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84-536: Bir Zeit is located 7.5 kilometers (4.7 mi) north of Ramallah . It is bordered by Jifna and Ein Siniya to the east, 'Atara to the north, Burham , Kobar and Al-Zaytouneh to the west, and Abu Qash to the south. Sherds from the Iron Age II , Hellenistic , Roman , Byzantine and Mamluk eras have been found. West of the town, at Khirbat Bir Zait , sherds have been found from Iron Age I to

168-728: A "collusion" between the Palestinian Authority and Israel to turn Ramallah into the political as well as the financial capital of the Palestinians. He is particularly worried by the construction of a large new governmental complex by the PA. Hatem Abdel Kader , a Jerusalem resident, Fatah legislator and former Minister for Jerusalem Affairs, complained that "If they are building a new government compound here, that means they have no plans to be based in Jerusalem... Unfortunately,

252-589: A Friends Meeting House for worship in the city center in 1910. According to the school's official website, most high school students choose to take the International Baccalaureate exams (IBE) instead of the traditional "Tawjihi" university exams. The activity of foreign churches in Palestine in the late 19th century increased awareness of prosperity in the West. In Ramallah and Bethlehem ,

336-612: A conspicuous feature in the landscape. In 1896 the population of Bir ez-zet was estimated to be about 786 Christians and 192 Muslims. In 1906, a British missionary of the Church Missionary Society wrote about an outbreak of cholera in Birzeit thirty years before that began when the mother of a young man who died of cholera in Nablus washed his clothes in the village spring. The disease quickly spread and within

420-632: A few miles south, local residents began to seek economic opportunity overseas. In 1901, merchants from Ramallah emigrated to the United States and established import-export businesses, selling handmade rugs and other exotic wares across the Atlantic. Increased trade dramatically improved living standards for Ramallah's inhabitants. American cars, mechanized farming equipment, radios, and later televisions became attainable luxuries for upper-class families. As residents of Jaffa and Lydda moved to Ramallah,

504-709: A jury of professional chefs. The goal of the festival is to highlight traditional Palestinian food, empower women and promote rural tourism. It is organized by the Rozana Association for Development and Architectural Heritage, the Palestinian Circus School, the Palestinian Ministry of Culture, Birzeit Women's Charitable Society, the Palestinian Chefs Association, Heritage House and Birzeit Club. There

588-651: A lively nightlife, with many restaurants including the Stars and Bucks Cafe, a branch of the Tche Tche Cafe and the Orjuwan Lounge , described in 2010 as two among the "dozens of fancy restaurants, bars and discotheques that have cropped up in Ramallah in the last three years". One hallmark of Ramallah is Rukab's Ice Cream, which is based on the resin of chewing gum and thus has a distinctive taste. Another

672-563: A male population of 250. Of this, 75 men in 20 houses were Muslim, while 175 men in 53 houses were "Latin" Christian . In 1882, the PEF 's Survey of Western Palestine (SWP) described Bir Zeit as "a Christian village of moderate size, containing a Greek Church and a Latin Church, with a well to the north, and olives round it." The red-tiled roof of the Latin Church on top of the ridge was

756-480: A mile from the village. On the east there is a well. There are rock-cut tombs to the north-east with well-cut entrances, but completely blocked with rubbish. In the village is a Greek church, and on the east a Latin convent and a Protestant schoolhouse, all modern buildings. The village lands are Wakuf , or ecclesiastical property, belonging to the Haram of Jerusalem. About a quarter of the inhabitants are Roman Catholics,

840-630: A mob, enraged in particular by the Muhammad al-Durrah incident in Gaza. A frenzied crowd killed the two IDF reservists, mutilated their bodies, and dragged them through the streets. Later that afternoon, the Israeli army carried out an air strike on Ramallah, demolishing the police station. Israel later succeeded in capturing and prosecuting some of those involved in the deaths of the reservists. The IDF has occasionally operated inside Ramallah, in breach of

