Blog 3

Politics with humus

Yesterday's newspaper is spread across a desk, add bread and three dishes of humus and that's lunch for six or so.

Today was slightly different as no one spoke much, instead listening to President Abbas's voice live over the radio as he gave a speech a few blocks away. The President likes to take his time so I was in fact out shopping for lunch with Zeid when the speech started. It seemed that all of Ramallah was listening to this speech, every car radio and in every shop the same slow measured voice could be heard

I couldn't understand a word that was being said but could tell from the intense expressions on everbody's faces over lunch, visible through the clouds of cigarette smoke, that it was an important speech given in response to the increasing tension between Fatah and Hamas. It was also obvious that Abbas left the punchline to last because the room erupted with those last few sentences in which he promised fresh elections - which for Hamas is seen as an attempt by Fatah to take last year's election victory away from them.

Some say this will mean civil war in Gaza and an increase in arrests in the West Bank. Others say "who knows, uncertain times?" (I think one can safely place a bet on the last option)

Interesting lunch at the office today consisting of Avocado, Tuna, something white, bread, tobacco and some politics.