Across the globe, spies gather in inconspicuous dens where they meet contacts and hold discreet conversations. This week, Intelligence Online explores Jerusalem's Austrian Pilgrim Hospice, which, as well as hosting pilgrims, serves as a venue for negotiations in the Old City.
Located in the heart of the Muslim quarter of Jerusalem's Old City, the Austrian Pilgrim Hospice of the Holy Family offers visiting pilgrims and tourists a haven of peace amid the urban hustle and bustle. That is because this guest house-cum-Viennese cultural centre is robustly secure. As a result, its reception rooms and Café Triest are increasingly frequented by spymasters, diplomats and religious mediators who come to hold discreet talks in the shade of olive trees overlooking the city's rooftops.
