Palestinians fail to react to Israeli closure threat

The police drafted in extra forces

The police drafted in extra forces. Security was tightened at the Temple Mount, where tens of thousands of Palestinians gathered for Friday prayers. The Hebrew newspapers carried banner headlines warning of a possible surge of violence. TV crews gathered for the spectacle.

But a much-publicised new decision by the Israeli government to close down offices in the Orient House, the Palestinians' political headquarters in East Jerusalem, provoked nothing but apathy among the Palestinians yesterday. The police were unemployed. The imam leading the Friday prayers, far from whipping worshippers into a frenzy over the decision, neglected to so much as mention it. The camera crews had nothing to film.

Thursday night's decision by the Prime Minister, Mr Benjamin Netanyahu, and his key ministers was described by an opposition politician as "political machoism." President Ezer Weizman suggested wearily that Mr Netanyahu ought to "calm down".

The official effectively in charge of the Orient House, Mr Faisal Husseini, Mr Yasser Arafat's point man on Jerusalem affairs, branded the move an election gimmick, has continued to host overseas diplomats there this week, and is adamant that business will continue as usual in the future.

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At the root of yesterday's mild reactions to so potentially sensitive an Israeli government decision is the question of Mr Netanyahu's credibility. Put simply, the Palestinian leadership and public do not believe that any closure orders will actually be implemented; rather, they think that Mr Netanyahu is blowing hot air, out to impress the Israeli electorate with his hard-line stance against Palestinian rights in East Jerusalem, symbolised by this small former hotel.

Mr Husseini or his colleagues now have the right to argue before Israeli judicial officials that their activities at the century-old building do not constitute a breach of any Israeli laws. If they fail, they can still appeal the closure orders. Only if their appeals fail would the Israeli police attempt to enter the Orient House; only then, it seems, would there be work for the police and the TV crews.