Palestinian Seat of Power: Orient

JERUSALEM — The United States has the White House, and Britain has 10 Downing Street. If the Palestinians ever get their way, they may have Orient House as their seat of government.

The graceful, three-story stone building in Jerusalem’s Arab sector has taken on the trappings of a government headquarters since October, when the Palestinians began negotiations with Israel.

Although the Israelis claim the whole of Jerusalem and insist that no independent Palestine will arise, many Palestinians treat Orient House as their seat of power.

Palestinian guards search visitors and Palestinians operate the electronically controlled gate. Orient House issues press cards separate from those distributed by Israel’s Government Press Office on the other side of town.

It was built by, and still belongs to, the family of Faisal Husseini, the de facto leader of the Palestinian peace negotiators.

Husseini’s office is in Orient House. Palestinians line up to ask his help in resolving land disputes, family disagreements and other problems.

Officially, Palestinians call the building a “guest house,” but a press statement carefully points out its past links with power.

Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany took tea at Orient House in 1897, the year it opened. King Hussein of Jordan has used it, as did the late Ethiopian emperor, Haile Selassie, while he was in exile.

Visiting VIPs last year included the prime minister of Portugal and the foreign minister of Poland, but not the U.S. secretary of state. Washington does not recognize Israel’s annexation of East Jerusalem, and its dignitaries do not attend functions in that part of the city.

That presents the Palestinians with a quandary. They are happy with the U.S. attitude toward Israel’s annexation, but it would be a coup for them if a secretary of state visited Orient House.

“We regard East Jerusalem as the capital of our Palestinian state,” said Saeb Erakat, a delegate to the peace talks. “Since we now have a place of our own and we have rooms to accommodate such meetings, we prefer them to be held at Orient House.”

Another thorny issue involves the Palestine Liberation Organization, based in Tunis. PLO chief Yasser Arafat approved the new role of Orient House, but some PLO officials are said to believe that it may serve Israel’s goal of dividing the PLO from the Palestinians under occupation.

Israel will not talk directly to the PLO, but has not interfered with the renovation of Orient House or visits by foreign officials.

In January, the Israeli Parliament repealed a 7-year-old law forbidding citizens to have contact with the PLO. A public debate is under way about whether the refusal to negotiate with the organization also should be lifted.

Akram Bakr, an aide to Husseini, said he has no doubt that Israel taps the telephones at Orient House.

“We tried to bring in a fax with a scrambler, but it was confiscated,” he said.

Palestinians say Orient House is just one example of how the U.S.-sponsored peace talks are preparing them to run their own affairs after 25 years of Israeli rule.

Samir Hilleleh, a West Bank economist, said training courses have begun for Palestinians in planning, legislation and budgeting, with the help of the United States and European governments. Hilleleh said he was one of 16 Palestinians who attended a course in administration, teamwork and negotiating.

“Our basic principle is that we do not know where the negotiations could be heading,” he said. “In any case, we should prepare ourselves for all options.”

Eleven offices in Orient House are equipped with telephones, faxes and computers. They are used by peace negotiators and the technical committees that many Palestinians see as shadow ministries preparing health, education and housing structures for a new state.

The formal meeting hall and reception room have new marble floors and antique furniture brought from Egypt. Bakr said Palestinian businessmen paid for the renovations.