OCCUPIED JERUSALEM - Perched on the Mount of Olives, the last Jordanian hotel in Jerusalem has a story to tell.
Owned by the Jerusalem Islamic Awqaf Department, the 7 Arches Hotel stands in a prized location: across from the Haram Al Sharif and overlooking the Old City below.
To a visitor today, the hotel remains seemingly frozen in time; its imposing arches, long hallways and 1950s furniture invoke an era of kings and statesmen, Arab nationalism and solidarity.
However, the grand courtyards strangled with overgrown vegetation and faded, abandoned tennis courts overlooking the Holy City recall broken promises and dreams deferred in the Arab-Israeli conflict.
A legacy marred by conflict
The hotel was originally built by the Jordanian government at the top of the Mount of Olives with private management, known then as the Inter-Continental Jerusalem.
From its opening, the hotel's history has been steered by political developments: the 196-room hotel was rushed to completion in April 1964 to open in time for the first Palestinian national conference, which was attended by His Majesty the late King Hussein.
In 1967, the hotel was disrupted by the war that led to Israeli occupation of the West Bank, the first of several incidents that would leave the establishment's fate in the balance of peace and conflict for decades.
Following the war, the hotel's ownership legally remained with the Jordanian government, and according to international law it could not be confiscated or transferred to another party.
The Israeli government instead placed the property in the hands of a custodian affiliated to the Israeli ministry of finance to seek out a new operator, according to Awni Inshewat, 7 Arches' general manager.
The new custodian was able to negotiate a new 20-year contract with the Inter-Continental management. As part of the hotel's ongoing misfortunes, however, the contract expired in 1988, coinciding with the onset of the first Intifada.
Intimidated by the political instability and the lack of profitability of a hotel caught in the midst of conflict, the group declined to renew the conflict, according to Inshewat.
As of January 1, 1989, with the Intifada raging, the hotel was officially left on its own. In order to prevent the establishment from closing and to retain the jobs of Palestinian residents, the local Arab management took over on a "temporary basis", a tenure which has stretched to two decades and counting.
No longer the "Inter-Continental", the Arab management decided to rename the hotel "7 Arches", after its distinct architectural design, which invokes the 7 pillars of the Dome of the Rock.
Caught between two sides
After a few years of staying afloat, the hotel saw renewed hope in the signing of the Oslo Accords in 1993, and the 1994 Wadi Araba Peace Treaty between Jordan and Israel.
But as talks between Israelis and Palestinians stalled and fell apart, the hotel became caught in the middle in diplomatic standoffs, strung along with other final status issues.
"No matter what we do, this property will remain in uncertainty, dragged on until the conflict is resolved," Inshewat said.
With a soured peace process, the 7 Arches management said the hotel has been left in a no-win situation; Arabs view the hotel as an Israeli institution, while the Israelis view the hotel as an Arab hotel.
The Awqaf Department, owners of the land, said they have no say in its fate and are unable to tend to the property due to the sensitivity of the situation.
"This is occupied land. We cannot do anything without a political solution," Azzam Khatib, director of the Islamic Awqaf Department in Jerusalem told The Jordan Times.
As Israelis shy away from the property, many potential Arab visitors view staying at the hotel as "normalisation", Inshewat said, adding that at times, running the hotel is a "thankless task".
"Both sides look at the place as if it is owned by the other. We cannot change the location, but we wish every day that we could," he said.
Pressures growing
Over its 20 years in limbo, the hotel has faced several attempts at Judaisation, according to Inshewat, as Israeli extremists have sought to transform the property, situated above a historic Jewish cemetery, into a "kosher hotel" or housing for Jewish settlers.
A few years ago, the Israeli ministry of defence attempted to transform the hotel and its strategic location overlooking the Old City into a military installation, a move halted only by the last-minute efforts of Arab diplomats and the custodian, he claimed.
But despite holding its own during four decades of strife, simple economics may cause the hotel to check out for good.
The 1980s saw the growth of new, larger hotels in West Jerusalem, which attracted many of the tour groups that normally booked with the 7 Arches.
More recently, the construction of the separation wall in 2005 deterred many Palestinian families in the West Bank from travelling to Jerusalem for weddings and other family gatherings.
Losing visitors to larger hotels and modern wedding halls in West Jerusalem and the West Bank, the hotel now lacks the capital needed to upgrade its facilities in order to keep up with the competition, the hotel's management said.
Worse still, the 7 Arches has not generated a profit in over a decade, a decline that according to Inshewat began with the second Intifada, and has left the hotel "barely afloat".
While the Arab management struggles to maintain day-to-day operations, political uncertainty and taxes continue to scare investors away from the 7 Arches, as the hotel must pay a one million shekel ($271,400) property tax to the Jerusalem municipality each year, Inshewat said.
"We are the only hotel that manages damages more than profits," he noted.
But as other Palestinian establishments in the neighbourhood have closed, never to reopen, the hotel's management remains determined to keep its distinctive arches lit up each night, securing an income for 90 Palestinian families and maintaining an Arab foothold in East Jerusalem.
Keeping dreams alive
Workers at the hotel, who preferred to remain unnamed, said the establishment has become a cultural landmark to Palestinians, with many living in East Jerusalem associating the 7 Arches with life's rites of passage: weddings, engagement parties and family reunions.
Despite the odds, Inshewat said the management still dreams of upgrading the property into a "good 4-star hotel", utilising "the most remarkable location in the world".
Although it may stand in the midst of diplomatic battles, Inshewat says the Palestinian management aims to keep the hotel open for "everyone", hosting Christian, Muslim and Jewish pilgrims and visitors.
"We are the only place in Jerusalem that can host a Muslim wedding on Friday, a Christian wedding on Saturday and a Jewish wedding on Sunday," he declared proudly, noting that the hotel currently relies on budget-conscious tour groups of Christian pilgrims from Eastern Europe and India.
For their part, Jordanian officials said they remain determined to maintain the status quo until a final resolution is reached between the Palestinians and Israelis.
However, not even a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital may be enough to turn around the 7 Arches' fortunes, as its proximity to an ancient Jewish cemetery may incorporate it as part of the Jewish quarter should final borders be drawn for Jerusalem, according to hotel management.
As the Arab-Israeli conflict remains unsolved, the 7 Arches staff go about their daily work as they have for decades, booking rooms, laying fresh linens and preparing breakfast, not knowing what tomorrow will bring.
"In the Holy City, only God knows," Inshewat said.
By Taylor Luck
© Jordan Times 2010
