Subscribe to one of our news e-mail lists . With its chained gates, empty parking lot and missing plate glass windows shot out months ago, the ornate Oasis Casino represents an early casualty of the current Mideast conflict. Now, with Israelis and Palestinians casting for ways to restore a bit of normalcy to their relations, they've raised the possibility of reopening the once bustling casino, which was a money maker for the Palestinians and a magnet for Israeli gamblers. But even this seemingly modest proposal, which appeared to have support earlier in the week, has sparked a mini-crisis. It may be just a public relations campaign by the Israelis.
Deeds are what count.
Israel said the restrictions were for security. We are not paying protection money. We are not saying, 'Don't kill us, and we will open a casino for you. The casino, which sits in an isolated patch of scrub brush on the outskirts of Jericho, was a symbol of Arab-Israeli economic cooperation after it opened in 1998. Israelis arrived by the busload and spent freely at Oasis, the only casino in either Israel or the Palestinian territories.