Jacir Palace or Qasr Jacir is the largest hotel in Bethlehem

Bethlehem

Bethlehem is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank of the Jordan River, near Israel and approximately south of Jerusalem, with a population of about 30,000 people. It is the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate of the Palestinian National Authority and a hub of Palestinian culture and tourism...

 in the central West Bank

West Bank

The West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...

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

Arab

Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...

 household. Jacir Palace has three floors, each spanning 800 square meters. The newly-built hotel added an outdoor swimming pool, a health spa, two meeting rooms, 250 available rooms and eleven food and beverage outlets including restaurants and bars.

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 Emily

Emily Jacir

Emily Jacir is a Palestinian artist. Born in Bethlehem, Jacir spent her childhood in Saudi Arabia, attending high school in Italy. She divides her time between New York and Ramallah....

 and Annemarie Jacir

Annemarie Jacir

Annemarie Jacir was born on January 17, 1974, she is a Palestinian filmmaker and poet.She has been working in independent cinema since 1994 and has written, directed and produced a number of award-winning films including Until When, A Few Crumbs for the Birds, and a Post Oslo History. She was...

), who intended that he and his five brothers’ families would live in the house together. So they did for a time, however, the family went bankrupt in the 1930s and were forced to abandon the palace as well as sell all the furniture inside. The Jacir family never recovered from this economic devastation. Jacir Palace was eventually taken over by the British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 who used it as a 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 Israeli Army, particularly during the first intifada, 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 Israeli Army. The building which was designed by an ally of the Grand Mufti, still sports engraved Swastikas.

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

Palestinian National Authority

The Palestinian Authority is the administrative organization established to govern parts of the West Bank and Gaza Strip...

— acquired Jacir Palace; they refurbished and renovated it soon after. However, the hotel was closed down from 2000 to 2005.