hotel (166 rooms;cf;bf;mr;res;su;pf)
Tel: 274 4542/3 - 274 4544
[email protected]
Chrystal Motel (12 rooms)
Telefax: 233 3281
Saint Antonio Hotel (36 rooms; mr; cf;res;pf)
Tel: 274 4308, Fax: 277 0524
Ramallah & Al-Bireh (02)
Santa Maria Hotel (83 rooms; mr; res)
Al-A’in Hotel (24 rooms and suites; mr; cf)
Tel: 240 5925 - 240 4353 Fax: 240 4332
[email protected]
Tel: 276 7374/5/6, Fax: 276 7377
[email protected]
Shepherd Hotel
Al-Bireh Tourist Hotel (50 rooms; cf; res)
Tel: 274 0656, Fax: 274 4888
[email protected], www.shepherdhotel.com
Telefax: 240 0803
St. Nicholas Hotel (25 rooms; res; mr)
Telefax: 298 7858
Al-Hajal Hotel (22 rooms; bf)
Tel: 274 3040/1/2, Fax: 274 3043
Al-Murouj Pension (Jifna village) (8 rooms; res)
Saint Vincent Guest House (36 rooms)
Telefax: 281 0881
Tel: 276 0967/8, Fax: 276 0970
[email protected], www.saintvincentguesthouse.net
Al-Wihdah Hotel
Telefax: 298 0412
Talita Kumi Guest House (22 rooms; res; mr; cf)
Ankars Suites (22 suites; cf; res; bf)
Tel: 274 1247, Fax: 274 1847
Tel: 295 2602, Fax: 295 2603
[email protected]
Jericho (02)
Best Eastern Hotel (91 rooms; cf; res)
Al- Zaytouna Guest House (7 rooms; bf; res; mr)
Plaza Hotel
Beach Hotel (25 rooms; bf; mr; res)
Ramallah Hotel (22 rooms; bf; mr; res)
Cliff Hotel (24 rooms; bf; mr; res)
Telefax: 298 2020
Tel: 295 3544, Fax: 295 5029
Tel: 282 3450, Fax: 282 0742
Retno Hotel (15 rooms & su; res; mr; gm; sp)
Commodore Gaza Hotel (120 rooms;su; bf)
Telefax: 295 0022
[email protected]
Gaza Strip (08 )
Hisham Palace Hotel
Telefax: 282 3521/19
Tel: 232 2414, Fax: 232 3109
City Inn Palace Hotel (47 rooms; bf; cf; res)
Tel: 240 8080, Fax: 240 8091
Inter-Continental Jericho
Grand Park Hotel & Resorts
Jericho Resort Village
Gemzo Suites
(60 rooms; 46 studios; bf; cf; mr; res)
Tel: 232 1255, Fax: 232 2189
[email protected], www.jerichoresorts.com
(90 executive suites; cs; mr; pf; gm; res)
Tel: 240 9729, Fax: 240 9532
[email protected], www.gemzosuites.net
Jerusalem Hotel (22 rooms)
Tel: 232 2444, Fax: 992 3109
Manarah Hotel
Tel: 295 2122, Telefax: 295 3274
[email protected], www.manarahhotel.com.ps
Telepherique & Sultan Tourist Center
(55 rooms)
Tel: 232 1590, Fax: 232 1598
[email protected]
Gaza International Hotel
Tel: 296 4040, Fax: 296 4047
Telefax: 274 2016 Deir Hijleh Monastery
Tel: 994 3038, 0505 348 892
(181 rooms; su; bf; cf; mr; res; ter; tb)
Tel: 231 1200, Fax: 231 1222
Tel: 283 4400, Fax: 282 2623
[email protected]
Royal Court Suite Hotel (24 suites; res)
Tel: 296 0450, Fax: 295 8452
[email protected]
(84 rooms; 12 grand suites; bf; cf; mr; res; sp; pf)
Tel: 298 6194, Fax: 295 6950
[email protected]
Telefax: 282 5492 - 284 8433
(30 rooms; bf; cf; res; sp)
Tel: 283 0001/2/3/4, Fax: 283 0005
Grand Palace Hotel
Adam Hotel (76 rooms; bf; cf; mr; res)
(20 rooms; cr; mr; cf; res; internet)
Tel: 284 9498/6468, Fax: 284 9497
[email protected]
Al-Amal, Palestinian Red Crescent
Guesthouse
Hotel Sea Breeze
Tel: 286 1832
Tel: 283 0277 - 284 2654, Fax: 282 4231
Al-Deira (11 suites; cf; mr; res; ter)
Marna House (17 rooms; bf; mr; res)
Tel: 282 2624, Fax: 282 3322
Tel: 283 8100/200/300, Fax: 283 8400
[email protected]
Palestine Hotel (54 rooms; bf; cf; mr; res)
Al-Quds International Hotel
Tel: 282 3355, Fax: 286 0056
(44 rooms; 2 suites; bf; mr; res)
Telefax: 282 5181 - 282 6223 - 286 3481 - 282 2269
