Jacir Palace or Qasr Jacir () is the largest hotel in

Bethlehem Bethlehem is a city in the West Bank, Palestine, located about south of Jerusalem, and the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate. It had a population of people, as of . The city's economy is strongly linked to Tourism in the State of Palesti ...

in the central

West Bank The West Bank is located on the western bank of the Jordan River and is the larger of the two Palestinian territories (the other being the Gaza Strip) that make up the State of Palestine. A landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

. The building's original design was based on typical Palestinian architecture and the characteristics of an

Arab Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...

household. Jacir Palace has three floors, each spanning 800 sq m. The newly built hotel added an outdoor swimming pool, a health spa, two meeting rooms, 250 available rooms and 11 food and beverage outlets including restaurants and bars.Hotel International: Jacir
Zara Investment (Holding) Co. Ltd Jacir Palace was built in 1910 by local craftsmen on commission of the former mayor of Bethlehem, also a merchant, Suleiman Jacir (great-grandfather of Nasri Jacir, Emily and

Annemarie Jacir Annemarie Jacir () is a Palestinian filmmaker, writer, and producer. Career Filmmaking Jacir received an MFA from the Columbia University School of the Arts in 2002. She has been working in independent cinema since 1998 and has written, directe ...

), who intended that he and his five brothers’ families would live in the mansion together. So they did for a time, however, the family went bankrupt in the 1920s and were forced to sell the palace and its furniture. Jacir Palace was eventually taken over by the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

who used it as a women's prison in the 1940s. In the 1950s it was a private school called al-Ummah, later the house became a public boys school and at a still later stage was transformed into a public girls school. The house was also used by the Israel Defence Forces, particularly during the

First Intifada The First Intifada (), also known as the First Palestinian Intifada, was a sustained series of Nonviolent resistance, non-violent protests, acts of civil disobedience, Riot, riots, and Terrorism, terrorist attacks carried out by Palestinians ...

, as a point of control considering its advantageous location and continued to be a major point of confrontation between local stone-throwing youths and the IDF. Jacir Palace Hotel

In 2000, a group of Palestinian investors belonging to PEDCAR — which is linked to the

Palestinian National Authority The Palestinian Authority (PA), officially known as the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), is the Fatah-controlled government body that exercises partial civil control over the Palestinian enclaves in the Israeli-occupied West Bank as a c ...

— acquired Jacir Palace; they refurbished and renovated it soon after. Munib il Masri, father of filmmaker Mai Masri, now owns the Palace. However, the hotel was closed down from 2000 to 2005. It closed again in 2021 because of the COVID-19 epidemic, and remains shut in January 2023.Jacir Palace, InterContinental Bethlehem re-opens for business
InterContinental Hotels Group

References

{{coord, 31.7116, 35.1993, display=title, type:landmark_region:IL Buildings and structures completed in 1910 Buildings and structures in Bethlehem Hotels in Palestine Palaces in Palestine

See also

References