How Faith is Realpolitik in the Holy Land
Gregory Khalil Thursday, 16 September 2010
Every true acolyte of the Middle East Peace Process will one day make a certain pilgrimage. She will follow in the footsteps of an illustrious group before her. From presidents to tycoons, senators to celebrities, fabled negotiators to the world's leading opinion makers—all seek insight into one of the world's most vexing problems in the same place. This must-visit pilgrimage site is not a holy shrine or even a presidential retreat. Instead, it is a luxury hotel.
Nestled just north of Jerusalem's Old City, the American Colony Hotel is a unique institution. Founded nearly a century ago by wealthy American pilgrims, the hotel is an arrestingly beautiful mash of stone oriental architecture, charming guest rooms, and gardens. An eclectic mix of A-list jetsetters, diplomats, non-governmental organization (NGO) workers, journalists, and occasional tourists seems to hold court there, exchanging grand visions of a re-imagined Middle East within its exquisite courtyard or labyrinth of cloistered spaces. This self-described "oasis where Jews and Arabs comfortably meet" is where the rough-and-ready business of everyday Middle East peacemaking gets done.
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