Summerland Tourist Village (casino; cf; res)
Tel: 284 7171, Fax: 286 4008
Al-Waha Hotel
Zahrat Al-Madain
Tel: 287 0880, Fax: 287 0889
Tel: 282 6801
Merryland Hotel (25 rooms)
Tel: 298 7176, Telefax: 298 7074
Rocky Hotel (22 rooms; cf; res; ter)
Tel: 296 4470, Telefax: 296 1871
Pension Miami (12 rooms)
Telefax: 295 6808
82
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
83
Zeit Ou Zaater
(Al-Yasmeen Hotel)
Tel: 238 3164, Fax: 233 3666
East Jerusalem (02)
3 Arches Restaurant
Tel: 569 2692, Fax: 623 5192
Al-Diwan (Ambassador Hotel)
Tel: 541 2213, Fax: 582 8202
Al-Mihbash
Tel: 628 9185
Al-Shuleh Grill
Tel: 627 3768
Amigo Emil
Tel: 628 8090, Fax: 626 1457
Antonio’s (Ambassador Hotel)
Tel: 541 2213
Arabesque, Poolside & Patio
Restaurants
(American Colony Hotel)
Tel: 627 9777, Fax: 627 9779
Armenian Tavern
Tel: 627 3854
Askidinya
Tel: 532 4590
Az-Zahra
Tel: 628 2447
Blue Dolphin
Tel: 532 2001, Fax: 581 1737
Borderline Restaurant Café
Tel: 532 8342
Caf‫ﹶ‬é Europe
Tel: 628 4313
Café Imperial
Tel: 628 2261, Fax: 627 1530
Cardo Restaurant
Tel: 627 0827
Chinese Restaurant
Tel: 626 3465, Fax: 626 3471
Coffee Bean Cafe
Tel: 627 0820
El Dorada Coffee Shop &
Internet Café
Tel: 626 0993
Four Seasons Restaurants &
Coffee Shop
Tel: 628 6061, Fax: 628 6097
Goodies
Tel: 585 3223
Kan Zaman (Jerusalem Hotel)
Tel: 627 1356
Lotus and Olive Garden
(Jerusalem Meridian Hotel)
Tel: 628 5212
Moon Light Pizza
Nafoura
Tel: 626 0034
Nakashian Gallery Cafe
Tel: 627 8077
Notre Dame - La Rotisserie
Tel: 627 9114, Fax: 627 1995
Panorama Restaurant
Cigar Bar (Jacir Palace
Inter-Continental Bethlehem)
Tel: 276 6777, Fax: 276 6770
Dar al Balad
Tel: 274 9073
Dar Jdoudnah Coffee
Shop
Tel: 626 3344
Tel: 274 3212
Papa Andreas
Grotto Restuarant
Tel: 628 4433, Fax:627 5224
Tel: 274 8844, Fax: 274 8889
Pasha’s
Golden Roof
Tel: 582 5162 - 532 8342
Tel: 274 3224
Patisserie Suisse
Il’iliyeh Restaurant
Tel: 628 4377
Tel: 277 0047
Pizza House
La Terrasse
Tel: 627 3970 - 628 8135
Tel: 275 3678
Popular Arab
Mariachi (Grand Hotel)
Tel: 583 3226
Rossini's Restaurant Bar
Tel: 628 2964
Shalizar Restuarant
Tel: 582 9061
The Gate Café
Tel: 627 4282
The Patio (Christmas Hotel)
Tel: 628 2588 - 626 4418
Victoria Restaurant
Tel: 628 3051
Tel: 274 1440 - 274 1602
274 1603, Fax: 274 1604
Opera Bistro & Lounge
Tel: 275 0859
Riwaq Courtyard
(Jacir Palace Inter-Continental)
Tel: 276 6777, Fax: 276 6754
Shepherds Valley Village
(The Tent)
Tel: 277 3875
St.George Restaurant
Tel: 274 3780, Fax: 274 1833
Bethlehem (02)
Abu Eli Restaurant
Tel. 274 1897
Tachi Chinese
Tel: 274 4382
Taboo – Restaurant & Bar
Tel: 274 0711, Fax: 274 1862
Abu Shanab Restaurant
Tel: 274 2985
Al-Hakura Restaurant
Tel: 277 3335
Zaitouneh - Jacir Palace
Inter-Continental Bethlehem
Tel: 276 6777, Fax: 276 6154
Ramallah &
Al-Bireh (02)
Al Makan
Tel: 295 7676, Fax: 297 1776
Almonds
Tel: 295 7028
Zan Restaurant and Pub
Tel: 297 2088
Mr. Donuts Caf‫ﹶ‬e
Tel: 240 7196
Mr. Pizza
Avenue Restaurant
Piano Restaurant
Gaza Strip (08)
Azure Restaurant &
Coffeeshop
Pizza Inn
Tel: 296 3633
Telefax: 295 7850
Baba's Brunch
Tel. 2976931
Baladna Ice Cream
Telefax: 295 6721
Birth Café
Tel: 297 6614
Caesar’s (Grand Park Hotel)
Tel: 298 6194
Café De La Paix
Tel: 298 0880
Café Mocha Rena
Tel: 298 1460
Casablanca
Tel: 298 7658
Chinese House Restaurant
Tel: 296 4081
Darna
Tel: 295 0590/ 1
Diwan Art coffee Shop
