Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The tomb of Yasser Arafat.
Growing up, the only Palestinian I was aware of was Yasser Arafat. Today, Arafat's
tomb stands next to the Palestinian president's headquarters. A thoughtful museum at the
tomb of the Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish introduced me to the author and poet who
wrote the Palestinian Declaration of Independence. Darwish, who died in 2008, worked
with Arafat, but used a pen rather than a gun as his weapon—a reminder of the wide range
of approaches the Palestinians have used to make their message heard.
To get a more well-rounded feeling for modern Palestine both in its people and its
institutions, I popped into Birzeit University. Its campus, at the edge of Ramallah, has an
enrollment of about 10,000. With beautiful landscaping connecting modern buildings and
a student body that represented the future leaders of this young country, the campus was
a sharp contrast with the intense and chaotic cities. A stroll through the campus gave me
a chance to connect with young students and learn a bit about both their culture and their
aspirations. It was inspiring.
