(AP) Dusan Vranic - The would-be Palestinian parliament is empty, a glum reminder of what might have been. Pigeons have covered the unused plenum hall with thick layers of droppings. Construction began in 1996 in Abu Dis, just outside Jerusalem city limits, as Israel and the Palestinians were negotiating interim agreements that set up the Palestinian autonomy government. Construction was halted in 2003 during the Second Intifada. After Hamas won the Palestinian legislative elections in 2006, parliament stopped functioning altogether. The structure lies in ruins, its entrance overgrown with weeds. Wiring dangles from ceilings. But Abu Dis is back in the news, rumored to be part of the peace plan being devised by the Trump administration.
2018-07-13 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive