One of the five main streets that branch out from the Manara Square in Ramallah is nicknamed the “Hisbeh Street,” or the Marketplace. Here, colorful umbrellas jut out from many carts mostly selling vegetables, with the cries of cart-sellers announcing the prices of their wares adding to the cacophony of the bustling city center.

On the sidewalks sit old men and women on stools, newspapers, or straw mats, farmers who came from villages all over the West Bank to sell their figs, lemons, sage or homemade za’tar. The women especially used to go to Jerusalem and sell their produce inside the old city or by Damascus Gate, but are unable to do so now since Jerusalem is only accessible to Palestinians in the West Bank via Israeli military issued permits.

A commonplace sight is finding other carts in the other main streets, selling an assortment of knickknacks, costume jewelry, clothes, shoes and socks, with buyers typically haggling over prices.

On Saturday, Feb. 2, Palestinian police stormed through the streets and attempted to remove the carts according to a new decision that the three municipalities of Ramallah, Al-Bireh, and Betunia agreed on.