The True North!
Posted 24 January 2024 - 07:23 AM
The True North!
Posted 30 January 2024 - 09:51 AM
[This article is the fourth part of The Armenian Quarter Files, a series of investigations into a controversial land deal in occupied East Jerusalem].
On the morning of 28 December 2023, a group of masked men descended on the Armenian Quarter in the Old City of Jerusalem, and started dismantling a fence surrounding the quarter’s parking lot in the Cows’ Garden area.
Members of the local Armenian community had recently erected this barrier. For almost a year, they have been protesting a controversial land lease agreement between the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem and Xana Gardens Ltd, an Israeli firm owned by the ‘mysterious’ Australian Jewish investor Danny Rothman.
The presence of the masked men led to a confrontation with Armenian community members, requiring the intervention of the Israeli police to separate the two sides.
Contrary to initial reports describing the confrontation as a “brawl” between “some Arab Muslim men and some men from the Armenian community”, court documents obtained by The New Arab (TNA) Investigative Unit show that Xana Gardens had actually hired the masked assailants.
The documents suggest that these individuals travelled for two and half hours to Jerusalem to carry out the work of dismantling the fence, bringing knives, batons, pepper spray and a dog with them.
Background
The controversy around the deal started in April 2023, when news broke out that some 13% of the Armenian Quarter in Israeli-occupied East Jerusalem was leased to Xana Gardens to construct a luxury hotel.
The homes of some Jerusalem Armenians, threatened by displacement, were allegedly included in the deal.
Palestinian Christians are increasingly being driven out of Jerusalem, sometimes through systematic attempts by settler organisations to take over church property.
The Armenian Quarter is especially susceptible to these attempts as it intersects the main access road between Israeli West Jerusalem and the Old City’s Jewish Quarter, making it “prime real estate in Israeli eyes”.
Both the Palestinian Authority and Jordan have withdrawn their recognition of Armenian Patriarch Nourhan Manougian, who signed off on the deal.
Eventually, the Armenian Patriarchate reversed course, and announced on 1 November 2023 that it had informed Xana Gardens of the cancellation of the lease agreement.
According to the state prosecutor, the vehicles of the masked men contained 'batons, a quantity of pepper spray, knives, an electric saw'. The group had also brought a dog, which they claimed they had taken for a walk with them.
Things have continued to escalate ever since.
In late October 2023, Armenian activists denounced the start of alleged “illegal construction” on the site of the leased land, with local residents reportedly intervening to halt the works.
Construction works saw the destruction of a short wall that used to separate the parking lot from other Armenian Patriarchate property.
As a consequence, members of the Armenian community erected a fence to replace the wall, and set up a vigil to monitor any other encroachment.
On 4-5 November 2023, Danny Rothman confronted the protestors, accompanied by a group of armed Jewish settlers. Also present was Arab Christian businessman George Warwar, who allegedly owns almost half the shares of Xana Gardens, according to the Armenian Patriarchate.
The New Arab contacted Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem Fleur Hassan-Nahoum over email to ask how she was able to establish that 'Arab Muslims' were involved in the confrontation. 'I was made aware of the incidence [sic] and I spoke to the police who informed me of the brawl and of the arrests,' she said.
Fears of the involvement of settler organisations in the deal were further substantiated by the emergence of a picture taken at Jerusalem's Waldorf Astoria Hotel and supposedly showing Rothman and Warwar speaking with representatives of Ateret Cohanim.
Ateret Cohanim is a radical settler organisation based in the Old City’s Muslim Quarter, known for having acquired Greek Orthodox Church properties through what has been described as “delinquent behaviour, which includes extortion and fraud”.
All Israeli settlements in occupied East Jerusalem, including the Old City, are illegal under international law.
TNA contacted Daniel Luria, the executive director of Ateret Cohanim, to inquire whether his organisation is involved in the Armenian Patriarchate land deal.
He said that “Ateret Cohanim has no connection whatsoever to the acquisition (long term lease) of the Armenian property in question inside the old city of Jerusalem.”
