Mayor of Ramallah Issa Kassis. The mayor of Ramallah talks about life under occupation Elma Okic Peace and Security
Ramallah, located in the Occupied Palestinian Territory of the West Bank, is a bustling urban center surrounded by barriers and checkpoints that define every aspect of life for its residents. Speaking at the UN Forum of Mayors in Geneva, Ramallah Mayor Issa Kassis noted that the challenges facing city authorities are exacerbated by conflict and occupation.
For Cassis, housing is not a privilege, but a matter of survival. “We are resisting,” he says, “by simply remaining on our land. Occupation is not only tanks and soldiers. It limits not only your movement, but also your thoughts, plans, aspirations and your vision for the future.”
Basic services are also more difficult to provide under occupation: “Our wells are in Area C of the West Bank, where security is controlled by Israel. Israeli settlements are also located there, and settlers are attacking these water sources, undermining water supply efforts that are already the lowest per capita in the world. Meanwhile, the settlers are enjoying their pools.”
To adapt, Ramallah is investing in wastewater treatment and irrigation projects, using recycled water to green the city. “When you see green, you see hope. And when you see hope, you strive for it,” says the mayor.
Cultivating Fortitude
The cost of occupation is primarily measured not in barriers and shortages, but in lives lost. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), nearly 1,000 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since October 2023, more than 200 of them children.
Local residents are under constant pressure, and it is especially difficult for families with children. “We are a young society,” explains Cassis. – More than 65 percent of Ramallah residents are under 40 years of age. Half of them are teenagers or children.” According to him, parents want their children to live freely and enjoy life, but are constantly afraid of harassment and arbitrary arrests.
“Thousands of people are behind bars. Every day people are detained without a court order and held for six months, which can be extended. The goal is to suppress our spirit,” says the mayor. Still, he stresses, resilience remains: “Look at Gaza. Look at the smiling children. For me, this is resilience. These people choose life, no matter what.”
Cassis believes that resilience must be developed from childhood through education, green spaces and instilling pride in one’s land. “We created this through years of hard work and raising children so that they value life, the beauty of the city, love the land, feel like they belong to it. It’s part of our DNA in the municipality,” he notes.
The Way Forward
UN supports two-state solution as basis for resolving Israeli-Palestinian conflict – meaning independent state Palestine living side by side with Israel in peace and security. Key issues that remain to be resolved include borders, settlements, the status of Jerusalem, the refugee issue and security arrangements.
Until that vision comes to fruition, Kassis says, the people of Ramallah will continue to live in hope.