Tel: 297 3043
Telefax: 232 2555
Continental Bethlehem)
Tel: 276 6777, Fax: 276 6770
Green Valley Park
Balloons
Jabal Quruntul
Tel: 296 5169
Tel: 281 0220/ 1
Fawanees
Tel: 298 7046
Kings
Tel: 296 4040
Tel: 298 7995
Tel: 298 1181/ 2 /3
Plaza Restaurant & Park
Tel: 295 6020, Fax: 296 4693
Pollo-Loco (Mexican)
Tel: 298 1984
Pronto Resto-Café (Italian)
Tel: 298 7312
Rukab’s Ice Cream
Tel: 295 3467
Saba Sandwiches
Tel: 296 0116
Tel: 295 4455
Tel: 282 1272 - 283 3769
Al-Deira
Tel: 283 8100/ 200/ 300
Al-Diwanea Tourist
Tel: 282 5062
Alladin
Tel: 282 3355
Al-Marsa
Tel: 286 3599
Al-Molouke
Tel: 286 8397
Al-Salam
Samer
Tel: 240 5338 - 240 3088
Sangria’s
Tel: 282 2705, Telefax: 283 3188
Al-Sammak
Tel: 286 4385
Tel: 295 6808
Shukeireh Restaurant
Tel: 297 5233
Sinatra Cafe & Cheese Cake
Tel: 2971028
Al-Sammak Ghornata
Tel: 284 0107
Al-Sayyad
Tel: 283 4779
La Mirage
Stones
Tel: 286 5128
Tel: 296 6038
Tabash (Jifna village)
Tel: 281 0932
Tal El-Qamar Roof
Tel: 298 7905/ 6
The Orthodox Club
Lido
Tel: 286 4198
Matouq
Tel: 282 6245 - 282 1399
Roots - The Club
Tel: 295 6520
Tel: 288 8666 - 282 3999
282 3777
Tomasso’s
Whispers
Tel: 240 9991/ 2
Tropicana
Tel: 297 5661
Tel: 232 2614, Fax: 232 2659
Seven Trees
Tel: 232 2781
Salim Afandi
Tel: 237 1332
84
Zeit ou Zaater
Al-Andalus
Nablus (09)
Tel: 627 5277
Tel: 295 6767 - 296 4480
Fax: 296 4357
Tel: 295 9093
Baidar (Jacir Palace Inter-
Tel: 275 2058
Zarour Bar BQ
Ziryab
(Jericho Resort Village)
Tel: 232 1255, Fax: 232 2189
Café Sima
Tel: 297 0548
Tel: 295 3270
Al Makan Bar (Jacir Palace
Inter-Continental Bethlehem)
Tel: 276 6777, Fax: 276 6770
Tel: 274 0406
Tel: 296 5966 - 296 5988
Mac Simon
Osama’s Pizza
Tel: 295 6408 - 298 1455
Ein Al-Marj (Birzeit)
Bonjour Restaurant and
Café
Vatche’s Garden
Restaurant
Tel: 297 2125
Angelo’s
Al-Nafoura Restaurant
Tel: 275 0221, Fax: 277 7115
Mac Chain Restaurant
Tel: 298 0456
Tel: 274 8447
Tel: 232 2349
Tel: 295 7031 - 296 6505
Tel: 240 3016 - 240 8182
Muntaza Restaurant & Garden
Tel: 295 6835
Jericho (02)
Al-Rawda
Urobian Coffee shop
Tel: 295 6813
Al-Aseel
Elite Coffee House
Akkawi Café
K5M - Caterers
85
Tel: 282 1011
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]
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 •
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 • Natural History
Museum, Telefax:02-276 5574, [email protected], www.eecp.org • The Crib of Nativity Museum, Tel: 276
0876, Fax: 276 0877, [email protected], www.cribofnativity.com • Palestinian Ethnographic Museum,
Tel: 276 7467, Fax: 276 0533, [email protected], Opening hours: daily from 9:00 - 17:00 • Palestinian Heritage
Center, Telefax: 274 2381, [email protected], www.palestinianheritagecenter.com
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., Tel: 582 2179, Fax: 582 2173
• Jerusalem Car Rental & Leasing ltd., Tel: 582 2179, Fax: 582 2173 • Orabi, Tel: 585 3101 • Petra, Tel:
582 0716,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:
East Jerusalem (02) 4M Travel Agency, Tel: 627 1414, Fax: 628 4701, [email protected], www.4mtravel.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 • Arab Tourist Agency (ATA),
Tel: 627 7442, Fax: 628 4366,[email protected] • Aswar Tourism Services, Tel: 628 2183, Fax: 628 2189,
[email protected] • Atic Tours & Travel Ltd., Tel: 628 6159, Fax: 626 4023, [email protected], www.
