"The Palestinian Authority is not able to administer correctly," said Nour.

Her husband Nazir is a carpenter. He has not worked for more than a year since few have the money to pay for his labor. But he is pragmatic.

"We need to be better neighbors with Israel. Then we can open the borders for trade," said Nazir.

But like most Ramallah residents, he believes Israeli settlement activity in the occupied West Bank is making peace nearly impossible.

"The Israelis have put in obstacles because they cannot agree to negotiate over refugees. Since the settlements, all negotiations are deadlocked. The settlements are the biggest obstacles to peace," he said.

Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat says only Palestinian independence will free the area from hardship.

The Palestinian Authority plans to press the UN to upgrade Palestinian status to a non-member state.

"We're gonna get it. We're gonna get it. We have many nations that will stand tall with us," said Erekat.

But it's unclear how that would affect life on the West Bank. Business there is disrupted daily by Israel's checkpoints and its restrictions on trade.

Former Minister for the National Economy Mazen Sinokrot says unemployment, which stands at about 25 percent, is a major threat.

"Many of our good Palestinians are so depressed because they cannot find jobs. We are in need to create not less than one million jobs in the upcoming eight years. So this is a huge responsibility and challenge for everyone, including the international community," said Sinokrot.