Ramallah
Ramallah skyline
Arabic	رام الله
Founded in	16th century
Government	City (from 1995)
Governorate	Ramallah & al-Bireh
Population	25,500[1] (2006)
Jurisdiction	16,344 dunams (16. Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language The following is a list of cities in Palestinian National Authority administrated areas, although depending on which particular area each locality is located After the signing of the Oslo Accords, the Palestinian territories were divided into three areas (Area A Area B and Area C and 16 Governorates under the jurisdiction The Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate ( محافظة رام الله و البيرة) is one of 16 Governorates of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. A dunam or dönüm, dunum, donum is a unit of Area used in the Ottoman Empire and still used in various standardized versions 3 km²)
Head of Municipality	Janet Mikhail

Ramallah (Arabic: رام الله (help·info)) is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank adjacent to al-Bireh. Janet Mikhail ( جانيت مخائيل; b 1945 sometimes known as Janet Khouri ( جانيت خوري) is the Mayor of Ramallah in Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language Palestinian people or Palestinians ( الشعب الفلسطيني, ash-sha`b al-filasTīni; الفلسطينيون, al-filasTīnīyyūn The West Bank (الضفة الغربية, הגדה המערבית Hagadah Hamaaravit) also referred to in Israel as " Judea and Samaria al-Bireh or el-Bira (البيرة אָל בִּירֶה is a Palestinian city adjacent to Ramallah in the central West Bank, north of Its population consists of approximately 118,000 residents. ^[2] It is located about 10 kilometers (6 miles) north of Jerusalem and currently serves as the unofficial capital of the Palestinian National Authority. Jerusalem (יְרוּשָׁלַיִם, he-Latn Yerushaláyim; Arabic: ar القُدس, ar-Latn al-Quds) is the

Contents 1 History 1.1 Founding 1.2 Religious influence 1.3 Modern era 1.4 Occupation by Jordan and Israel 1.5 First Intifada 1.6 Second Intifada 2 Government 3 Culture 4 Bibliography 5 References 6 External links

History

Founding

Modern Ramallah was founded in the mid-1500s by the Hadadeens, a tribe of brothers who were descended from Ghassanids Christian Arabs. The Hadadeens, led by Rashed Haddad, arrived from east of the Jordan River near what is now the Jordanian town of Shobak. This article is about the Jordan River and its valley in western Asia Montreal was a Crusader castle on the eastern side of the Arabah, perched on the side of a rocky conical mountain looking out over fruit trees below Although the reasons for the Hadadeen's migration is attributed to fighting and unrest among tribes in that area, a more common rendition is as follows: Rashed's brother Sabri Haddad was once hosting Emir Ibn Kaysoom, the head of a powerful tribe in the region, when Sabri's wife gave birth to a baby girl. According to tribal customs, the Emir congratulated Sabri and asked for the infant's betrothal to his own young son once they both came of age. Sabri believed the request to be in jest, as Christian-Muslim intermarriage was not customary, and agreed to the request in what he likewise considered a joke. A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth A Muslim (مسلم pronounced Muslim, not Muzlim) is an adherent of the Religion Many years later, the Emir came to the Hadadeens and demanded they fulfill their promise, which they refused to do. Many clashes ensued during the following months, with assassinations occurring on both sides. To avoid further bloodshed at the hands of the more powerful Kaysoom tribe, the Hadadeens fled west, and settled on the hilltops of Ramallah, which was only very sparsely populated at the time by a handful of Muslim families. Subsequently, the Hadadeen family elders (along with heads of a few other Christian tribes that arrived in Ramallah afterwards) each became the head of eight clans to whom modern-day Ramallah natives can still trace their ancestry.