TNA contacted Danny Rothman over email and George Warwar over WhatsApp and phone to ask for comments about this article. We also contacted the lawyers of Xana Gardens over email. At time of publication, we have not received any response from them.
In December 2023, Attorney Itamar Miron spoke to Israeli newspaper Haaretz on behalf of Xana Gardens, saying: “It is clear that the Palestinian Authority (and other foreign entities) have applied pressure a number of times on the patriarchate to withdraw from the deal. According to reports that have reached my clients, this is heavy pressure, and illegal, including financial harm to the patriarchate.”
"It is clear that the idle claims are intended to create a legal pretext for the Palestinian Authority's claim that Jewish-owned companies must be forbidden to own land in the Old City of Jerusalem,” he added.
A “brawl” over a fence
In a Facebook livestream recorded on the morning of 28 December 2023 by Father Tiran Hakobyan, who works at the Armenian Patriarchate, about a dozen men can be seen taking down the structure. One of the men is using an electric saw to cut the wired part of the fence.
While some of the men were wearing caps and sunglasses, others covered their faces with gaiter masks or hoodies.
As more members of the Armenian community started to gather around, a few masked men pulled out what looked like quick-release pepper spray, and used it to disperse the crowd.
Retaliation quickly followed. Two members from the Armenian community rushed forward, carrying sticks and spraying a fire extinguisher. The police intervened shortly after.
In the aftermath, the police arrested two members of the Armenian community before releasing them a day later.
A religiously motivated crime?
Less than two hours later, the Armenian Patriarchate issued an “urgent communiqué”, stating that “a massive coordinated physical attack was launched” against the Patriarchate’s clergymen, as well as Jerusalem’s Armenian community.
“Over 30 armed provocateurs in ski-masks with lethal and less-than-lethal weaponry including powerful nerve-agents [...] broke into the grounds of the Cow’s [sic] garden and began their vicious assault,” stated the communiqué.
TNA was not able to confirm the number of masked men who were present in the quarter that day. We were also unable to determine whether nerve agents had been used in the attack. The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) classifies pepper spray as a less-lethal riot control agent.
According to a local resident who was present at the confrontation, some of them were from Haifa, while others came from Israel’s Northern District. “Some were [Palestinian Arab] bedouins too, judging by their accent,” he told TNA.
'The authorities should do everything necessary to prevent and to make sure that communities - not only the Armenian community, and not only the Armenian Quarter - will be a safe place to live,”'Hagop Djernazian, local Armenian resident and co-founder of SaveTheArQ, told The New Arab.
For the Armenian Patriarchate, however, it was pretty clear who was responsible for the attack.
“We call upon the Israeli government and Police to start an investigation against Danny Rothman (Rubinstein) and George Warwar [also known as George Haddad] for organising their continuous criminal attacks on the Armenian Patriarchate and Community,” read the statement.
According to Israeli newspaper The Jerusalem Post, the police did receive the communiqué, but did not confirm at the time whether it had found links between Rothman, Warwar and the masked men.
The Jerusalem Post also spoke with Fleur Hassan-Nahoum, Jerusalem deputy mayor in charge of foreign relations. She stated that “there was an unfortunate incident where some Arab Muslim men and some men from the Armenian community got into a brawl in the old city of Jerusalem.”
“The city of Jerusalem will not tolerate any criminal activity, whether religiously motivated or otherwise, and the police will prosecute those responsible,” Hassan-Nahoum added.
TNA contacted Hassan-Nahoum over email to ask how she was able to establish that “Arab Muslims” were involved in the confrontation. She explained that she was told so by the Jerusalem police.
“I was made aware of the incidence [sic] and I spoke to the police who informed me of the brawl and of the arrests,“ she said.
Hagop Djernazian, a local Armenian resident who was present at the scene of the confrontation, disagrees with Hassan-Nahoum’s qualification of the incident as a “brawl”.
