Jacir Palace Hotel

For months after fighting erupted between Israeli troops and Palestinians in the West Bank, the Jacir Palace, the first five-star hotel built in the Palestinian-controlled territories, struggled to stay alive. The staff of the opulent hotel grew adept at herding guests to the basement bar, for protection whenever gun battles erupted at a holy site just down the street, or Israeli tank shells rained down nearby.

For months after fighting erupted between Israeli troops and Palestinians in the West Bank, the Jacir Palace, the first five-star hotel built in the Palestinian-controlled territories, struggled to stay alive. The staff of the opulent hotel grew adept at herding guests to the basement bar, for protection whenever gun battles erupted at a holy site just down the street, or Israeli tank shells rained down nearby.