Religious influence

Ramallah grew throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries as an agricultural village, thus attracting more (predominantly Christian) inhabitants from around the region. In 1700, Yacoub Elias was the first Ramallah native to be ordained by the Greek Orthodox Church, the dominant Christian denomination in the Holy Land at that time. The Greek Orthodox Church ( Greek: Ἑλληνορθόδοξη Ἐκκλησία Hellēnorthódoxē Ekklēsía) is formed by several autocephalous churches In the early 1800s, the first Arab Orthodox church was built, and a larger replacement church, The Church of Transfiguration, was built in 1850 and remains the city's sole Orthodox Church to this day. During that same decade, the Latin (Roman Catholic) Church established its presence in Ramallah, and its church and adjoining compound remain home to the second largest Christian denomination in the city. The Roman Catholic Church also established the St. Joseph's Girl's School in Ramallah which still enjoys high enrollment; and Al-Ahliyyah high school for both sexes. Throughout the later decades, and with the influx of Muslim and Christian refugees and internal migration, numerous mosques were founded throughout the area, as well as a few churches. The Jamal Abdel Nasser mosque is one of the city's largest. A Melkite Catholic Church that also runs a school was also established, as well as other churches and schools including the Lutheran Church and high school, the Arab Episcopal (Anglican) Church and high school, and the Ramallah Baptist Church. Meaning of church name Melkite comes from the Syriac word malko for "imperial" which was originally a Pejorative term for Middle-Eastern Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the teachings of the sixteenth-century German reformer Martin Luther Anglicanism is a tradition of Christian faith Churches in this tradition either have historical connections to the Church of England or have similar beliefs Baptist is a term describing individuals belonging to a Baptist church or a Baptist denomination. ^[3]

Among the most noted religious groups that were to arrive and establish a presence in Ramallah was the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). The first Quakers to come to Ramallah established a number of small schools for girls after what they saw as a dearth of education for girls and women. This included an academy for girls established by Eli and Sybil Jones in 1869. Year 1869 ( MDCCCLXIX) is a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year A clinic was also opened by the Quakers in 1883, with Dr. Year 1883 ( MDCCCLXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common George Hassenauer serving as the first doctor in Ramallah. In 1889, the girls academy was inaugurated as the Friends Girls School (FGS). Year 1889 ( MDCCCLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common As the FGS was also a boarding school, it attracted a number of girls from surrounding communities, including Jerusalem, Lydda, Jaffa, and Beirut. Lod (לוֹד اَلْلُدّْ al-Ludd; Greco-Latin Lydda) is a mixed Arab - Jewish city about 15 km southeast of Tel Aviv in Jaffa يَافَا;(יָפוֹ Yafo; also Japho, Joppa) is an ancient Port city believed to be one of the oldest in the world Beirut (بيروت Bayrūt) is the Capital and Largest city of Lebanon with a population of over 2 In 1901, the Friends Boys School (FBS) was founded, and together with the Friends Meeting House for worship established in the city center in 1910, the three Quaker sites are famous landmarks in Ramallah. Though no longer boarding schools, the two Friends Schools have since become co-ed and renamed as the Ramallah Friends Schools, with the FGS campus housing K-6 classrooms and the FBS housing grades 7-12. The Ramallah Friends Schools are two Schools started by Quakers in the city of Ramallah, in the West Bank region of Palestine. According to the schools' official website, most high school students do not elect to take the traditional "Tawjihi" university matriculation exams as is the norm in Palestine, but opt instead for the "International Baccalaureate" exams that are more respected internationally. The schools also encourage students to take the American SAT exams. The SAT Reasoning Test (formerly Scholastic Aptitude Test and Scholastic Assessment Test) is a standardized test for College admissions in the It is now the most expensive school in Ramallah, and as such it primarily attracts wealthier families in the area. ^[4][3]

Modern era

By the beginning of the twentieth century Ramallah was an active agricultural town. It was declared a city in 1908 and had an elected municipality as well as partnership projects with the adjacent town of al-Bireh. al-Bireh or el-Bira (البيرة אָל בִּירֶה is a Palestinian city adjacent to Ramallah in the central West Bank, north of In World War I, a few locals joined the Turkish army, a number of whom were killed in battle. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All The Turkish Army ( Turkish: Türk Kara Kuvvetleri) is a branch of the Turkish Armed Forces. The Friends Boys School became a temporary hospital during the War. The British Army occupied Ramallah in December 1917, and the British Mandate in Palestine began in April 1920 and was to last until 1948. The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. The Palestine Mandate, was a set of protocols or articles that formed a multilateral legal and administrative agreement The area's economic boom in the 1920s saw a significant improvement in living standards for Ramallah's wealthy residents. The landed aristocracy and merchants who formed the Palestinian upper class built stately multi-storied villas during this period; many of these estates are still standing today as reminders of a more peaceful and prosperous time. ^[5] The Jerusalem Electric Company brought electricity to Ramallah in 1936, and most homes were wired shortly thereafter. In 1946, the British authorities inaugurated the "Palestine Broadcasting Service" in Ramallah, the staff of which was trained by the British Broadcasting Corporation to deliver daily broadcasts in Arabic, Hebrew, and English. Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States This station was later renamed "Kol Yerushalaym" (The Voice of Jerusalem). ^[6]

