- Sandi:
You don't think that the project of normalization, or normalizing Ramallah, is like giving someone machines to live longer? Like having a dead-body that is kept alive by the illusion of being alive?
- Jamil:
You think it's like a bribe to the political elite?
-Sandi:
Exactly.
- Jamil:
I don't know the point of view of the Israelis but I think that the first thing they want to establish is: 'Look, Jerusalem is not going to be your capital, if you want a capital, here is your capital, Ramallah-Bireh.' 'Forget about Jerusalem, Ramallah is your centre.' I mean talking to the elite, not to you and me. 'Ok, you want to have a sense of urban life, you can have your theatres, you can have your restaurants, you can have whatever, but within this few square miles, few square kilometers.' But at the same time, it reminds them every now and then, they go in at two o'clock in the night and they take who they want and they leave. And they tell them before, they tell the police that 'We have some activity between 12am and 4am' which means 'disappear' so they tell them who's the master, but allows them to play in this free space, a space which has been fenced. This, I think, will eventually, I hope sooner rather than later, will become obvious.
[Extract from conversation no. 7]
