News Brief

(IsraelNN.com) The Palestinian Authority (PA) is making plans to reopen eastern Jerusalem's Orient House, which housed the unofficial offices of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). Israel has shut down the offices, relying on the Oslo Accords that prohibit the PA from conducting operations in Israel.

Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas has appointed Adnan Husseini as special advisor for Jerusalem. Media reports quoted one official as saying, "The issue of Jerusalem is once again on the table."

Husseini, whose late cousin Faisal Husseini was the top PLO leader in the city, stated he would try to convince Israel to reopen the Orient House, which has become a symbol of sovereignty in eastern Jerusalem. "Israel must accept the fact that we will never give up our claim to Jerusalem," he told the Jerusalem Post. "Peace can't be achieved by denying the rights of the others. Disrespect for others is a sign of weakness, not strength."