RAMALLAH, West Bank — The Palestinian Ministry of Culture is facing a major challenge as it considers saving Jenin Cinema, the only cinema in Jenin province in the northern West Bank. The cinema runs the risk of being demolished after its board of directors decided Aug. 23 to shut it down and put it up for sale, Jenin Cinema Director Lamih al-Assir told Al-Monitor.

The board's decision to sell the cinema — which was founded by four Palestinian families in Jenin in 1958 and was one of the largest and most successful cinemas in Palestine — was made after the cinema’s earnings tumbled over the last three years, leaving its owners with no other choice but to put it up for sale. As a result, the cinema that was the province’s only window to cinematic and cultural life shut its doors.

Assir, whose family is one of the cinema's founders and one of its largest owners, said that given its age, the cinema is seen as a cultural center of special character, and if the Palestinian Ministry of Culture does not intervene to buy the cinema, it will run the risk of demolition. A Palestinian businessman, whose name has not been made public, is seeking to buy the building for 1.25 million Jordanian dinars (roughly $1.7 million); he has proposed to demolish the cinema and build a mall in its place.

Several investors and businessmen have shown interest in buying the cinema, as it is located in Jenin's commercial center and is a public transportation hub for passengers from the surrounding villages and towns. According to Assir, four offers have been made by investors who are planning to demolish the cinema and establish a commercial project.