atictour.com • Awad & Co. Tourist Agency, Tel: 628 4021, Fax: 628 7990, [email protected], www.
awad-tours.com • Aweidah Bros. Co., Tel: 628 2365, Fax: 628 2366, [email protected], www.aweidah.
com • Ayoub Caravan Tours, Tel: 628 4361, Fax: 628 5804 [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, [email protected], www.
blessedlandtours.com • Carawan Tours and Travel, Tel: 628 1244, Fax: 628 1406, [email protected], 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] • Egythai Int. Tours and Travel, Tel: 628 1184, Fax:
628 4701, [email protected] • Gates of Jerusalem Travel Agency, Tel: 234 4365, Fax: 234 3835,
[email protected] • George Garabedian Co., Tel: 628 3398, Fax: 628 7896, [email protected] • GEMM
Travel, Tel: 628 2535/6, [email protected] • Golden Dome Company for Hajj& Umra Services,
Tel: 628 0770, Fax: 628 5912 • Guiding Star Ltd., Tel: 627 3150, Fax: 627 3147, [email protected], www.
guidingstarltd.com • Holy Jerusalem Tours & Travel, Tel: 540 1668; Fax: 540 0963, info@holyjerusalemtours.
com, www.holyjerusalemtours.com • Holy Land Tours, Tel: 532 3232, Fax: 532 3292, [email protected]
• J. Sylvia Tours, Tel: 628 1146, Fax: 628 8277, [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, [email protected] • JT & T, Tel: 628 9418, 628 9422, Fax: 628 9298, jtt@bezeqint.
net.il, 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] •
Lourdes Tourist & Travel Agency, Tel: 627 5332, Telefax: 627 5336, [email protected] • Middle
East Car Rental, Tel: 626 2777, Fax: 626 2203 • 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, otb@
netvision.net.il • Royal Orient Tours & Travel, Tel: 626 4181/2, Fax: 626 4186, [email protected] •
Safieh Tours & Travel Agency, Tel: 626 4447, Fax: 628 4430, [email protected] • Samara
Tourist & Travel Agency, Tel: 627 6133. Fax: 627 1956, [email protected] • Season Travel
ltd., Tel: 627 7552, Fax: 627 7564, [email protected], www.season-travel.com • 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 • Siniora Star Tours, Tel: 628 6373, Fax: 628 9078,
[email protected] • Terra Sancta Tourist Co, Tel: 628 4733, Fax: 626 4472 • The Pioneer Links Travel
& Tourism Bureau, Tel: 626 1963, Fax: 628 4714, www.pioneer-links.com • Tony Tours Ltd., Tel: 244 2050,
Fax: 244 2052, [email protected] • 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] •
Zatarah Tourist & Travel Agency, Tel: 627 2725, Fax: 628 9873, [email protected]
Bethlehem (02) Angels Tours and Travel,
Nablus (09) Car Rental Orabi, Tel: 238 3383 • Taxis Al-Ittimad, Tel: 237 1439 • Al-Madina, Tel: 237 3501
Tel: 277 5813, Fax: 277 5814, [email protected], www.
angelstours.com.ps • Arab Agency Travel & Tourism, Tel: 274 1872, Fax: 274 2431, tourism@aca-palestine.
com, www.aca-palestine.com • 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] • Friendship Travel & Tourism, Tel: 277 7967, Fax: 277 7987, [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 • Sky Lark Tours and Travel, Tel: 274 2886, Fax: 276 4962,
[email protected] • Terra Santa Tourist Co., Tel: 277 0249 Fax: 277 0250
Ramallah & Al-Bireh (02) Car Rental Good Luck, Tel: 234 2160 • Orabi, Tel: 240 3521 • Petra,
Beit Jala (02) Guiding Star Ltd., Tel: 276 5970, Fax: 276 5971, [email protected]
628 2212, Fax: 628 4015
Bethlehem (02) Car Rental Murad, Tel: 274 7092 Taxis Asha’b, Tel: 274 2309 • Beit Jala, Tel: 274 2629
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
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 • 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
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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 • Magi
Tours, Telefax: 277 5798, [email protected]
Hebron (02) AL-Afaq for Travel & Umrah, Telefax: 221 1332, [email protected] • Al Amir Tours,
Telefax: 221 2065, [email protected] • Alkiram Tourism, Tel: 225 6501/2, Fax: 225 6504, alkiram@hebronet.
