A short distance from where the River Jordan leaves the Kinneret to meander through the Jordan Valley - and supposedly on to the Dead Sea - a room specially designed for peacemaking basks in the afternoon sunshine, but behind a locked door.

The "Peace Room" is a special feature of Beit Gabriel, a splendid art and cultural center combining artistry, adventurous architecture and state-of-the-art interior, design with a natural serenity found lakeside at Tzemach.

The stunning "Peace Room" was the venue for an historic meeting between the late King Hussein of Jordan and Prime Minister of Israel Yitzhak Rabin who came to meet there in November, 1994 to reaffirm and discuss the terms of the peace treaty signed a few weeks before by Rabin and Jordanian Prime Minister Abdul-Salam Majali.

Beit Gabriel hugs the nowadays disappearing water line of the Kinneret where, unfortunately, due to the drought, an unwanted island has appeared in the near distance, emphasizing the difficulty of keeping up part of the agreements made by the State of Israel to the Hashemite Kingdom in the 1994 peace treaty.

Together with Yitzhak Rabin and King Hussein at the Beit Gabriel discussion were the king's brother, Prince Hassan, U.S. Secretary of State Christopher Warren, UN Special Envoy Terje Larsen and other well-known personalities. A short time after the meeting, Israel and Jordan appointed ambassadors and opened embassies in Tel Aviv and Amman.

The sheer beauty of the design and furnishings in the "Peace Room," and the natural beauty of the Kinneret and mountain ranges on either side of the waters must surely help influence a positive outcome to any meetings held there. The breathtaking view in all its glory is available to every person – immaterial of where they are sitting - at the huge round highly polished dark wooden table, the powerful effect being attained through the use of eight large windows and equally large mirrors on the walls around.

The dignitaries of 1994 each sat in one of the red leather upholstered chairs arranged around the table, and there are gifts on view in the center portion of the table – including, side by side, small Israeli and Jordanian flags that are reflected much larger in the highly polished table surface.

A neatly folded red and white headdress (kaffiya) sits on the table in front of one of the chairs. On the historic November '94 day when two former army officers, one the Hashemite king and the other the Prime Minister of Israel, met to reaffirm the peace treaty, this was the seat occupied by King Hussein. The headdress was presented to Beit Gabriel after the king died and sits in his honor and memory at the negotiating table for peace with a phenomenal view of the Naftali mountains on one side of the lake, Golan Heights on the other and the Gilead Mountains of Jordan where they and the Golan Heights almost meet at Hammat Gader (El Hama).

Beit Gabriel was established by the Gabriel Sherover Foundation, headed by the late Gita Sherover together with Zeev (Velvele) Shor, the former head of the Jordan Valley Regional Council in memory of Sherover’s only son – Gabriel. The planning and construction of the attractive complex focused on the Venezuelan-born philanthropist's vision of establishing a cultural home and spiritual life center for local residents and anyone entering its gates who cherished culture and the arts – and peace. Hence a room put aside for embracing those from conflicting sides who wished to bridge the divide.

In the entrance of the unique structure there are enlarged photographs of Yitzhak Rabin, King Hussein and Warren Christopher shaking hands on the shores of the Kinneret, the expressions on their faces the answer to the dream of Gita Sherover.

The Peace Room is available for meetings and tours by prior arrangement. It is open every day except Sundays.

For information and reservations:

Tel: 04 675 1175

Fax: 04 675 1178

Email: bg@betgabriel.co.il