RAMALLAH, West Bank — In September 1998, the city of Jericho was in for an unusual event. Only four years after the advent of the Palestinian Authority (PA), Palestinians witnessed the opening of the Oasis Casino, the largest gambling hall in the Middle East at the time.
The casino was inaugurated in partnership with Palestinian figures and Austrian-Israeli businessman Martin Schlaff. The project was the largest investment project in the West Bank since the Oslo Accord and reflected the joint relations between the PA and Israel back then.
