Setting the record straight on Ramallah

"Re:West Bank's Ramallah enjoy renaissance   I live in Ramallah, Palestine, and I found this article to be a gross misrepresentation of the reality in Ramallah, the West Bank and the entire Palestinian territories. Although it's true that there are a few Western-style cafés and restaurants in Ramallah, and we do have a "Cultural Palace," that does not mean that all of Ramallah is undergoing a "renaissance." We are truly sick of Western journalists who come for short visits and see a few upscale places, frequented only by foreigners and high-income locals, then write stories that are rather offensive to us.   The statements by businessman Sam Bahour on the so-called economic boom fall rather short of giving a comprehensive reflection of the economic conditions in Ramallah and the 60 surrounding villages. The reality is that not one penny of the monies received from international donors and the Gulf States reaches the general population, either through a trickle-down effect or in hard cash. Most people here are in dire economic straits, even if they were lucky enough to receive meagre salaries from those millions of donor funds.   Most parents can barely provide one solid meal for their children, let alone enjoy a meal at Pronto or attend the Cultural Palace.   Instead of writing a story about the "five-star occupation," Western journalists should visit the Ama'ri refugee camp in Ramallah or even the Im Asharayet neighbourhood, or perhaps take a trip to the village of MasHa north of Ramallah, which has been choked to near total annihilation by the apartheid wall, so they can see for themselves what that occupation has done and the destruction it has brought upon the people of Palestine.   Muna Giacaman, Ramallah, West Bank"