com • Al-Haya Travel & Tourism, Tel: 229 3108, Fax: 229 7496 • Al-Salam Travel and Tours Co., Tel:
221 5574, Fax: 223 3747 • Arab Nisr Travel & Tourism, Tel: 221 5970/1, Fax: 229 2730/1, arabnisr@yahoo.
com • Sabeen Travel Tourism, Telefax: 229 4775, [email protected]
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Ramallah (02) Al-Asmar Travel Agency, Telefax: 295 4140, 296 5775, [email protected] • Al Awdah
Tourism & Travel, Tel: 295 2597, Fax: 295 2989 • 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] • 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] • Paltour for Tours and
Travel, Tel: 297 5456, Fax: 297 6079, [email protected] • The Pioneer Links Travel & Tourism Bureau, Tel:
240 7859, Fax: 240 7860, [email protected] • Rahhal Tours & Travel, Tel: 240 3256, Fax: 240 6692,
[email protected] • Raha Tours and Travel, Tel: 296 1780, Fax: 296 1782, www.rahatt.com, www.rahatravel.
com • Ramallah Travel Agency, Tel: 295 3692, Fax: 295 5029, [email protected], www.kaoud.org • 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 • Skyway Tourist Agency, Telefax: 296 5090
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) 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]
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]
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.kudusbk.com • United States
of America, Tel: 622 7230, Fax: 625 9270
Representative Offices to the PNA
Ramallah & Al-Bireh (02) Australia, Tel: 242 7710, 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: 240 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: 234 5050, Fax: 234 5079, [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,
Air France and KLM, Tel: 02-628 2535/6 (Jerusalem), Tel: 08-286 0616 (Gaza) • Air Sinai - Varig, Tel: 02-627
2725 (Jerusalem), Tel: 08-282 1530 (Gaza) • British Airways, Tel: 02-628 8654 (Jerusalem) • Cyprus Airways,
Tel: 02-240 4894 (Al-Bireh) • Delta Airlines, Tel: 02-296 7250, Telefax: 02-298 6395 (Ramallah) • Egypt Air,
Tel: 02-298 6950/49 (Ramallah), Tel: 08-282 1530 (Gaza) • Emirates Airlines, Tel: 02-296 1780 (Ramallah) •
Gulf Air, Tel: 09-238 6312 (Nablus), Tel: 02-295 3912/3 (Ramallah) • Iberia, Tel: 02-628 3235/7238 (Jerusalem)
• Lufthansa, Tel: 09-238 2065 (Nablus) • Malev-Hungarian Airlines, Tel: 02-295 2180 (Ramallah) • Middle
East Car Rental, Tel: 02-295 2602, Fax: 295 2603 • PAL AVIATION, Tel. 02-296 7250 Telefax: 02-298 6395
(Ramallah) • Palestine Airlines, Tel: 08-282 2800 (Gaza), Tel: 08-282 9526/7 (Gaza) • Qatar Airways, Tel:
02-240 4895 (Al-Bireh), Tel: 08-284 2303 (Gaza), Royal Jordanian Airways, Tel: 02-240 5060 (Ramallah),
Tel: 08-282 5403/13 (Gaza) • SN Brussels Airlines, Tel: 02-295 2180 (Ramallah), SAS Scandinavian
Airlines, Tel: 02-628 3235/7238 (Jerusalem) • South African Airways, Tel: 02-628 6257 (Jerusalem) • Swiss
International Airlines, Tel: 02-295 2180 (Ramallah) • Tunis Air, Tel: 02-298 7013 (Ramallah), Tel: 08-286 0616
(Gaza) • Turkish Airlines, Tel: 02-277 0130 (Bethlehem)
Airport Information Gaza International Airport, Tel: 08-213 4289 • Ben Gurion Airport, Tel: 03-972
3344
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, [email protected] •
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, firstletterofsurname.