“The only thing that happened [...] is that the community was attacked by thugs, by people who received the money to attack community members,” he told The New Arab.
Hagop Djernazian is the co-founder of SaveTheArQ, a group of activists formed in the aftermath of the initial protests against the controversial land deal.
Israeli journalist Nir Hasson, who has been recently reporting on the deal for Haaretz, wrote in a post on X that “the masked ones are probably Palestinians from East Jerusalem”, before issuing a correction later that “they are Arabs from the North or the centre, not Jerusalemites.”
The contradicting information about the identity of the masked men and their motives continued to swirl on social media later that day, leading some to speculate that the attackers had religious motivations.
The police investigation
TNA contacted over email and WhatsApp Master Sgt. Elsdune, the Israeli police foreign press spokesperson, to ask whether the police had opened an investigation into Danny Rothman and George Warwar, as requested by the Armenian Patriarchate. No reply has been received in time for publication.
After being arrested, the masked men were taken to the Merhav David police station, which is located on the Armenian Patriarchate street, and watches over the Christian, Muslim and Armenian Quarters of the Old City in Jerusalem.
Contrary to initial reports describing the confrontation as a 'brawl' between 'some Arab Muslim men and some men from the Armenian community', court documents obtained by The New Arab Investigative Unit show that Xana Gardens had actually hired the masked assailants.
TNA also contacted police Chief Avi Cohen from the Merhav David station over email, to ask how many men were arrested, and whether the police were behind the claim that “Arab Muslims” were involved in the incident in the Armenian Quarter. No response has been received in time for publication.
TNA obtained a copy of the court order, issued on 29 December 2023, which set the bail conditions for the arrested men. Only eleven individuals, out of the alleged 30 who attacked the quarter, were listed in it as defendants.
The court order provides additional details on the relation between the assailants and Xana Gardens.
“There is no dispute that all the detainees here are employees of the Xana Gardens company, which is the lessee of the property where they were asked to dismantle the fence,” the lawyer for the defendants was quoted saying. “No one updated them regarding a dispute or lawsuit, they were just told to come from the North, release the fence and return,” he added.
The state prosecutor, also present at the court hearing, had a different view. According to him, the vehicles of the masked men contained “batons, a quantity of pepper spray, knives, an electric saw”. The group had also brought a dog, which they claimed they had taken for a walk with them.
As part of the conditions for their release, the masked men were excluded from visiting Jerusalem for 45 days, after the state prosecutor explained that “[they] are not related to here [i.e. Jerusalem], they are from the North, it is a two and a half hour drive, they have never been to Jerusalem”.
Finally, the police were required to return the money seized from the eleven individuals, which they suspected was disbursed as payment by Xana Gardens.
Who can stop the provocations?
TNA asked Deputy Mayor Hassan-Nahoum whether the city of Jerusalem had taken any actions to prevent further violence. She said that “the police arrested some of the men who had started the altercation and are awaiting prosecution and trail [sic]. Jerusalem will not tolerate violent crime from anyone in the city. [...] Our holy sites, mosques and churches [are] always well protected by police and camera surveillance.”
Camera surveillance has so far failed to protect Jerusalem’s Armenian Christians from violent attacks, ranging from physical assault to being spat on. Many of these incidents, though caught on camera, are rarely prosecuted.
TNA asked Hagop Djernazian, the Armenian activist, if he was aware of any action taken by the city of Jerusalem to help prosecute criminal activity in the Armenian Quarter. He said: “I don't know any steps that were taken or will be taken by the Jerusalem municipality or the authorities to prevent these attacks”.
“The authorities should do everything necessary to prevent and to make sure that communities - not only the Armenian community, and not only the Armenian Quarter - will be a safe place to live,” Djernazian added.
Less than a week after speaking to TNA, on 23 January, according to Armenian activists, one of George Warwar’s “henchmen” reportedly assaulted Djernazian himself, in the presence of Israeli police. According to the activists, the assailant has been arrested.
Jerusalem-based Jessica Buxbaum contributed to this article.