The activity of foreign churches in Palestine in the late nineteenth century increased awareness of prosperity in the West. In Ramallah and Bethlehem, a few miles south, local residents began to seek their fortunes overseas. Bethlehem ( بيت لحم,, lit "House of Meat" Βηθλεέμ Bethleém בית לחם Beit Lehem, lit "House of Bread" is a In 1901, merchants from Ramallah emigrated to the United States and established import-export businesses, selling handmade rugs and other exotic wares across the Atlantic. Increased trade dramatically improved living standards for Ramallah's inhabitants. American cars, mechanized farming equipment,radios, and later televisions became attainable luxuries for upper class families. As residents of Jaffa and Lydda moved to Ramallah, the balance of Muslims and Christians began to change. Jaffa يَافَا;(יָפוֹ Yafo; also Japho, Joppa) is an ancient Port city believed to be one of the oldest in the world Lod (לוֹד اَلْلُدّْ al-Ludd; Greco-Latin Lydda) is a mixed Arab - Jewish city about 15 km southeast of Tel Aviv in By 1953, Ramallah's population had doubled, but the economy and infrastructure were not equipped to handle the influx of poor villagers. They also feared the establishment of kibbutzim in Israel might engender a socialist-collectivist ideology among Palestinians and that their personal wealth might be confiscated and redistributed. A kibbutz ( Hebrew: קיבוץ קִבּוּץ lit "gathering clustering" plural kibbutzim) is a collective community in Natives of Ramallah packed their bags and left, primarily to the United States. By 1946, 1,500 of Ramallah's 6,000 natives (or about a quarter) had emigrated, and Arabs from the surrounding towns and villages particularly Hebron, bought up the property and homes the émigrés left behind. Hebron ( al-Ḫalīl or al-Khalīl, Standard Hebrew: Ḥevron Tiberian Hebrew: Ḥeḇrôn is the largest city in the West Bank, located in the south

Occupation by Jordan and Israel

Ramallah was relatively tranquil during the years of Jordanian rule between 1948 and 1967, with residents enjoying freedom of movement between the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon, and elsewhere. The West Bank and East Jerusalem were occupied by Jordan (formerly Transjordan) for a period of nearly two decades (1948&ndash1967 starting The West Bank (الضفة الغربية, הגדה המערבית Hagadah Hamaaravit) also referred to in Israel as " Judea and Samaria Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (الأردنّ al-Urdunn) is an Arab country in Southwest Asia spanning the southern Lebanon (ˈlɛbənɒn Arabic: ar لبنان Lubnān) officially the Republic of Lebanon or Lebanese Republic (ar الجمهورية اللبنانية Jordan had annexed the West Bank, applying its law to the territory. However, Jordan being a constitutional monarchy, many Palestinians were jailed for being members of what the Jordanian government regarded as illegal political parties, including the Palestine Communist Party and other socialist and pro-independence groups. The Palestine Communist Party (פאלעסטינישע קומוניסטישע פרטיי Palestiner Kumunistishe Partie, abbreviated PKP was a Political party in Socialism refers to a broad set of economic theories of social organization advocating state or collective ownership and administration of the Means of production and distribution Jordanian law also restricted the creativity and freedom desired by many Palestinians at the time. During the Six-Day War in 1967, Israel captured Ramallah, immediately imposing a military closure, and conducted a census a few weeks later. Background Suez Crisis aftermath The Suez Crisis of 1956 represented a military defeat but a political victory for Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Israel topics. Every person registered in the census was given an Israeli "Identity Card" which was the sole document that allowed the bearer to continue to reside there. Any persons who happened to be abroad during the census lost all rights of residency. ^[7] For residents of Ramallah, the situation had now reversed itself; for the first time in 19 years residents could freely visit Israel and the Gaza Strip and engage in commerce there. The Gaza Strip (قطاع غزة, רצועת עזה Retzu'at 'Azza) is a coastal strip of land along the Mediterranean Sea, bordering Egypt on the south-west

