The
Residents say they would prefer
shoppers to gamblers. Before the Oslo
peace accords, Israelis traveling from
Jerusalem to the north via the Jordan
Valley had no choice but to pass
through Jericho, then one of the safest
places in the West Bank.
They would stop at its outdoor
restaurants and its colorful fruit and
vegetable stands. Now, as part of new
security arrangements, a bypass road has
been built, allowing Israelis to travel
through the Jordan Valley without
going through Jericho.
"We believe that whoever visits the
casino will not make it to Jericho prop-
er," said Kzeam Modget, chairman of
the local chamber of commerce.
Indeed, because the casino is located
just inside the Palestinian side of the
border with Israel, visitors will still be
able to avoid the center of Jericho.
Residents prefer
shoppers to
gamblers
/—'
Downtown Jericho has one main
square, with several gray and empty
streets leading onto it. There are shabby
buildings, and local residents walk
around with sour countenances. Only
the palm trees and the green orchards in
this Jordan Valley oasis add a touch of
brightness.
One of the ancient buildings near
the main square is the Hisham Palace
Hotel, which reopened in 1995. Sheik
Rajai Abdu, a Muslim cleric and co-
owner of this family business, returned
to Jericho after a lengthy stay in the
United States, hoping that the hotel
could serve as headquarters of the
Palestinian Authority and enjoy the
potential tourism boom.
But neither the government nor the
tourists materialized — and the hotel's
30 rooms are still empty.
Although the casino possibly could
help his business, Abdu still opposes
the plan.
"Casinos in the Holy Land go
against our religion. But even in busi-
ness terms, it is not the kind of tourist
attractions we would like to see here,"
says the liberal Muslim cleric.
The fact that the Palestinian
Authority approved the project and
gave it the necessary licenses, proves, in
Abdu's eyes, "how corrupt our leaders
are."
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