Note: This background focuses on information specifically related to the film Mayor and the city of Ramallah. For a fuller picture of the region’s history see the recommended resources at the end of this guide.

BRIEF TIMELINE RELEVANT TO MAYOR

• Under the Ottoman government, Ramallah acknowledged as a city in 1908. • From 1918 - 1948 Ramallah falls under the British Mandate.
• In 1948 UN Resolution 1812 is passed by the United Nations General Assembly. Thousands of Palestinians are displaced and forcibly removed from their homes as a result. The city of Ramallah more than doubles in size.
• June 5-June 10, 1967. War between Israel, Syria, Jordan, and Egypt. As a result , Ramallah and the rest of Palestinian cities under Jordanian rule in the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip, fall under Israeli occupation.
• 1967 Israeli civilians, settlers, move into Israeli occupied Palestinian territories and build physical and non-physical structures and processes that constitute, enable and support the establishment, expansion and maintenance of Israeli residential communities, or settlements. While this accelerated after the 1967 war, settlements date back to the Green Line of 1949 in the occupied Palestinian Territory.
• 1972 first municipal elections in Ramallah following Israeli occupation.
• 1977 The building of Jewish settlements around Ramallah, and other parts of the West Bank, accelerates after the election of Menachem Begin.
• 1987 The first Intifada begins. Intifada is Arabic for “shaking off” as in shaking off military occupation.
• 1994 Oslo Accords lead to the establishment of The Palestinian Authority located in Ramallah.
• Ramallah becomes the home to the tomb of Yassir Arafat, PLO leader of Palestinian struggle for independence from 1969-2004.
• 2002 Israeli military invaded Ramallah and many other Palestinian cities destroying large sectors of their infrastructure.
• 2012 Engineer Musa Hadid is elected mayor, and is re-elected in 2017.
• 2017 President Trump declares Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, moves the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

President Trump’s declaration that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel and his instructions to eventually move the US embassy there is a flagrant violation of international law and treaties. There can be no Palestinian State without the city of Jerusalem as its capital. We will not accept it.

Mahmoud Abbas, President of Palestine, Mayor

PALESTINIAN LIFE IN RAMALLAH

Before the 1948 formation of Israel, the land between Egypt, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon was called Palestine. The Arabic-speaking people who lived there were largely Sunni Muslims with a significant Christian minority, and they identify strongly with the land and its rich culture and traditions. Historically, the economy was agrarian, with a strong cultural focus on family solidarity, and adherence to Islamic traditions of hospitality, honor, and respect for elders. Palestinians have a strong cultural tradition of dance, art, poetry, and literature. Traditional dress is exemplified by ‘tatriz,’ or intricately embroidered robes with colors that represent geography and clan affiliation.

Residents of Ramallah include those whose families have generations of history there, as well as those who were displaced by war and conflict, and those who have moved there more recently to participate in the Palestinian Authority or other domestic and international civic society organizations, including the United Nations and other foundations and aid organizations, and the nearby Birzeit University. Ramallah boasts a diverse and vibrant arts community, including dance and theater troupes, restaurants and cafes, and multiple nightlife establishments.

All day-to-day functions of life in Ramallah are affected by the Israeli occupation. Though its designation as “Area A” means that Ramallah has its own police force, the Israeli military can enter the city whenever there is a perceived security threat. The city is surrounded by contested Jewish settlements which benefit from much more advanced and reliable infrastructure (such as water, sewage, and electrical systems) than are available to Palestinians, and there are frequent instances of conflict and even violence between individuals and groups of Palestinians and Jewish settlers. Palestinians are also restricted from accessing land and using particular roads open to Jewish-Israeli settlers. Residents of Ramallah are not allowed to enter Israel without Israeli documentation, preventing them from visiting family members, holy sites in Jerusalem, or to complete travel out of the International Airport in Tel Aviv. Though the Palestinian Authority can issue identification and travel documents, as they are not an internationally recognized sovereign state, many Palestinians who live there are not considered citizens of any nation.