Unlike the Jordanians, Israel did not annex the West Bank. Ramallah residents did not have voting rights in Israel and could only work there by permit. Certain services, like banks, were not allowed in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The Gaza Strip (قطاع غزة, רצועת עזה Retzu'at 'Azza) is a coastal strip of land along the Mediterranean Sea, bordering Egypt on the south-west Ramallah remained under Israeli military rule for three decades. The Civil Administration established in 1981, was in charge of civilian and day-to-day services such as issuing permission to travel, build, export or import, and host relatives from abroad. ^[8] The CA reprinted Jordanian textbooks for distribution in schools but did not update them. The CA was in charge of tax collection and land expropriation, which sometimes included olive groves that Arab villagers claimed to have tended for generations. ^[9][10] According to the Israeli Human Rights activists, Jewish settlements in the Ramallah area, such as Beit-El and Psagot, prevented the expansion of the city and cut it off from the surrounding villages. ^[11] As resistance increased, Ramallah residents were jailed or deported to neighboring countries for membership in the Palestine Liberation Organization. The Palestine Liberation Organization ( PLO) (منظمة التحرير الفلسطينية or Munazzamat al-Tahrir al-Filastiniyyah) is a political and paramilitary ^[12] In December 1987, the popular uprising known as the Intifada erupted.

First Intifada

Ramallah residents were among the early joiners of the First Intifada. The First Intifada (1987–1993 (also " Intifada " and "war of the stones" was a mass Palestinian uprising against Israeli The Intifada Unified Leadership, an umbrella organization of various Palestinian factions, distributed weekly bulletins on the streets of Ramallah with a schedule of the daily protests, strikes and action against Israeli patrols in the city. At the demonstrations, tires were burned in the street and the crowds threw stones and Molotov cocktails. The Molotov cocktail, also known as the booze bomb, alcohol bomb or Molotov bomb, is a generic name used for a variety of improvised incendiary The IDF responded with tear gas and rubber bullets. Schools in Ramallah were forcibly shut down, and opened gradually for a few hours a day. House arrests were carried out and curfews were imposed that restricted travel and exports in what Palestinians regarded as collective punishment. In response to the closure of schools, residents organized home schooling sessions to help students make up missed material; this became one of the few symbols of civil disobedience. ^[13] The Intifada leadership organized "tree plantings" and resorted to the tactics used in pre-1948 Palestine, such as ordering general strikes in which no commercial businesses were allowed to open and no cars were allowed on the streets.

In 1991, the Palestinian delegation to the Madrid International Peace Conference included many notables from Ramallah. The Madrid Conference was hosted by the government of Spain and co-sponsored by the USA and the USSR As the Intifada wound down and the peace process began to take hold, life in Ramallah became closer to normal, with shops opening all day long and schools functioning fully. On September 13, 1993 the famous White House handshake between Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Palestinian Leader Yasser Arafat took place, and an unfamiliar sight was seen around Ramallah: school children presented olive branches to Israeli soldiers who were patrolling the streets of the city that day. Events 509 BC - The Temple of Jupiter on Rome 's Capitoline Hill is dedicated on the ides of September Year 1993 ( MCMXCIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar) See also Executive Office of the President of the United States The White House, formerly known as the Executive Mansion, is the Official residence Mohammed Abdel Rahman Abdel Raouf Arafat al-Qudwa al-Husseini ( Arabic: محمد عبد الرؤوف عرفات القدوة الحسيني (August 24 1929 – November 11 In December 1995, as part of the Oslo Accords, the Israel Defense Force abandoned the Mukata'a, the CA headquarters in Ramallah, and withdrew its forces from the city center to the outskirts. Israeli-Palestinian conflict The Oslo Accords, officially called the Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements or Declaration of Principles The Israel Defense Forces ( IDF) (צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, lit See Muqata'ah for the Ottoman instrument for financing state expenses The newly established Palestinian Authority took civilian and security responsibility for the city, which was designated "Area A" under the accords.

