Ramallah Mayor Speaks of Hope and Survival Under Occupation

Issa Kassis, Mayor of Ramallah, Palestine

Ramallah, in the Occupied Palestinian Territory of the West Bank, is a bustling urban centre surrounded by barriers and checkpoints that dominate every aspect of daily life. Speaking at the UN Forum of Mayors in Geneva, Issa Kassis, the Mayor of Ramallah, said that the challenges faced by city leaders are amplified by conflict and occupation.

For Mr Kassis, housing is not a privilege — it is survival. “We resist,” he said, “by simply existing on the land. Occupation is not only about the tank and the soldier. It doesn’t just restrict your movement, but also your thoughts, plans, aspirations, and your vision.”

Basic services also bear the brunt of the occupation. “Our wells are situated in Area C of the West Bank, where security is controlled by Israel. This is where the Israeli settlements are, and settlers attack these water sources, threatening the supply, which is already the lowest per capita in the world. At the same time, settlers enjoy swimming pools,” he said.

To adapt, Ramallah has invested 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 go after hope,” he added.

The cost of occupation is measured not only 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.

For families, the burden is immense. “We are a young society,” Kassis explained. “Over 65 per cent of Ramallah’s population is under 40, and half are teenagers or children.” Parents, he said, want their children to live freely and experience life, but they live in constant fear of harassment and arbitrary detention.

“There are thousands of prisoners. Every day, people are detained without court orders and kept in jail for six months, which can be renewed. The idea is to kill our spirit,” he said. Nevertheless, he insisted that resilience endures: “Look at Gaza. Look at the kids smiling. For me, this is resilience. Those people, they choose life in spite of everything.”

As mayor, Kassis believes resilience must be nurtured at the grassroots level — through education, green spaces, and fostering pride in the land. “We have built this up through years of hard work and by educating children to cherish life, to love the city, to love the land, to belong to it. These are the things we do — it’s part of our DNA in the municipality,” he said.

The United Nations has long supported a two-State solution as the framework for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict — envisioning an independent State of Palestine living side by side with Israel in peace and security. Key issues still to be resolved include borders, settlements, the status of Jerusalem, refugees, and security arrangements.

Until that vision is realised, Kassis said, the people of Ramallah will continue to hold on to hope — one home, one family, and one tree at a time.