Gaza and the West Bank are now literally in separate time zones. Reuters explains that Hamas and Fatah agreed to turn the clocks back one hour for the month of Ramadan to ease fasting.
But Ramadan’s over, the Palestinians remain on different clocks, and are squabbling.
The West Bank returned to summer time on August 30, when the holiday ended. Gaza, which is separated from the West Bank by Israeli territory, did not.
Compounding the confusion, banks and universities in Gaza affiliated with the Palestinian Authority are keeping West Bank hours.
“When my wife calls me, she asks whether I want to have lunch Gaza-time or West Bank-time,” a Gaza banker said. “It is ridiculous.”
A solution to the time problem might have to await a so-far elusive unity deal between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority.
So while Palestinians can’t agree on what time it is, they’re convincing the world they meet the criteria for statehood.
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