924-530: A population of 635, though the population count included men only. The village was described as being in the Bire area,"north of Mikhmas , on a rocky hill." In 1896, the population of Ramallah was estimated to be about 2,061 persons. In the 1922 census of Palestine conducted by the British Mandate authorities , Ramallah had a population of 3,104 (2,972 Christians , 125 Muslims , and seven Jews ),

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1008-536: A population of 71 Christian households and 9 Muslim households. It paid a fixed tax rate of 25% on wheat, barley, olives, vines or fruit trees, and goats or beehives; a total of 9,400 akçe . All of the revenue went to a waqf . In 1838, American biblical scholar Edward Robinson visited the area, noting that the inhabitants were Christian "of the Greek rite". There were 200 taxable men, which gives an estimated total population of 800–900 people. The village "belonged" to

1092-601: A stake in Rawabi , a completely new town being constructed in the hills outside Ramallah at a cost of $ 1 billion. Ramallah has highest concentration of high-tech companies. ASAL technologies, an information technology company in Ramallah, has 120 employees and is looking forward to "exponential growth". In collaboration with the Republic of India , a new tech park named, the India Palestine Techno Park

1176-478: A week killed 30 people out of a population of 200–300. The epidemic ended when a village elder ordered the entire population to camp in their vineyards. Three men remained to bury the dead and there were no further victims. The author felt that the incident was notable "as there was no European hand in it from first to last, and it shows what the Fellahin are capable of under wise and energetic native guidance." In

1260-717: Is St George Orthodox Church ; now the Orthodox Christian community is building another large Orthodox Church, and an Orthodox Christian school that is considered to be the largest in the West Bank. The Catholic church of Our Lady Queen of Peace - Guadalupe was founded in 1858; it also runs a Catholic high school. Bir Zeit also has an Episcopal / Anglican church, St. Peter's church. The annual Maftoul Festival takes place in Birzeit in October. Women from different villages prepare couscous dishes and are judged by

1344-489: Is 1,591 mm (63 in). The Köppen climate classification places Ramallah in the Csa category. Climates of this class generally occur on the western sides of continents between the latitudes of 30° and 45°. These climates are in the polar front region in winter, and thus have moderate temperatures and changeable, rainy weather. Summers are hot and dry, due to the domination of the subtropical high pressure systems, except in

1428-601: Is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank , that serves as the de facto administrative capital of the State of Palestine . It is situated on the Judaean Mountains , 10 km (6 miles) north of Jerusalem , at an average elevation of 872 meters (2,861 ft) above sea level, adjacent to al-Bireh . Ramallah has buildings containing masonry from the period of Herod the Great , but no complete building predates

1512-615: Is a popular venue for such events. The Al-Kasaba Theatre is a venue for plays and movies. In 2004, the state-of-the art Ramallah Cultural Palace opened in the city. The only cultural center of its kind in the Palestinian-governed areas, it houses a 736-seat auditorium, as well as conference rooms, exhibit halls, and movie-screening rooms. It was a joint venture of the Palestinian Authority, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and

1596-488: Is also a Melkite Greek Catholic Church in Ramallah, built in 1895. The Roman Catholic Church also established its presence in Ramallah the 19th century and constitutes today the second-largest Christian denomination in the city. The Roman Catholic Church established the St. Joseph's Girls' School run by St. Joseph sisters, as well as the co-educational Al-Ahliyyah College high school run by Rosary sisters. In 1913, construction of

1680-570: Is also yearly festival named the heritage week and it is a celebration of different aspects of the villagers life and to it comes many participants to represent their villages customs and traditions from wedding ceremonies to clothes, also in July. Ramallah Ramallah ( UK : / r ə ˈ m æ l ə / rə- MAL -ə , US : / r ə ˈ m ɑː l ə / rə- MAH -lə ; Arabic : رام الله , romanized :  Rām Allāh , lit.   'God's Height' )

1764-464: Is attributed to fighting and unrest among clans in that area. Haddadin was attracted to the mountainous site of Ramallah because it was similar to the mountainous areas he came from. In addition, the heavily forested area could supply him with plenty of fuel for his forges. In 1596, Ramallah was listed in the tax registers as being in the nahiya of Quds (Jerusalem), part of the Liwa of Quds . It had

