An hour’s drive from Tel Aviv: from Jewish day school to Ramallah nightlife

In the second in a series, SHARON OFFENBERGER remembers singing Hallelujah, eating za'atar-flavoured popcorn and waiting for shawarma at 4am

THE FIRST TIME I went to Ramallah, an Italian friend with diplomatic license plates drove me across during Ramadan. Like Thelma and Louise, we held hands as we reached “the other side” - a street sign marked Ramallah the only evidence of our achievement.

Actually, it’s Ram Allah – meaning God’s hill.

I’d been managing a peacebuilding program for several years as part of an unusual career step, working for the European Union in Israel. With my German surname, Australian accent and fluent Hebrew, I confused everyone. This confusion usually worked in my favour in a region that is quick to judge people based on their identity.

I had travelled to various parts of the Palestinian territories for work but I hadn’t been out socially, and my European and Palestinian colleagues was determined to change that. I bought a long dress for the occasion because I had no modest clothing appropriate for hot mid-August evenings.

We arrived at the Orjuwan restaurant for a delicious iftar buffet (50 shekels!) and sat for hours speaking in soft tones. My friends didn’t mention my Israeli identity to the others at the table and I didn’t volunteer it either. I was conscious of bringing attention to my loud laugh. It was a nice night, but it was no Tel Aviv.

Israeli citizens need a permit from the IDF to enter Area A, the parts of the occupied Palestinian territories that the Palestinian Authority has full civil and security control under the Oslo Accords. All the major Palestinian cities fall in Area A.

In Area B, the PA has civilian control and the IDF has security control, and in Area C – well that’s the wild west, making up 60% of the geography that the Palestinians claim for a future state and yet controlled fully by Israel. The A-B-C division was set up as an interim arrangement under the Oslo Accords, but more than two decades later, looks more like alphabet soup.