[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, who@
palnet.com • 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
89
• 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: 582
8188 • 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: 586 056 • 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
Ramallah (02) 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 Land Bank, Tel: 295 8421 • Bank of Palestine Ltd., Tel: 298 5921, Fax: 298 5920
• Bank of Palestine Ltd., (Al-Irsal) Tel: 296 6860, Fax: 296 6864 • 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
Bethlehem (02) Hospitals Al-Dibis Maternity, Tel: 274 4242 • Al-Hussein Government, Tel: 274
Gaza Strip (08) Arab Bank, Tel: 08-286 6288, Fax: 282 0704 • Arab Bank (Al-Rimal), Tel: 282 4729, Fax:
East Jerusalem (02) Hospitals Augusta Victoria, Tel: 627 9911 • Dajani Maternity, Tel: 583 3906
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
Hebron (02) Hospitals Amira Alia, Tel: 222 8126 • Al-Ahli, Tel: 222 0212 • Al-Meezan, Tel: 225 7400/1 •
Al-Za’tari, Tel: 222 9035 • Hamdan, Tel: 228 1860 • Mohammed Ali, Tel: 225 3883/4 • Shaheera, Tel: 222
6982 • St. John’s Opthalmic, Tel: 223 5042 • 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
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
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
Nablus (09) 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
02-274 8231
08-2863400
100
02-232 2521
04-250 1035
09-238 3518
02-295 6571
101 / 09-267 2140
101 / 09-294 0440
09-267 2161
09-294 22730
Telephone Services
East Jerusalem (02) 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) 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
72*
144
166
199
167
Calls from Overseas
Dial access code, international
country code (972) or (970),
area code (without the zero),
desired number
91
Tourism and Antiquities
Police
Bethlehem
Gaza
Jericho
Nablus
02-277 0750/1
08-282 9017
02-232 4011
09-385 244
Border Crossings
Allenby Bridge
Arava Border
Eretz Crossing
Rafah Border
Sheikh Hussien
02-994 2302
08-630 0555
08-674 1672
08-673 4205
04-609 3410
Living Standards and Humanitarian Aid (2006)
Percentage of Households below poverty line ...........................................................................56.8%
Number of Individuals below poverty line ............................................................................. 2,208,550
Percentage of households that lost more than half of their income during Al-Aqsa Intifada ......51.6%
Percentage of households that indicated their need for assistance ...........................................67.0%
Average Monthly per capita Expenditure in the Palestinian Territory ............................................ 95.4
Population and Demography (revised - 2007)
Projected Population (1/12/2007)
(Census - 2007, Preliminary Finding)
Palestinian Territory ........................................................................................................... 3,761,646
West Bank (All governorates) .............................................................................................. 2,345,107
Gaza Strip ........................................................................................................................... 1,416,539
Jerusalem Governorate ....................................................................................................... 362,521
Sex Ratio (1/12/2007)...............................................................................................................103.0%
Population by Sex (1/12/2007)
Male ...........................................................................................................................................................................................1,908,432
Female.......................................................................................................................................................................................1,853,214
Fertility rate (2006) .......................................................................................................................4.6%
Average Household Size (1/12/2007)
Palestinian Territory ......................................................................................................................5.8%
West Bank ....................................................................................................................................5.5%
Gaza Strip.....................................................................................................................................6.5%
Land Use and Agriculture
Palestinian Territory (PT) Area (Km2) ........................................................................................... 6,020
Area of PT by Type of Use (different reference periods)
• Agricultural Land (2006) ...........................................................................................................24.6%
• Forest and Wooded Land (2005) ...............................................................................................1.5%
• Palestinian Built-up Land (2000) ................................................................................................9.7%
Area of built-up land in Israeli Settlements of the total area of West Bank (August, 2005) ...........3.3%
Cultivated Area (Km2) - 2005/2006 ......................................................................................... 1,826.1
Education (2007/2008)
Illiteracy rate for persons 15 years and over (2007) ..................................................................6.2%
Illiteracy rate for persons 15-29 years (2007) .............................................................................0.9%
No. of schools ** ......................................................................................................................... 2,430
No. of school teachers ** ........................................................................................................... 43,556
No. of school students ** ...................................................................................................... 1,097,957
Students per class (schools) **...................................................................................................32.9%
Drop-out rate (schools 2005/2006) ...............................................................................................1.2%
Repetition rate (schools 2005/2006).............................................................................................3.0%
Health (2007)
No. of hospitals (2007) .................................................................................................................... 77
Doctors per 1000 population (2007) ............................................................................................... 1.7
Nurses per 1000 population (2007) ................................................................................................. 2.1
Beds per 1000 population (2007) ................................................................................................... 1.3
Culture (2006)
No. of mosques (in operation) .................................................................................................... 2,228
No. of churches ............................................................................................................................. 160
No. of newspapers (in operation) ..................................................................................................... 13
No. of theaters (in operation) .............................................................................................................. 9
No. of museums (in operation) ........................................................................................................... 8