The True North!
Posted 30 January 2024 - 09:58 AM
Publisher, California Courier
Armenian activist Hagop Djernazian physically assaulted in Jerusalem
On January 23, following an attack by the mercenaries of Xana Capital on the members of the Armenian community of Jerusalem, one of the aggressors—with clear intent—approached Hagop Djernazian, co-founder of Save The ArQ (movement for the defense and preservation of the Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem) and punched him in the face in front of the Israeli Police.
The local authorities immediately arrested the assailant and sent him to the “Moscobieh” prison pending a court hearing. The following day, the Israeli Police issued a 15-day restraining order against the aggressor from the Old City of Jerusalem, as well as a 30-day restraining order from the Cows’ Garden property located in the Armenian Quarter.
After emergency consultations with global lead counsel for the SavetheArQ movement, Karnig Kerkonian of Kerkonian Dajani LLP, it was decided to direct the ArQ’s criminal lawyer in Jerusalem, Assaf Golan, to prepare a court filing and legal package in the coming days aimed at ensuring the safety and security of the community from further attacks.
Since November 5, 2023, Danny Rothman and George Warwar, representatives of Xana Capital, have continued their intimidation tactics against the community via bulldozers, Israeli settlers, and thugs. This marks the 10th such attack.
The True North!
Posted 03 February 2024 - 08:38 AM
THE Armenian Christian community of Jerusalem is under the “greatest existential threat of its 16-century history”, its Patriarch has said, owing to a dispute over a valuable piece of land inside the Old City.
The Armenian Patriarchate is in dispute over a lease with an Australian-Israeli land developer who plans to build a luxury hotel on the land, the Cows’ Garden, which lies along the main path from the Jaffa Gate to the Western Wall and the Jewish Quarter.
About 2000 Armenian Christians live in the district: the oldest Armenian diaspora in the world. Cows’ Garden is a plot used in ancient times for cattle; now, it is the site of a seminary, the Armenian Patriarch’s garden, and the homes of five Armenian families. It makes up 25 per cent of the Armenian district.
The Armenian Patriarch Nourhan Manougian of Jerusalem signed a 99-year lease in 2021 with the developer Xana Gardens. The deal did not become public for two years, but caused outrage in the community when it came to light last summer. Jordan and the Palestinian Authority withdrew their recognition of the Patriarch over concerns about the deal.
Patriarch Manougian, however, says that he was not aware of the terms of the lease, and blamed a priest, Fr Baret Yeretzian, who, the Patriarch alleges, signed it on his behalf. Fr Yeretsian has fled to the United States. The deal was reportedly for a lump sum of $2 million, and a yearly rent of $300,000, which Armenians have said is far below its real worth, and much less than previous offers received for the land.
Patriarch Manougian wrote to the developer, Danny Rothman, who is also known by the name Rubenstein, to cancel the lease in October. The Patriarch said that it had not been properly approved by the Synod of the Brotherhood of St James. Mr Rothman’s company is based in Dubai, but is understood to be involved in tourism in Israel. He has turned down all requests to speak to the media.
The Patriarch has, at times, joined protesters who formed a 24-hour barricade to protect the Cows’ Garden in the autumn. A large tent has been put up to house protesters, and it was in the tent that many celebrated Christmas Day on 19 January, the traditional holiday date for Armenian Christians in Jerusalem.
Jewish settlers and representatives of Xana Gardens, including, at one point, Mr Rothman, have turned up with bulldozers to try to force through the barricade, but the community refused to move, despite alleged intimidation.
Afterwards, the Armenian Patriarchate put out an urgent communiqué, which said: “The Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem is under possibly the greatest existential threat of its 16-century history. This existential territorial threat fully extends to all the Christian communities of Jerusalem.
“The Armenian Patriarchate has recently cancelled a contract tainted with false representation, undue influence, and unlawful benefits.”