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1848-496: Is ignited in Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre and is passed on through candles and lanterns to regional churches. A variety of mosques and churches of different denominations dot the landscape. Ramallah is generally considered the most affluent and cultural, as well as the most liberal, of all Palestinian cities, and is home to a number of popular Palestinian activists, poets, artists, and musicians . It boasts

1932-506: Is located in Birzeit . Apple Inc operates a research & development center in Rawabi with ASAL Technologies. A large number multinational companies operates facilities in Ramallah, which outsource Palestinians. By 2010, Ramallah had become the leading center of economic and political activity in the territories under the control of the Palestinian Authority. During a building boom in

2016-415: Is one of the city's largest mosques . The Orthodox Church of Ramallah , an Orthodox Christian convent , Melkite Catholic Church , Evangelical Lutheran Church, Arab Episcopal ( Anglican ) Church, Ramallah Local Church ( Evangelical \ Born Again ) and Ramallah Baptist Church all operate schools in the city. A large new church has been built on top of one of the highest hills of Ramallah, belonging to

2100-494: Is the First Ramallah Group, a boy- and girl-scout club that also holds a number of traditional dance ( Dabka ) performances and is also home to men's and women's basketball teams that compete regionally. International music and dance troupes occasionally make a stop in Ramallah, and the renowned Argentinian-Israeli pianist Daniel Barenboim performs there often. The Khalil Sakakini Cultural Center , founded in 1996,

2184-507: The liwa of Quds , with a population of 26 households. The inhabitants of the village paid taxes on wheat, barley, olive trees, vineyards, fruit trees, and goats and/or beehives; a total of 6,600 akçe . In 1838 it was noted as a small Christian village, north-west of Jifna . The French explorer Victor Guérin visited the village in July 1863. He found it to have a population of 1,800 inhabitants, of those 140 were Latin Catholics,

2268-441: The 1922 census of Palestine conducted by the British Mandate authorities , the village, called Bair Zait, had a total population of 896; 119 Muslims and 777 Christian; 399 Orthodox, 253 Roman Catholics and 125 Anglicans. In the 1931 census , the village had 251 occupied houses and a total population of 1233; 362 Muslims and 871 Christians. In the 1945 statistics the population was 1,560; 570 Muslims and 990 Christians, while

2352-622: The 1995 accords , 75.8% of village land was classified as Area B , the remaining 24.2% as Area C . The town has 200 historic buildings, including over 100 in the old part of town, some dating back to the Mamluk era. Birzeit University was formerly located there. Dozens of buildings vacated by the university's move to Ramallah were restored, reinvigorating social and economic development. A predominantly Christian town, there are three Christian churches in Birzeit – one Orthodox , one Roman Catholic , and one Episcopal / Anglican. The oldest one

2436-666: The British Army captured and occupied Ramallah in December 1917. The city remained occupied until the designation of the Palestine Mandate in 1920, resulting in Ramallah falling under British Mandatory control until 1948. In the 1920s, the economy of Ramallah started to improve, resulting in the local Arab upper class (consisting primarily of landowners and merchants) ordering the construction of several multi-storied villas, many of which still stand today. In 1939,

2520-553: The Coptic Orthodox Church. A small group of Jehovah Witnesses are present in the area as well and others. During the annual "Saturday of Light" religious festival, which occurs on the Saturday between Good Friday and Easter Sunday to celebrate the light that tradition holds shines forth from the tomb of Jesus , the scouts hold a parade through the city streets to receive the flame from Jerusalem. The flame

2604-720: The Crusades of the 11th century.  The modern city was founded during the 16th century by the Hadadeens, an Arab Christian clan descended from Ghassanids . In 1517, the city was incorporated into the Ottoman Empire , and in 1920, it became part of British Mandatory Palestine after it was captured by the United Kingdom during World War I . The 1948 Arab–Israeli War saw the entire West Bank, including Ramallah, occupied and annexed by Transjordan . Ramallah