No. of cultural centers (in operation) .............................................................................................. 161
Information & Communication Technology (2006)
Availability of TV sets .................................................................................................................95.3%
Availability of satellite dish for household having TV set ............................................................80.4%
Availability of computers at home ...............................................................................................32.9%
Availability of Internet at home ...................................................................................................15.9%
Persons (10 years and over) who have acces to the Internet ...................................................18.4%
Persons (10 years and over) who use computer .......................................................................50.9%
Percentage of households that have a mobile phone ................................................................81.0%
Percentage of households that have a telephone ......................................................................50.8%
Percentage of households that view Palestine TV .....................................................................29.9%
92
Labour Force (2nd quarter of 2008)
Males
Labour Force participation rate................................................................................ 66.3%
Unemployment rate in Palestinian Territory (PT) ..................................................... 26.5%
Unemployment rate in West Bank ........................................................................... 16.6%
Unemployment rate in Gaza Strip ........................................................................... 45.8%
Average net daily wage for employees working in PT (US$)...................................... 24.0
Females
16.0%
22.7%
15.2%
43.3%
22.5
Percentage of working children (7-17 years) July - September 2007 ................8.0 %
1.1 %
Percentage of graduates of high education and vocational training
of persons aged 15 years and over (End 2005) .....................................................................14.5%
Percentage of graduates of high education and vocational training
who participated in labour force (End 2005) ..........................................................................83.4%
Unemployment rate of graduates of high education and vocational training (End 2005) 25.4%
Economics
GDP (2007-million US$)-at constant prices (RWB and GS)** .................................................. 4,133.4
GDP Per Capita (2007- US$)-at constant prices (RWB and GS)** .......................................... 1,177.4
CPI and percent change in Palestinian Terrotiry
in September 2008 Compare with August 2008 (baes year 2004=100) 124.19 ....................1.28%
GDP per capita for the 2nd Quarter 2008 in US $ at constant price (RWB & GS) ........................ 285.8
Quaterly GDP at constant price in millions of US $ (RWB & GS) for the 2nd Quarter 2008 ...... 1,028.6
Number of Establishments in Operation in Private Sector and Non Governmental
Organization Sector by Economic Activity (2007)***
• Agriculture (framing of cattele & other animals) ...................................................................... 6,976
• Mining and Quarrying................................................................................................................. 299
• Manufacturing ....................................................................................................................... 15,340
• Electricity and Water supply....................................................................................................... 477
• Construction ............................................................................................................................... 672
• Transportation, storage and communication........................................................................... 1,215
• Hotels and Restaurants ......................................................................................................... 4,643
• Financial Intermediation ............................................................................................................. 844
• Real Estate, Rental and Business Activities ........................................................................... 4,304
• Education ................................................................................................................................ 2,384
• Health and Social work ........................................................................................................... 4,260
• Other Community, Social and Personal Services .................................................................. 9,064
Imports of Goods (2006 million US$) ................................................................................... 2,758.7
Exports of Goods (2006 million US$) ...................................................................................... 366.7
Hotels (2nd Quarter, 2008)
Room occupancy rate.................................................................................................................42.5%
Bed occupancy rate ...................................................................................................................38.5 %
Environment
Available quantities of water (2007 - mcm) ................................................................................. 335.4
Connected households to wastewater network (2006) .........................................................45.5%
Housing Conditions (2007)
Average number of rooms in housing units ..................................................................................... 3.6
Average number of persons per room (housing density)*** ............................................................ 1.7
(RWB and GS)=Remaining West Bank and Gaza Strip
* RWB and GS at constant prices: 1997 is the base year: revised version
** It’s primary results
*** Revised Figures
Prepared by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics
Tel: 02-240 6340, Fax: 02-240 6343
e-mail: [email protected] - URL: www.pcbs.gov.ps
93
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: Ashtar Theater www.ashtar-theatre.org, Al Kasaba Theatre and Cinematheque
www.alkasaba.org, Al-Ma’mal Foundation for Contemporary Art www.almamalfoundation.org, ArtSchool
Palestine www.artschoolpalestine.com, Baha Boukhari www.baha-cartoon.net, 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 International Center
of Bethlehem (Dar Annadwa) www.annadwa.org, The Popular Arts Centre www.popularartcentre.org,
Shammout.com www.shammout.com, Sumud www.sumud.net, Palestinian Pottery www.palestinianpottery.
com, A.M. Qattan Foundation www.qattanfoundation.org, The Musical Intifada www.docjazz.com, Elfunoun www.el-funoun.org, Sabreen Association for Artistic Development www.sabreen.org, The Virtual
Gallery www.virtualgallery.birzeit.edu, Al Rowwad Theatre Centre www.alrowwad.virtualactivism.net
Business and Economy: Arab Palestinian Investment Company www.apic-pal.com, Hebron Store
www.hebron-store.com, Massar www.massar.com, The Palestinian Economic Council for Development
and Reconstruction (PECDAR) www.pecdar.org, Palestinian Securities Exchange, Ltd. www.p-se.com, Palestine Development and Investment Ltd. (PADICO) www.padico.com, Tatweer Information
Technology & Business Solutions www.progress.ps, Wataniya Palestine www.wataniya-palestine.com
Directories, ISPs and Portals: Jaffa Net www.weino.com; Palestine-Net www.palestine-net.com, Hadara
www.hadara.ps, Al-Quds Network www.alqudsnet.com, 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.spafford-jerusalem.
