From production to consumption: Ambiguities in the status of wine in Ramallah

In the Palestinian Occupied Territories, various dynamics surround the production and consumption of wine, strongly linked to both the area’s political situation and religion. In this article, I will show that the reputation of wine in Ramallah differs from that in other Muslim and colonized countries. I will analyze the areas where production and consumption take place in Ramallah, and the areas where they are prohibited, in order to describe the ambiguities in the status of wine. The history of Ramallah and the heterogeneity of its inhabitants are reflected in different practices of alcohol consumption, with a multiplicity of factors playing a role in shaping its norms.