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2688-483: The Haram al-Sharif , Jerusalem, to which it paid an annual tax of 350 Mids of grain. In 1883, the PEF 's Survey of Western Palestine described Ramallah as A large Christian village, of well-built stone houses, standing on a high ridge, with a view on the west extending to the sea. It stands amongst gardens and olive-yards, and has three springs to the south and one on the west; on the north there are three more, within

2772-557: The Intifada erupted, protesting against the continued Israeli occupation . Ramallah residents were among the early joiners of the First Intifada . The Intifada Unified Leadership, an umbrella organization of various Palestinian factions, distributed weekly bulletins on the streets of Ramallah with a schedule of the daily protests, strikes and action against Israeli patrols in the city. At the demonstrations, tires were burned in

2856-660: The Jerusalem Electric Company introduced electricity to Ramallah, and a majority of the city's homes became wired shortly thereafter. On the same year, the British Mandatory authorities inaugurated the state-owned Palestine Broadcasting Service in Ramallah, with BBC members training local radio staff to deliver daily broadcasts in Arabic , Hebrew , and English . The station was later renamed Jerusalem Calling . In 1936, an Arab revolt against

2940-558: The Mukataa and withdrew to the city outskirts. The newly established Palestinian Authority assumed civilian and security responsibility for the city, which was designated "Area A" under the accords. The years between 1993 and 2000 (known locally as the "Oslo Years") brought relative prosperity to Ramallah. Ramallah and its immediate environs were classified as Area A in the Oslo Accords , under full civil and security control of

3024-534: The Palestinian Authority (PA) administration in September 1995. Many expatriates returned to establish businesses there, and the atmosphere was one of optimism. In 2000, unemployment began to rise and the economy of Ramallah declined. The Israel Defense Forces remained in control of the territories and its government did not restore the freedom of movement enjoyed by Ramallah residents prior to

3108-519: The creation of the State of Israel and the ensuing conflict , Jordan seized the part of Palestine they named the West Bank. This included Ramallah. The West Bank was relatively peaceful during the years of Jordanian rule between 1948 and 1967, with its residents enjoying freedom of movement between the West Bank , Jordan, Lebanon , and Syria. Jordan annexed the West Bank, applying its national law to

3192-673: The de facto capital of the Palestinian Authority, now officially known as the State of Palestine. It hosts almost all governmental headquarters. In December 2001, Arafat held meetings at the Mukataa, but lived with his wife and daughter in Gaza City . After suicide bombings in Haifa , Arafat was confined to the Ramallah compound. In 2002, the compound was partly demolished by the Israeli Defense Forces and Arafat's building

3276-405: The 15-seat municipal council for a four-year term. The council elected Janet Mikhail as mayor, the first woman to hold the post. Munir Hamdan, a member of Fatah and a Ramallah businessman, discussed the concentration of government offices with a journalist. He said, "The president and prime minister have their offices here. So do the parliament and all the government ministries", representing

3360-452: The 1995 Oslo Accords. The first and largest incursion was the 2002 Operation Defensive Shield , with a more recent intervention coming in March 2017 while attempting to arrest a suspected terrorist. In 2002, the army imposed curfews, electricity cuts, school closures and disruptions of commercial life. Many Ramallah institutions, including government ministries, were vandalized, and equipment

3444-493: The British Mandate broke out in Palestine, and Ramallah soon became a center of insurgent activity. The rebels subsequently established a court near Ramallah, in order to provide legal alternatives to the courts of the British Mandate. One British schoolteacher noted that the Ramallah court judge began to produce "news sheets on typewriters and duplicators, aimed at publicizing the alternative rebel regime." Following

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3528-742: The Catholic Holy Family Church was started. As of 2022 , Ramallah also has a Coptic Orthodox Church , an Evangelical Lutheran Church and an Episcopalian (Anglican) Church . In the 19th century, the Religious Society of Friends ( Quakers ) established a presence in Ramallah and built the Ramallah Friends Schools , one for girls and later a boys' school, to alleviate the dearth of education for women and girls. Eli and Sybil Jones opened "The Girls Training Home of Ramallah" in 1869. A medical clinic