It said that the developer had not offered a “lawful response to the cancellation”, and accused the police of collusion. “In recent days, the vast destruction and removal of asphalt on the grounds of the Armenian Quarter has been done without the presentation of permits from the municipality, neither the developer, nor the police. Despite this fact, the police have chosen in the last few days to demand that all members of the Armenian Community vacate the premises.”
The Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem responded to the communiqué with an _expression_ of “grave concern” over the events in the Armenian quarter.
“The illegal actions taken by the alleged developer against the Armenian Patriarchate and community are not conducive for the social order that the peaceful and law-abiding Armenian community, which is a member of our Christian family in the Holy Land, longs for.
“The provocations that are being used by the alleged developers to deploy incendiary tactics threaten to erase the Armenian presence in the area, weakening and endangering the Christian presence in the Holy Land.
“As the Heads of the Churches, we express our solidarity with the Armenian Patriarchate and community in their decision to take the proper legal procedures in their cancellation of this transaction, and urgently appeal to all relevant governmental and non-governmental bodies able to assist in this matter to help us restore the former peace and harmony enjoyed by all those who have used this land in the Armenian quarter.”
No comment from the developer was available.
The True North!
Posted 06 February 2024 - 08:17 AM
Although he lives nearby, Setrag Balian spent the night in a tent. He and other young Armenian activists take turns so that someone can raise the alarm if the bulldozers return to their neighborhood in the historic walled citadel of Jerusalem. It had already happened by surprise last November, when the war in Gaza monopolized the world’s attention.
Dozens of people, some armed and some with dogs, showed up at dawn to begin raising the ground in compliance with an opaque real estate operation. The result is that the normally quiet neighborhood that has been populated for 1,500 years by the oldest Armenian community in the diaspora, is now on a war footing.
The activists stopped them and — in an unprecedented image in an area best known for its cathedral and its potters — erected fences, barbed wire and Armenian flags in the middle of the large parking lot that the patriarch and a priest agreed to lease for 98 years to an Australian-Israeli businessman to build a luxury hotel.
In any other place on the planet, it would have been a simple sale, but everyone looks at each other with suspicion in Jerusalem’s Old City because ultranationalist Jewish organizations have been acquiring properties for years through straw men, in a hidden struggle to colonize the territory little by little. “It is the biggest existential problem that our community has experienced here. We are not stupid, nor were we born yesterday. You only have to join the dots,” says Balian.
The situation has been escalating since last April, when the community learned about the content of the contract that was signed in 2021. It affects about 3 acres of land — a parking lot (on land known as the Cow’s Garden), some buildings that belong to the Patriarchate and five private houses. It is 25% of the part of the neighborhood under Armenian control, since it also houses a large police station and the Tower of David Museum, which are in Israeli hands.
The asking price was $2 million, well below such a coveted location. An apartment with a view in the Jewish Quarter annex of the Old City can cost up to six million shekels ($1.6 million). The Armenian quarter, which has seen its population decline over the years (about 1,500 today), lies along the only way to reach the Western Wall through the citadel by car, and also houses the gate that gives access to Mount Zion.
Upon finding out, a good part of the Armenian neighborhood rose up against Patriarch Nourhan Manougian. He barely left the convent and had to listen to demonstrations every Friday in which they called him a “traitor” and displayed a cloth to mark a “red line.”
It was the final _expression_ of the gap that had grown between young people and the Patriarchate, which manages civil and religious affairs of the Armenian community. The 75-year-old Manougian, who was one of the signatories of the agreement, blamed and expelled Baret Yeretsian, the cleric who oversaw it and who had to be protected by Israeli police from an angry mob before escaping to California.
“The reasons for the community’s reaction were moral but also practical. We cannot add a single room here, while in the Jewish quarter they build five-story buildings. Parking is a huge problem and there are people who come to school from Bethlehem,” explains George Hintlian at the community center. The historian specializes in the Armenian presence in Jerusalem. He is also one of the community’s main figures and former number two of the Patriarchate. “There was also an element of surprise and anger at discovering the amount of land in the contract. At first the Patriarchate was not clear about that,” he adds.
