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Diplomatic
activity has always been a part of life at the Orient
House. In 1898, a tea party was held by
Palestinian dignitaries in honor of German Emperor
Kaiser Wilhelm on his historic visit to the Holy City.
In 1930, King Abdallah, King Ali and Prince Zaid
accepted condolences at the Orient House when their
father, Sharif Hussein Ben Ali (Sharif of Mecca), was
buried in the Haram al-Sharif and in 1936, Emperor Haile
Selassie of Ethiopia took refuge in the confines of the
Orient House after being forced out of Ethiopia.
The
International Relations Department at the Orient House
was created in 1995 in order to develop official
diplomatic relations with Palestinian representatives in
Jerusalem as well as relations with international
organizations and individuals.
The Department fosters
relations with the twelve Consulates in East Jerusalem
as well as with the growing number of Representative
Offices. The Department briefs diplomatic
officials on the latest developments in Jerusalem both
politically and from the field and coordinates various
development projects with the various offices in the
area of culture, health, civic institutions, schools,
etc.
In order to increase
international solidarity with Palestinians in Jerusalem,
the Department also fosters relations with a network of
international organizations and pursues numerous
projects with them and holds regular briefings and tours
for delegations from all over the world.
The Department is divided into
the European File, the American and Canadian File, the
file for the Arab World and the Asian File.
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