Jerusalem Municipality Sues Husseini Family for 4.9 Million Shekels Over Orient House
The municipality claims that the prominent Palestinian family — owners of the building that served the PLO and has been closed since 2001 by government order — did not pay property tax (arnona) between 2020 and 2025.
The Jerusalem Municipality is suing the Husseini family for 4.9 million shekels, claiming property tax (arnona) debts for the Orient House in the city. The building, which was one of the centers of the Palestinian Authority's activity in the city, has been closed by government order since 2001, but according to the law, even vacant property is subject to property tax.
The Husseini family is one of the two most important Palestinian families in Jerusalem for about 150 years (alongside the Nashashibi family). Among its famous members were Abd al-Qader al-Husseini, commander of the gangs in the War of Independence, and Faisal Husseini, one of the leaders of the Palestinian Authority. The lawsuit was filed against the Husseini Waqf — a family trust that owns the Orient House, through Lina Husseini-Halabi and Miral Husseini.
The Orient House is located on Abu Ubaida Street in the Bab az-Zahra (Flowers Gate) neighborhood in East Jerusalem. It was built at the end of the 19th century by Ismail Husseini as a villa for his residence, and over the years it also served as a guest house for high-ranking guests, a hotel, and the seat of various Palestinian institutions. In the 80s and 90s of the 20th century, it was the headquarters of the PLO in Jerusalem. The government ordered its closure in August 2001, during the Second Intifada, and after the death of Faisal Husseini, the institutions vacated it and it has stood empty ever since.
In the lawsuit, filed in the Jerusalem District Court, the municipality claims that it had already sued the Waqf in 2019 for previous property tax debts totaling 2.8 million shekels. In 2024, the parties agreed that the Waqf would pay off this debt. Parallel to the current lawsuit, the municipality opened a file with the Execution Office regarding the previous lawsuit, as the debt was not settled despite long and arduous negotiations. The current debt is for the years 2020-2025 and includes interest and linkage differentials. The lawsuit was filed by attorney Lior Shapira and a statement of defense has not yet been filed.