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, 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, Al-Hayyat Al-Jadedah www.alhayat-j.com, 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
Tourism: Ministry of Tourism www.visit-palestine.com, Arab Hotel Association www.palestinehotels.com,
Arab Travel Association www.visit-holyland.com
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
94
95
Where to Go?
The Armenian Quarter
Map of Jerusalem source: Arab Hotel Association/Pecdar
Jaffa Gate is the most direct way to
access the part of the city where most
of the Armenian community resides and
where their churches and institutions
are located. The Armenians, who
embraced Christianity as their national
religion in 301, constitute the oldest
Christian nation in the world. Not
surprisingly, they established the first
quarter in Jerusalem. The Armenian
quarter encompasses about one-sixth
of the area within Jerusalem’s walls
and is essentially a city within a city. It
is dominated by the 5th-century Saint
James Cathedral and monastery, one
of the finest and oldest churches in
the world.
In the early Christian period,
thousands of Armenian monks lived
in some 70 monasteries all over
Palestine. Armenians also constituted
a significant number of the early
pilgrims to the country. When Caliph
Omar conquered Jerusalem in 638,
he granted the Armenian patriarch
a separate covenant safeguarding
Armenian property and allowing
freedom of worship.
Through donations and property
leases the Armenians maintained
continuity in the city throughout the
1,400 years of Muslim rule. The
community grew constantly, as those
who faced prosecution in Armenia and
elsewhere came to Jerusalem.
With their long tradition in Jerusalem
in particular, it is not surprising that the
Armenians have made many cultural
contributions. The first printing press in
Jerusalem was opened by Armenians
in 1833. The first commercial
photographic workshop in Jerusalem
was started by an Armenian in 1855.
Armenian ceramics were introduced to
Palestine in 1919. Today in Jerusalem
there are five large pottery studios.
96
97
The Last Word
Proudly Produced in Palestine
In order to get a sense of how far Palestine has come in the world of design and
advertising, one simply needs to flip through the pages of this issue of This Week in
Palestine – or go through the PDF on its website. I think that Palestinians ought to
be proud of their design, advertising, and printing firms not only for being creative,
innovative, and having an amazing entrepreneurship spirit, but also because they
are truly a success story in more ways than one, not least of which is their important
role in turning the wheels of our local economy.
As evident from the articles in this edition, in addition to graphic design, Palestinians
are also engaged in other areas of design such as furniture, jewellery, sculpture,
and fashion design, to name a few. Being a natural high-profile industry, fashion
design has carved out for itself a good chunk of the design scene in Palestine. True,
Palestine is not known for its haute couture, but a good number of fashion designers
are attracting both local and international attention. Rami Kashou, featured in this
edition, is but one example of a successful Palestinian fashion designer who is well
on the way to making it internationally.
Graphic design, however, remains Palestine’s showcase of the design business.
The reasons for this success – similar to those for the software-writing industry – lie
in the availability of human (creative) resources and the need for relatively minimal
financial investment. Palestinian graphic design has reached a level where regional,
and even international, competition is not unheard of. A snapshot of the design
and advertising scene in Palestine would also show the growing phenomenon of
local Palestinian advertising agencies and public relations firms teaming up with
international companies to cooperate on regional accounts. These cross-border
alliances, aided by technological advances in the field, are not only enriching the
local Palestinian advertising industry but also helping to re-link Palestine with its
natural geographical area and marking Palestine as a distinct identity. I suppose
that getting on board with globalisation means that on the same day you could see
the same billboard ad for Sprite in Dubai and in Ramallah.
The design and advertising industry, though, does have its woes. The lack of
legislation to protect copyrights and the inability of institutions to enforce what little
legislation we have are but examples. Unfair competition from “suitcase-businesses”
as well as from some established companies that reduce their prices to unreasonable
levels contributes to lower standards and cheapens the profession. As a nascent
industry, design must come to be understood as a product or service that must be
paid for. Lack of such public awareness, in my opinion, poses a major challenge
to the industry. In addition, design and advertising firms shoulder the responsibility
of beautifying their own society, especially when it comes to outdoor advertising.
However effective, the jungle of billboards in most of our city centres, for instance,
can only be described as aesthetic pollution!
All in all though, the design and advertising sector is probably one of the most
exciting fields a person can work in. Despite the high pressure and the never-ending
nerve-wracking deadlines, the outcome of a great design or even a satisfied client
is very rewarding. With time, this vital sector can only grow; but a word of caution
to regulate and monitor this expected growth is in order, particularly since this
sector is not only responsible for the local look and identity, but also for the image
of Palestine that is projected to the world.
Sani P. Meo
Photo by Dr. Ali Qleibo