3612-476: The Christians consisting of 2,162 Orthodox, 1 Syriac Orthodox (Jacobite), 332 Roman Catholics , 144 Greek Catholic ( Melkite Catholic ), 211 Church of England , and 122 "other". The population increased at the time of the 1931 census to 4,286 (3,766 Christians, 519 Muslims and one Jew) in a total of 1,014 houses. In the 1938 village statistics, the population is listed as 4,900. In the 1945 statistics ,

3696-534: The Intifada wound down and the peace process moved forward, normal life in Ramallah resumed. On September 13, 1993, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Palestinian Leader Yasser Arafat shook hands at a meeting at the White House . Schoolchildren in Ramallah handed out olive branches to Israeli soldiers patrolling the streets. In December 1995, in keeping with the Oslo Accords , the Israeli army abandoned

3780-578: The Israeli Human Rights activists, the development of Jewish settlements in the Ramallah area, such as Beit El and Psagot , prevented the expansion of the city and cut it off from the surrounding Arab villages. As resistance increased, Ramallah residents who were members of the Palestine Liberation Organization were jailed or deported to neighboring countries. In December 1987, the popular uprising known as

3864-503: The Japanese government. Ramallah hosted its first annual international film festival in 2004. Ramallah, like most Palestinian areas, has a rich folklore of song and dance. Songs accompanied people in every occasion, whether it was the harvest season, roofing a house, traveling, coming back from travel, engagement, wedding, or even death. Most of the songs were sung by the women with the exception of Zaffeh and Mal'ab , which are sung by

3948-405: The Palestinian Authority. The PIF have begun work on a $ 400 million commercial center comprising 13 towers which will be some of the tallest in Ramallah. The Ersal Commercial Center has drawn investment from a Saudi Arabian firm, The Land Holding, which has a 10% stake. It is not the only Gulf Arab firm investing in Ramallah and its outskirts. The Qatari Diar Real Estate Investment Company has

4032-668: The Palestinian National Authority , the Palestinian Legislative Council , and the headquarters of the Palestinian Security Services . It is also home to several museums and cultural centers, and has a notable nightlife scene. While historically a predominantly Christian town, Muslims constituted a majority of Ramallah's 38,998 residents by 2017, with Christians making up a significant minority. Ramallah

4116-507: The Palestinian government of Salam Fayyad has abandoned Jerusalem in favor of Ramallah." In November 2011, King Abdullah II of Jordan visited Ramallah for the first time since 2000. This area enjoys a Mediterranean climate of a dry summer and mild, rainy winter with occasional snowfall. The recorded average of Ramallah's rainfall is about 615 mm (24 in) and minimum rainfall is 307 mm (12 in) and maximum rainfall

4200-529: The Palestinian leadership to move the provisional capital back to Gaza, where it had been when the Palestinian Authority was first established in 1994. President Abbas, however, refrained from doing so, arguing that at this point, it was important to keep the administrative center in the West Bank in order to remind the international community that the West Bank was still awaiting a territorial solution. In December 2005, local elections were held in Ramallah in which candidates from three different factions competed for

4284-480: The balance of Muslims and Christians began to change. In the 21st century, a large community of people with direct descent from the Haddadins who founded Ramallah live in the United States. The town is now predominately Muslim, but still contains a Christian minority. The change in demographics is due mostly to new migration of Muslims to the area, and emigration of Christians from the area. During World War I ,

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4368-411: The biblical location of Birzaith . It also identified with Bethzetho and Bethzaith , a village mentioned in 1 Maccabees and by Josephus in relation to Judas Maccabeus ' war with Bacchides . The village was incorporated into the Ottoman Empire in 1517 with all of Palestine , and in 1596 it appeared in the tax registers under the name of Bir Zayt , as being in the nahiya of Jabal Quds in