Second Intifada

The years between 1995 and 2000 (known locally as the "Oslo Years") initially brought relative prosperity to Ramallah. Particularly, there was a significant surge in the number of new restaurants in the city. Many expatriates, particularly those who lived in the United States and had left because of the First Intifada (and even some descendants of long-emigrated natives who had never lived there) returned to establish businesses there. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The First Intifada (1987–1993 (also " Intifada " and "war of the stones" was a mass Palestinian uprising against Israeli There was immense optimism in the mid-1990s about the future of the peace process. However, many of the promises of the process did not materialize. As unemployment among the Palestinians rose from single digits in 1990 to 37% in 2000, the economy of Ramallah suffered greatly. ^[14][15] The Israel Defense Force still controlled all surrounding areas, and freedom of movement for Ramallah residents to that enjoyed prior to 1987 (the start of the first Intifada) was never achieved. The Israel Defense Forces ( IDF) (צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, lit On the contrary, Jerusalem, less than 10 miles south, was off-limits without special hard-to-obtain permits. Jerusalem (יְרוּשָׁלַיִם, he-Latn Yerushaláyim; Arabic: ar القُدس, ar-Latn al-Quds) is the Also, expansion of Israeli settlements around Ramallah increased dramatically, and the network of bypass roads for use of Jewish residents of Israel that were built around Ramallah cut off more and more area residents from surrounding communities, as did more land confiscations for settlements. Israeli settlements are communities inhabited by Israelis in territory that was captured as a result of Jordanian attacks during the 1967 Six-Day War. ^[16][17] Many official documents previously handled by the Israeli Civil Administration, including the residency-requiring "Identity Card" and permits to travel abroad, were now handled by the Palestinian Authority but still required Israeli approval. For example, a Palestinian passport issued to a Ramallah resident was not valid until the passport serial number was registered with the Israeli authorities, who still controlled all border crossings. ^[18] The Oslo process was no longer popular by the end of the decade, and with the collapse of the Camp David summit in July 2000, optimism had diminished. The Middle East Peace Summit at Camp David of July 2000 took place between United States President Bill Clinton, Israeli Prime Minister In September 2000, a second Intifada known as Al-Aqsa Intifada erupted.

Young men and women from Ramallah participated in demonstrations against the Israeli army almost daily in the beginning, with marches to the outskirts of the city where Israeli checkpoints were set up. Over time, the marches subsided and were replaced by sporadic use of live ammunition against Israeli solders, and various atrocities against Jewish citizens. A number of Jewish settlers were also targeted, particularly on the bypass roads that crisscrossed the terrain to link settlements to pre-1967 Israel. The roads leading out of Ramallah were dug up by the Israeli army, and checkpoints were established to restrict all movement in both directions. ^[19][20][21]

Ramallah became the site of the first Israeli air-strike against the Palestinians. On October 12, 2000, after many Palestinians had been killed or injured in the Ramallah area by the IDF or settlers, two Israeli army reservists were captured near Ramallah and taken to the main police station. Events 539 BC - The army of Cyrus the Great of Persia takes Babylon. The Israel Defense Forces ( IDF) (צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, lit According to the Palestinian police chief, attempts were made to shield the two from an angry mob just back from a funeral of a Palestinian killed by Israelis, but the police were overcome by the men who stormed the station and killed the two reservists, mutilated their bodies, and dragged them through the streets. ^[22] The IDF claimed that the two had taken a wrong turn into Ramallah, while Palestinians claimed that was unlikely because Ramallah was ringed with Israeli checkpoints, and they suspected that the two might have been an undercover assassination squad. Later that afternoon, Israeli army helicopters demolished the police station where the events had taken place, in the first of what has to be a common recurrence of air-strikes against Palestinian targets. In subsequent months, Palestinians resorted to increased use of firearms to target Israeli soldiers and Jewish settlers, and suicide bombers began to attack Israeli civilian targets in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and elsewhere. This article is about suicide attacks for political and/or military reasons Some of the bombers came from villages and refugee camps around Ramallah. In 2002, the Israeli army, which had already destroyed most Palestinian Authority police and security installations in Ramallah by air-strikes, re-occupied the city in what was dubbed Operation Defensive Shield. Background March and April 2002 saw a dramatic increase of Suicide bomb attacks against Israelis by Palestinian militant groups such as Hamas,

