(As an aside, notice how nothing has been said/done by the 'international community' to stop these atrocities, even though they've been ongoing for twice as long as those in Lebanon).
The seven piece group, whose name I forget now, played traditional Palestinian songs, which had the crowded clapping and singing along.
However, from a personal perspective (and probably because I don't know 'the classics'), it was the venue that stayed with me.
The UN, who along with the Palestinian Authority and Japanese government built the palace over the course of six years, describe it in the following way on their website:
Opened in 2004, The Ramallah Cultural Palace is the first and only cultural centre of its kind in the Palestinian territories. The centre contains state-of-the-art facilities including a 736-seat auditorium, conference rooms, several exhibition halls designed to handle anything from intimate poetry recitals, to film premieres and big-ticket music events.And let me tell you, it's not called a palace for nothing.
On the one hand I can appreciate how important it is to have a venue for artistic and cultural expression, especially when it gives people a real release from the difficulties they face in their everyday lives living here.
On the other hand, this venue is so extravagant, that only the wealthy can afford to go there in the first place. (For instance, the eulogy to the suffering of Gazans prior to the performance was read in English, and then read in Arabic!) It was also quite shocking to sit in the 'state of the art' 736 seat auditorium, knowing that just a mile or two away, people are still living in incredibly densely populated refugee camps, because the UN decided to invest its money in building a palace for the elite, rather than some form of social housing that could have benefited the legions of the poor. (And when I say legions, 51% of all Palestinians are currently living below the poverty line).
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