4452-728: The census lost their residency rights. For residents of Ramallah, the situation had now been reversed. For the first time in 19 years, residents could freely visit Israel and the Gaza Strip and engage in commerce there. Unlike the Jordanians, Israel did not offer citizenship to the residents. Ramallah residents were issued permits to work in Israel, but did not gain the rights associated with Israeli citizenship. The city remained under Israeli military rule for more than four decades. The Israeli Civil Administration (CA), established in 1981,

4536-569: The conquered territory. However, many Palestinians were jailed for being members of "illegal political parties", which included the Palestine Communist Party and other socialist and pro-independence groups. By 1953, Ramallah's population had doubled, but the economy and infrastructure could not accommodate the influx of poor villagers. Natives of Ramallah began to emigrate, primarily to the United States. By 1956, about one fourth of Ramallah's 6,000 natives had left, with Arabs from

4620-559: The early Ottoman era, with most of them dating back to Iron Age II. The Iron Age ruins span the peak and western slope, while the medieval remnants cluster near the sizable building on the eastern slope. Here are the remains of a building which have been dated to the Crusader era . Guérin first noted the remains of a buildings 50 paces on each side. He thought it could be from the Byzantine era, or later. The ruin has been identified with

4704-430: The early years of the 21st century, apartment buildings and "five-star" hotels were erected, particularly in the Al-Masyoun neighborhood. In 2010, "more than one hundred" Palestinian businesses were reported to have moved to Ramallah from East Jerusalem , because "Here they pay less taxes and have more customers." One local boasted to a journalist that "Ramallah is becoming the de facto capital of Palestine." This boast

4788-402: The few symbols of civil disobedience. The Intifada leadership organized "tree plantings" and resorted to the tactics used in pre-1948 Palestine, such as ordering general strikes in which no commercial businesses were allowed to open and no cars were allowed on the streets. In 1991, the Palestinian delegation to the Madrid International Peace Conference included many notables from Ramallah. As

4872-411: The field trace the origins of Palestinian costumes to ancient times, there are no surviving clothing artifacts from this early period against which the modern items might be definitively compared. Influences from the various empires to have ruled Palestine , such as Ancient Egypt , Ancient Rome , the Byzantine Empire , and Ayyubids , among others , have been documented by scholars largely based on

4956-500: The first Intifada. Travel to Jerusalem required special permits. The number and size of Israeli settlements around Ramallah increased dramatically. A network of bypass roads for use of Israeli citizens only was built around Ramallah, and Israel expropriated land for settlements. Many official documents previously handled by the Israeli Civil Administration were now handled by the Palestinian Authority but still required Israeli approval. A Palestinian passport issued to Ramallah residents

5040-564: The headquarters for most international NGOs and embassies. Hundreds of millions of dollars in aid flowing into the city have boosted Ramallah's economy greatly since the end of the Second Intifada . Ramallah's buoyant economy continues to draw Palestinians from other West Bank towns where jobs are fewer. The built-up area has grown fivefold since 2002. Construction boom is one of the most obvious signs of West Bank economic growth, estimated at an annual rate of 8 percent. This has been attributed to relative stability and Western donor support to

5124-422: The immediate coastal areas, where summers are milder due to the nearby presence of cold ocean currents that may bring fog but prevent rain. Ramallah is chief financial and commercial center for the Palestinian Authority, home to the country's numerous financial institutions. Currently Ramallah is seat of power of the Palestinian Authority , whose most of the offices are located within the city. The city serves as

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5208-449: The late 20th century from 24,722 inhabitants in 1987 to 17,851 in 1997. In the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) census in 1997, Palestinian refugees accounted for 60.3% of the population, which was 17,851. There were 8,622 males and 9,229 females. People younger than 20 years of age made up 45.9% of the population, while those aged between 20 and 64 were 45.4%, and residents aged over 64 constituted 4.7%. Only in 2005 did

5292-424: The marches were replaced by sporadic use of live ammunition against Israeli soldiers; and various attacks targeting Jewish settlers, particularly on the Israeli-only bypass roads. Army checkpoints were established to restrict movement in and out of Ramallah. On October 12, 2000, two Israeli army reservists, Vadim Norzhich and Yosef Avrahami were lynched in Ramallah . They had taken a wrong turn, and were set upon by