THE IMPORTANCE OF RAMALLAH IN THE REGION

The city of Ramallah is located 10 kilometers north of Jerusalem, and has a population of about 42,000 people. The city has a rich history, formally established in the 16th Century by a group of Christians, Ramallah has persisted through multiple transitions under the Ottoman Empire, the British Mandate, and the Jordanian and Israeli governments. Historically, the city has been a diverse, urbane and liberal Palestinian cultural center, whose location and elevation, along with its famed olive and grape harvests, has long attracted tourists from around the region.

Ramallah has also been host to all kinds of activism to liberate Palestine from Israeli occupation, in particular during the first Intifada in the 1980s. Currently, Ramallah is the seat of the Palestinian Authority (PA).

The PA was established after the 1993 signing of the Declaration of Principles on Self-Government Arrangements (aka the Oslo Accords). The centerpiece of the Oslo Accords was the mutual recognition of Israel and the Palestinan Liberation Organization. The Accords resulted in partial withdrawal of Israeli troops from the occupied areas of the West Bank (land west of the Jordan river) and the Gaza Strip, the release of many Palestinian political prisoners, and Palestinian self-determination through the PA in specific areas, including Ramallah, designated ‘Area A.’

The formation of the PA in Ramallah in 1995 sparked rapid population growth and the city has emerged as the cultural and economic center of the West Bank and host to many domestic and international civil society organizations including the nearby Birzeit University. Ramallah acts as the administrative capital of the West Bank, though many Palestinians dream of a future state with Jerusalem as its capital.

The 1993 Oslo Accords deferred the most complicated conflicts between Israeli and Palestinian people in the hopes of future negotiations that would establish two separate states. Despite multiple efforts in the 2000s and beyond, a two-state agreement has yet to be realized. Several of the issues that remain unsolved emerge in Mayor, including ongoing violence, the right of return for Palestinian refugees displaced by war and conflict, the continued illegal establishment of Jewish settlements on Palestinian lands, and the status of the city of Jerusalem, which both Israelis and Palestinian claim as their capital. As a result, the Palestinian Authority’s power for self-determinance and governance remains limited by the Israeli occupation.

LOCAL LEADERSHIP OF MAYOR MUSAR

"Local governance is the most beautiful field of work in our country."
— Mayor Musa Hadid, Mayor

Musar Hadid was elected as the Mayor of Ramallah in 2012, after a life-long commitment to public service. Mayor Hadid was deeply involved in political life beginning with his education at Birzeit University, from which he received a Bachelor’s degree in engineering. He was an active participant in the first Intifada in 1987, and has since held prominence in Palestinian organizations working to achieve independence and liberation from occupation.

Professionally, his career as an engineer offers him unique insight into the infrastructural needs of a city like Ramallah, including water, sewage, and electricity systems. In addition to his Mayorship, Hadid is involved in many other municipal and national organizing projects, such as the Palestinian Union of Local Authorities, the Higher Presidential Committee of Church Affairs in Palestine, the Jerusalem Water Undertaking, and many more.

His vision for the city of Ramallah extends beyond the necessities of security and a working infrastructure, to a focus on education, and importantly the development of a strong and positive community identity, symbolized by the WeRamallah campaign featured in the film.

RAMALLAH ON THE INTERNATIONAL STAGE

"You know? Despite everything we do I feel jealous sometimes. I feel jealous when I visit other cities. There’s so much they can do that we can’t. Not because we don’t want to, it’s just not in our hands.”

— Mayor Musa Hadid, Mayor

Mayor Hadid’s vision for the development of his and other Palestinian is frequently stymied by the limitations imposed by the Israeli occupation. As a result, he actively seeks international recognition and aid in order to support local development efforts. Though Mayor Hadid’s efforts are urgently necessary because of the occupation, his efforts have also been inspired by the international movement towards cities occupying a major role in policy decisions and actions that have influence on the global stage with regard to major challenges such as climate change, free trade, and human rights.