The prospect of opening an embassy in Ramallah is, of course, all very exciting for Paris. So as a local, let me suggest some potential locations for France’s embassy in Ramallah.
If Macron wants his ambassador to be near the Palestinian Authority headquarters, he can put Paris’ embassy on Yahya Ayyash street. Also known as “The Engineer,” Ayyash was the brain behind Hamas’ wave of suicide bombings in the 1990s. By the time Israel eliminated him in 1996, his work had left some 100 Israeli civilians dead and 400 wounded.
Not what France is looking for? Sure. If Macron doesn’t want to be in the heart of the Palestinian capital, he could put the embassy in Al-Bireh, a one mile walk from the Ramallah grave of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. Al-Bireh also has its own landmarks, such as Dalal Mughrabi Square.
Born in Lebanon, Mughrabi rose to fame in 1978 after hijacking an Israeli civilian bus and carrying out a massacre that left 38 Israelis dead, including 13 children. Known as the Coastal Road Massacre, it was the deadliest terror attack in Israel’s history until October 7.