5376-483: The men at wedding celebrations. Palestinian educator Bahia Khalil's book "Ramallah Folklore Songs and Traditions" documents to a great extent this oral tradition inherited from one generation to another. The second edition of the book was published in 2002 by the American Federation of Ramallah, Palestine, an organization for Palestinian-Americans from the Ramallah region living in the US. Foreign travelers to Palestine in late-19th and early-20th centuries often commented on

5460-403: The others were " schismatic Greeks " and Muslims. The Catholic parish was administered by a young French missionary, Father Joly. The irrigated gardens were well grown, and the soil naturally fertile. It abounded in vines, figs and pears. He also noted some beautiful walnut trees. Socin , citing an official Ottoman village list compiled around 1870, noted that Bir Zet as having 73 houses and

5544-473: The population reach more than 24,000. In a PCBS projection in 2006, Ramallah had a population of 25,467 inhabitants. In the 2007 PCBS census, there were 27,460 people living in the city. Sources vary about the current Christian population in the city, ranging around 25%. In the aftermath of the 1936–1939 Arab revolt, the Ramallah Hospital Foundation was established and registered as a tax exempt organization in New York in 1944. It bought large pieces of land in

5628-420: The population stood at 5,080, with Christians forming the majority of the population (4,440 Christians and 640 Muslims). However, the demographic makeup of the town changed drastically between 1948 and 1967, when considerable emigration of Christians took place. Slightly more than half of the city's 12,134 inhabitants were Christian by 1967, the other half Muslim. Ramallah's population drastically decreased in

5712-451: The region. In 1700, Yacoub Elias was the first Ramallah native to be ordained by the Greek Orthodox Church of Jerusalem, the Christian denomination that prevailed in the Holy Land at the time. In the early 19th century, the first Jerusalemite Greek Orthodox Christian church was built. Later, in 1852, the Greek Orthodox Church of the Transfiguration , was built to replace it; it is the sole Eastern Orthodox Church in Ramallah today. There

5796-403: The reign of Herod the Great (37–4 BCE). Potsherds from the Crusader / Ayyubid and early Ottoman period have also been found there. Ramallah has been identified with the Crusader place called Ramalie . Remains of a building with an arched doorway from the Crusader era, called al-Burj , have been identified, but the original use of the building is undetermined. The area of Ramallah

5880-414: The rest Orthodox Greeks. Ramallah was declared a modern city in 1908. It had an elected municipality as well as partnership projects with the adjacent town of al-Bireh . The Friends Boys School became a temporary hospital during World War I. Ramallah grew dramatically throughout the 17th and 18th centuries as an agricultural village, attracting more (predominantly Christian) inhabitants from all around

5964-414: The rich variety of costumes among the Palestinian people, and particularly among the fellaheen or village women. Until the 1940s, a woman's economic status, whether married or single, and the town or area they were from could be deciphered by most Palestinian women by the type of cloth, colors, cut, and embroidery motifs, or lack thereof, used for the robe-like dress or "thoub" in Arabic. Though experts in

6048-641: The south-eastern fringes of the city dedicated for the future hospital. In 1963, a hospital was opened. The present Ramallah Government Hospital and the Palestine Medical Centered are located on the land purchased by the Foundation. In January 1987, the first open-heart surgery was performed at the Hospital under the direction of Dr. Shehadeh (Shawki) Harb, a Palestinian surgeon trained in the United States. The Jamal Abdel Nasser Mosque

6132-498: The street, and the crowds threw stones and Molotov cocktails . The IDF responded with tear gas and rubber bullets. Schools in Ramallah were forcibly shut down, and opened gradually for a few hours a day. The Israelis conducted house arrests, imposing curfews that restricted travel and exports in what Palestinians regarded as collective punishment. In response to the closure of schools, residents organized home schooling sessions to help students make up missed material; this became one of

6216-472: The surrounding towns and villages (particularly Hebron ) buying the homes and land the émigrés left behind. During the Six-Day War in 1967, Israel captured Ramallah from Jordan, imposing a military closure and conducting a census a few weeks later. Every person registered in the census was given an Israeli identity card which allowed the bearer to continue to reside there. Those who were abroad during