This operation was characterized by extended blanket curfews in Ramallah, as well as loss of electricity and destruction of public property. Schools and businesses were disrupted, and there were also incidents of random attacks by IDF soldiers on civilians. ^[23] Many Ramallah institutions, including government ministries, non-governmental organizations, human rights institutions, schools, and shopping malls were vandalized, and equipment was either destroyed or stolen. Many residents reported missing items such as jewelry and computer equipment after IDF soldiers had raided their homes, and former soldiers did acknowledge that looting did in fact occur. ^{[24][25][26][27]} The IDF also took over local Ramallah television stations, and allegations were made that they were responsible for broadcasts of pornographic material to residents. ^[28][29]

Social and economic conditions in Ramallah have dramatically deteriorated since the Intifada began. ^[30] Most of the expatriates who arrived during the "Oslo Years" left, as did many other Palestinians who complained that the living conditions had become intolerable, largely due to the effects of the closure. ^[31][32][33] Recently, large sections of the Israeli West Bank barrier have been completed around the city, furthering its isolation. West bank walljpg|thumb|Aerial view looking east from the Israeli side

Government

Ramallah became famous after Yasser Arafat decided to establish his West Bank headquarters (known as Mukata'a) there, since it was considered as the northern extent of Jerusalem. See Muqata'ah for the Ottoman instrument for financing state expenses Mohammed Abdel Rahman Abdel Raouf Arafat al-Qudwa al-Husseini ( Arabic: محمد عبد الرؤوف عرفات القدوة الحسيني (August 24 1929 – November 11 See Muqata'ah for the Ottoman instrument for financing state expenses Although considered as an interim solution, Ramallah has become the de facto capital of the Palestinian Authority, hosting almost all governmental headquarters. In December 2001, Yasser Arafat was at the Mukata'a in Ramallah for regular meetings that he sometimes held in Ramallah (Arafat usually held his meetings at his main headquarters in Gaza City, where he lived with his wife and daughter). Mohammed Abdel Rahman Abdel Raouf Arafat al-Qudwa al-Husseini ( Arabic: محمد عبد الرؤوف عرفات القدوة الحسيني (August 24 1929 – November 11 Gaza (غزة, עַזָּה ʕazzā is the largest city in the Gaza Strip and the Palestinian territories. Twin suicide bombings occurred in Haifa during Arafat's stay, after which the Israeli government decided to ground him, confining him to the Ramallah compound. Haifa (חֵיפָה; حَيْفَا) is the largest City in Northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country with In 2002, the compound was partly demolished by the IDF's bulldozers and Arafat's building was cut off from the rest of the compound. The Israel Defense Forces ( IDF) (צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, lit ----A bulldozer is a crawler ( Caterpillar tracked Tractor) equipped with a substantial metal plate (known as a blade) used to push large quantities Israel showed pictures of illegal weapons allegedly found in the Mukata'a and said it proved Arafat's link to terrorism against Israel; the Palestinians countered that these weapons belong to the Palestinian security services. On November 11, 2004 Arafat died at the Percy training hospital of the Armies near Paris and on November 12, 2004 Arafat was laid to rest in the courtyard of the Mukataa. Events 308 - The Congress of Carnuntum: Attempting to keep peace within the Roman Empire, the leaders of the Tetrarchy declare "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " The Hôpital d'instruction des armées Percy or HIA Percy (meaning "Percy Training Hospital of the Armies" is a Military hospital in Clamart Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city Events 764 - Tibetan troops occupy Chang'an, the capital of the Chinese Tang Dynasty, for fifteen days "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " See Muqata'ah for the Ottoman instrument for financing state expenses The site still serves as the Ramallah headquarters of the Palestinian Authority as well the official West Bank office of Mahmoud Abbas. Mahmoud Abbas (محمود عباس (born March 26, 1935) also known by the kunya Abu Mazen (ابو مازن was elected President

