Issa Kassis (Jerusalem, 56 years old), mayor of Ramallah, the administrative capital of the West Bank where the headquarters of the Palestinian Authority government is located, traveled to Barcelona this week to attend a round table at the Smart City Expo congress . Kassis, who gave an interview to EL PAÍS this Wednesday, flew from Amman (Jordan), where he grew up and where his father still lives since he was displaced in the Six-Day War (1967), which pitted Israel against several Arab countries. The councilman, a Palestinian Christian, had a career in finance, studied and lived in the United States, but decided in 2000 to return to Ramallah, where his entire family is from. There he received a Palestinian identity card and therefore had to forgo his stay in the US. He did not doubt and does not doubt now about the future in the West Bank, despite the crisis caused by Israel’s war in Gaza, which was triggered by the Hamas attacks on October 7th.
Questions. What is life like in Ramallah at the moment?
Answer. Life in Ramallah is very, very tense these days. People are worried, afraid. Companies are losing money, schools have returned to virtual teaching, and there are demonstrations on the streets almost every day. People are afraid of Israeli settlers and almost every day there are raids and arrests by the Israeli army: in one month there were more than 2,000 prisoners in raids and two days ago there were constant murders of a man who was in Ramallah Crossed the street. Aside from what is happening in Gaza, the West Bank is not safe in many ways. It’s very worrying.
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Q As part of this congress, he will take part in a round table entitled “Cities in search of talent and economic vitality”. Could you ever concentrate on that in Ramallah?
R. The quick answer is yes, and therein lies the resilience that Palestinians have built over the years. Yes, we live under occupation, but life cannot stop. For our mostly young and very equal society, for entrepreneurs and start-ups, for university graduates. We continue to build the city, more slowly and at higher costs due to occupation, but economic prosperity is the most important thing.
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Q What changed on October 7th?
R. This day showed everyone that the risk still exists and is enormous. When fear enters people’s minds and hearts, it pushes them toward alternatives: either leave or do nothing, and in this emptiness people lose hope. The West Bank has achieved some economic growth despite the occupation. From October 7th things will become more difficult, but we don’t want opportunities for people with talents and skills to be lost.
Q Attacks by settlers have increased. What role does the Israeli army play?
R. Since this Israeli government came to power, settler attacks have increased dramatically, but above all systematically, and that is the problem. This poses a threat to the Palestinian Authority as it must ensure control of the West Bank while complying with the Oslo Accords. [que establecen áreas de responsabilidad militar de Israel en Cisjordania]. On the other hand, we see that the settlers are protected by Israeli soldiers. I can’t say they don’t stop them, but they are with them while the Palestinians can do nothing but run and throw stones and be stopped. This makes the settlers more and more courageous. And the soldiers have sealed the cities with concrete blocks; it can take an hour or more to get in or out. There are big restrictions and I don’t see them helping to stop the settlers, but using their own means to put pressure on them.
Q What is your priority as mayor?
R. My priority is to produce good citizens, people who believe in democracy and know how to represent their demands. Both Ramallah and Palestine are places where everything could be done better under better circumstances, places where people want to stay.
Q President Mahmoud Abbas has said he does not rule out involvement in the Gaza government as long as there is a comprehensive solution in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. What is this solution?
R. The President demands justice, and justice is based on peace, on the resolutions of the Security Council and the UN Assembly, on the treaties and agreements that have been accumulated. An independent, connected Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital and a fair agreement for the return of refugees. Our message has not changed: justice is the prerequisite for peace in Palestine.
Q Do you fear that Hamas will gain popularity in the West Bank as a result of the crisis?
R. Hamas is part of Palestinian society. What every Palestinian wants is justice. Although its popularity has increased, I can’t think about that now because what we all want now is a ceasefire. The international community must enforce it, everyone knows the numbers, we have exceeded 10,000 deaths, more than 4,000 of them are children, it is heartbreaking. The lives of Palestinians are just as important as those of Israelis, we don’t want anyone to die, we have been killing each other for 75 years and it is clear that this recipe does not work. We need to sit down and talk, and there should be formal elections in Palestine and Israel. I’m sure no one wants war, it’s not a good way to win votes. Yes, it is about achieving justice, peace and prosperity and thus earning respect.
Q At this congress he meets representatives of European and American cities. What does it tell them?
R. I tell you that what happened on October 7th is a very big alarm that has roused the world and roused the civil society of your countries against war. Israel cannot win this war because no one can win it, there are no winners. Because there are innocent people dying. And because? Because their lives don’t matter. Why does the international community allow this?
Q How would you describe the role of the European Union?
R. She has always supported us and is still close to us: she supports the budget of the Palestinian Authority, she creates jobs… And I ask you to continue and not to lose hope. Because otherwise people will lose interest. Either you are a fair broker or you continue to support a system that accommodates occupation.
Q The scale of destruction in Gaza is unprecedented. Did you imagine something like this would happen?
R. I never thought this would happen. This question always arises: until when will we tolerate this, until when will we accept that the settlers are confiscating the land, until when will we have to prove that we are normal people who deserve life, until when the occupation. Superman won’t come to save us. As a Palestinian Christian, I believe in peace and even love for the enemy, but not when you are weak. I believe in the future and in continuing the negotiations, but that’s not happening. How long will the West Bank tolerate this? What happened on October 7th is a reaction; People are enduring a 17-year siege. The occupation is not just weapons or soldiers, it takes place in your head, it prevents you from dreaming and is very difficult to understand from the outside. Young people see life outside on their cell phones, and that raises many questions: some think well, others lose hope. We do not want to reach the point that Gaza has reached. We did not expect these massive murders on both sides.
Q Is there room for dialogue?
R. They are committing an act of revenge to save the army’s reputation or whatever and maintain their sense of superiority that Palestinian lives don’t matter. They insist on viewing us all as terrorists. The dialogue only begins when we see each other and treat each other as equals. There is always room for negotiation, but definitely not with this government.
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