Ein Qiniya (EQ) is located at the north-western edge of what today is the official Municipal boundary of Ramallah, and according to the Ministry of Local Government, it is part of the RABMA:  Ramallah, alBireh and Beitunya Metropolitan Area. Archeological remains date EQ back to the Bronze Age (3300-1200 BCE), although it is not clear if it was constantly inhabited. Like most Palestinian settlements, it lies on the slopes of a hill facing a valley. In spite of the rapid expansion of most of the tangent and neighbouring cities, towns, and villages in the last 2 decades, EQ remains quite small due to the fact that 12% of its area is classified as B Areas (under Israeli security control, civil administration by Palestinian Authority) and most of its lands beyond the residential core, 88%, are classified as C Areas (under full Israeli control, much declared as natural reserves banning any activities in it). Further, EQ is a ‘dead-end’ – at its western end its main road is blocked by an Israeli Army watchtower and closed checkpoint (it leads to the Israeli Dolev colony built on the lands of EQ, a mere 1.5 km away, and a bit more to the north the Talmon and Talmon A colonies), and until 2010 its eastern entrance was blocked by another checkpoint that restricted entry to and from Ramallah. Since the removal of barriers separating it from Ramallah a few years ago, the terraces and valley of EQ have turned to the largest informal natural park that residents of Ramallah spend time in on free days.

Most of the lands of the Ein Qiniya are owned by people from Ramallah, either historically or acquired by speculative investors during recent years in anticipation of its annexation to expanding Ramallah (as happened with parts of Surda, to the east of EQ, in 2012) and the ensuing spike in property value. The proximity to Ramallah has influenced life in EQ in many ways, among which an utter dependency in terms of services whether health, education, or groceries among other everyday needs as well as, to a large extent, employment. However, traditional ways of living and family norms are still strong in EQ, and a small number of families remain successful in farming (mostly leased lands) where they rely on agriculture and traditional crafts to earn a living. Noteworthy, agriculture remains common in EQ and surrounding areas due to the availability of natural springs and streams, as the high prices of water and land continue to undermine the viability of agriculture – and therewith food sovereignty – in the West Bank. There are no official statistics regarding waged employment of women in EQ, yet initial research indicates that women are involved in (unpaid) farming activities, are the caretakers of households, and only a few have paid jobs.

The community in Ein Qiniya is composed of the original families of the village that returned after their expulsion in 1917 by the British colonization, and ‘newcomer’ families that relocated to EQ after being forcefully displaced by Zionist militias in 1948 from areas within the Green Line. Local sources say EQ is currently inhabited by around 1,000 persons, while official statistics put the number around 800 persons.