In December 2005, local elections were held in Ramallah in which candidates from three different factions competed for the 15 seat municipal council for a four-year term. The council elected Janet Mikhail as mayor, the first woman to hold the post. Janet Mikhail ( جانيت مخائيل; b 1945 sometimes known as Janet Khouri ( جانيت خوري) is the Mayor of Ramallah in ^[34][35]

Culture

Ramallah is generally considered the most affluent and cultural as well as the most liberal, of all Palestinian cities,^[36][37] and is home to a number of popular Palestinian activists, poets, artists, and musicians. One hallmark of Ramallah is Rukab's Ice Cream, which is based on the resin of chewing gum and thus has a distinctive taste. Another is the First Ramallah Group, a boy- and girl-scout club that also holds a number of traditional dance (Dabka) performances and is also home to men's and women's basketball teams that compete regionally. Dabke ( Arabic: ar دبكة also transliterated as debke, dabka, and dabkeh) is the traditional Folk During the annual "Saturday of Light" religious festival (which occurs on the Saturday between Good Friday and Easter Sunday to commemorate the light that tradition holds shone from the tomb of Jesus), the scouts hold a parade through the city streets to receive the flame from Jerusalem. (The flame is ignited in Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre and is passed on through candles and lanterns to regional churches. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre (Sanctum Sepulchrum also called the Church of the Resurrection, ( Greek: Ναός της Αναστάσεως Naos tis Anastaseos ) A variety of mosques, as well as churches of many denominations, dot the landscape. Many foreign groups, whether musical or dance troops, perform in Ramallah in usually their only stop in Palestinian territories, while some others (such as renowned Israeli pianist Daniel Barenboim) perform often. Daniel Barenboim (born November 15, 1942) is a pianist and conductor. The Khalil Sakakini Cultural Centre was founded in 1996 and is a popular local venue for various artists. The Al-Kasaba theatre is the venue for performing stage plays and also screens motion pictures. In 2004, a state of the art facility, the Ramallah Cultural Palace, opened in Ramallah and is the only venue of its kind in the Palestinian territories. ^[38] It houses a 736-seat auditorium, as well as conference rooms, exhibit halls, and movie-viewing rooms. It was a joint venture between the Palestinian Authority, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the Japanese government. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. Also in 2004, Ramallah held its first annual international film festival.

While the traditional Palestinian costume produced in Ramallah is no longer as ubiquitously worn or made as it was prior to the establishment of Israel, Ramallah remains famous for its distinctive traditional dress of white linen fabric with red cross-stitch of silk thread. Palestinian costumes are the traditional Clothing worn by Palestinians. Linen is a Textile made from the Fibers of the Flax plant Linum usitatissimum. Silk is a natural Protein Fiber, some forms of which can be woven into Textiles The best-known type of silk is obtained from cocoons The headdress or smadeh was of a type that was once also worn throughout northern Palestine: a small roundish cap, padded and stiffened, with gold and silver coins set in a fringe with a long veil pinned to the back, sometimes of silk and sometimes embroidered.

Bibliography

• Azeez Shaheen "Ramallah: Its history and genealogies", Birzeit University Press, 1982

References

External links

• City of Ramallah Homepage
• Ramallah History
• Music and Art from Ramallah
• Quaker Meeting in Ramallah
• West Bank/Palestine
• Ramallah
• Al Kasaba Theatre
• Khalil Sakakini Cultural Centre
• First Ramallah Group
• Ramallah International Film Festival
• RamallahOnline.com
• Ramallah Club of Metro Detroit
• Ramallah ancient synagogue [2]

The Observer is a British Newspaper published on Sundays In about the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Events 27 BC - The title Augustus is bestowed upon Gaius Julius Caesar Octavian by the Roman Senate. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. MSNBC is a 24-hour cable television news channel based in the United States and available in Canada. Events 904 - Sergius III comes out of retirement to take over the papacy from the deposed Antipope Christopher. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.

---

© 2009 citizendia.org; parts available under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License, from http://en.wikipedia.org
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic