Israeli police raid map center outside East Jerusalem
Though past Israeli ministers promised the Palestinians their Jerusalem institutions would be preserved, the venerable Orient House has been closed and the map department it once housed has been raided outside the city limits.
When late Palestinian leader Faisal Husseini launched his political career around 1980, he chose to work out of the Orient House in East Jerusalem. According to the Orient House's website, the iconic building was the site of diplomatic meetings including German Emperor Kaiser Wilhelm when he visited Jerusalem in 1898.
When Sharif Hussein Bin Ali al-Hashemi of Mecca passed away in 1931, the Hashemites — including King Abdullah, King Ali and Prince Zaid — accepted condolences at the Orient House for their father, who was buried at Al-Haram al-Sharif.
In 1948, Abdel Qader al-Husseini, head of Al-Quds Brigades, for the last time led a group of Palestinian fighters in their effort to hold off underground Zionist groups. He was killed in April 1948, and a month later, on May 14, Israel declared independence and was quickly recognized by the world community.
In 1980, Husseini, the son of Abdel Qader, established the Arab Studies Society and used the Orient House to house it. The center contained a library, research facilities and a map department. Husseini, the son of a Palestinian hero and well respected in Jerusalem and Palestine, quickly gained popularity. Local, regional and international politicians came to visit him at the Orient House.