6300-534: The total land area was 14,088 dunams , according to an official land and population survey. Of this, 6,908 were allocated for plantations and irrigable land, 2,414 for cereals, while 402 dunams were classified as built-up (urban) areas. In the wake of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War , and after the 1949 Armistice Agreements , Birzeit came under Jordanian rule. It was annexed by Jordan in 1950. The Jordanian census of 1961 found 3,253 inhabitants in Bir Zeit'. After

6384-618: Was cut off from the rest of the compound. On November 11, 2004, Arafat died at the Percy training hospital of the Armies near Paris. He was buried in the courtyard of the Mukataa on November 12, 2004. The site still serves as the Ramallah headquarters of the Palestinian Authority, as well the official West Bank office of Mahmoud Abbas . Throughout 2005, while the Disengagement Plan was underway, some US government officials suggested to

6468-543: Was destroyed or stolen. The IDF took over local Ramallah television stations, and social and economic conditions deteriorated. Many expatriates left, as did many other Palestinians who complained that the living conditions had become intolerable. Construction of the Israeli West Bank barrier has added to Ramallah's isolation. Yasser Arafat established his West Bank headquarters, the Mukataa , in Ramallah. Although considered an interim solution, Ramallah became

6552-521: Was established in 1883, with Dr. George Hassenauer serving as the first doctor in Ramallah. In 1889, the girls academy became the Friends Girls School (FGS). As the FGS was also a boarding school, it attracted a number of girls from surrounding communities, including Jerusalem, Lydda , Jaffa , and Beirut . The Friends Boys School (FBS) was founded in 1901 and opened in 1918. The Quakers opened

6636-528: Was founded in the 16th century by the Hadadeens , an Arab Christian clan. The city boasts archaeological remnants from earlier epochs. Ancient rock-cut tombs have been found near Ramallah. Located just south of the built-up area is Tell en-Nasbeh , an archeological site where biblical Mizpah in Benjamin is likely to have been located. Several Ramallah buildings incorporate masonry dating back to

6720-420: Was in charge of civilian and day-to-day services such as issuing permission to travel, build, export or import, and host relatives from abroad. The CA reprinted Jordanian textbooks for distribution in schools but did not update them. The CA was in charge of tax collection and land expropriation, which sometimes included Israeli seizure of olive groves that Arab villagers had tended for generations. According to

6804-496: Was incorporated into the Ottoman Empire in 1517 with all of Palestine . Modern Ramallah was founded in the mid-1500s by the Haddadins (also: Haddad ee n), a clan of brothers descended from Ghassanid Christians . The Haddadins (ancestors of the present-day Jadallah family, among others), and their leader Rashid el-Haddadin, arrived from east of the Jordan River from the areas of Karak and Shoubak . The Haddadin migration

6888-517: Was later captured by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War . Since the 1995 Oslo Accords , Ramallah has been governed by the PNA ( Palestinian National Authority ) as part of Area A of the West Bank . In recent years, Ramallah has emerged as a key political, cultural, and economic center. It houses various Palestinian governmental bodies, including the Mukataa , the official residence of the President of

6972-526: Was not valid unless the serial number was registered with the Israeli authorities, who controlled border crossings. The failure of the Camp David summit in July 2000 led to the outbreak of the Second Intifada (al-Aqsa Intifada) in September 2000. Young Ramallah residents demonstrated daily against the Israeli army, with marches to the Israeli checkpoints at the outskirts of the city. Over time,

7056-523: Was seconded by The New York Times which, in 2010, called Ramallah the "de facto capital of the West Bank. According to Sani Meo , the publisher of This Week in Palestine , "Capital or no capital, Ramallah has done well and Palestine is proud of its achievements." Some Palestinians allege that Ramallah's prosperity is part of an Israeli "conspiracy" to make Ramallah the capital of a Palestinian state , instead of Jerusalem . An Ottoman village list of about 1870 showed that Ramallah had 249 houses and

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