Like everything in the Holy Land, the matter soon acquired a political dimension. The Kingdom of Jordan and the president of the Palestinian National Authority Mahmud Abbas withdrew recognition of Manougian as patriarch, preventing him from carrying out transactions or signing contracts in either territory.
At the end of October, the patriarch canceled the deal with the development company Xana Gardens, arguing that it was reached under false pretenses. The legality of the withdrawal is now in court, but the decision changed the situation. The young activists bit the bullet and accepted the patriarch in the protests, while the promoters lost patience and sent in the bulldozers. They demolished a small wall and dug up part of the asphalt.
“They thought that since all the media were busy with Gaza, they could behave like hooligans and physically take control of the place,” says Balian. On his sweatshirt he is wearing a patch depicting the flag of Artsakh. The self-proclaimed republic in Nagorno-Karabakh was formally dissolved on January 1 after the Azerbaijani military victory and the flight of practically the entire Armenian population.
In an unusual show of unity and that the controversy transcends real estate, the leaders of all the churches in the Holy Land issued a joint statement in which they showed their “serious concern” about the events and the risk that they “weaken and jeopardize danger the Christian presence” in the area.
On January 23, the tension rose a few more degrees. At least a dozen men (several masked or covered with hoods and sunglasses) showed up at the scene and one began cutting the fence with an electric saw. A stone fight broke out that ended with several arrests.
It was in the same parking lot where the contract’s co-signatory, the Australian-Israeli Danny Rothman — who sometimes uses the last name Rubinstein and other times uses both — appeared as the buyer. He founded the company Xana Capital in the United Arab Emirates and registered it in Israel in 2021. In a video from November, he can be heard to say scornfully to Bishop Koryun Baghdasaryan, “Go back to your Palestinian friends.”
Rothman transferred half of the shares to George Warwar, a Palestinian with Israeli citizenship, who was recently arrested for assaulting an Armenian activist in front of the police. Warwar — who declined to make any statements to this newspaper, expressing his hope that “the situation will calm down soon” — was recently photographed in a hotel in the city meeting with Matti Dan, among others. Dan is the founder of the extremist movement Ateret Cohanim, which advocates the Judaization of all of Jerusalem.
In 2005, the group bought three buildings from the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate in the Christian quarter of the Old City With funds channeled through a shell company in a tax haven, the group paid well below the buildings’ market price. The then patriarch Irenaios was accused of corruption and was deposed shortly afterwards. The Israeli Supreme Court put an end to almost two decades of legal battle in 2022 by confirming the validity of the controversial purchase.
Ateret Cohanim denies being involved in the operation in the Armenian neighborhood. However, Danny Seidemann, an Israeli lawyer and activist specializing in the city’s geopolitics and founder of the NGO Land Jerusalem, has little doubt that “the initiative is supported by extreme settler organizations in East Jerusalem.”
Seidemann frames it in the policies of recent years aimed at “surrounding the Old City with Jewish settlements” to change its character, “marginalizing” the other identities. “I can’t corroborate it, but if we base it on recent history and some circumstantial evidence, some settlers are acting in collusion with the government of Israel,” he says by phone.
Behind the current situation, there is another score to settle. The Armenians, who have been accused by some Palestinians of appeasement with the Israeli authorities, have not forgotten the aid given through weapons — mainly drones — and technology that Israel provided to Azerbaijan. Israel provided strong support to Azerbaijan both in the 2020 clashes in Nagorno-Karabakh and in its final victory, last September, with a capitulation of the Armenian enclave in just 24 hours. In the weeks prior to the offensive, numerous Azerbaijani military flights were recorded between Israel and a base near Nagorno-Karabakh. “Rather than helping Azerbaijan, Israel participated almost directly. And Artsakh is a very painful topic for us,” says Hintlian.
The True North!
Posted 09 February 2024 - 09:43 AM
The Armenian quarter in Jerusalem’s Old City is facing its biggest crisis in a long time. A Jewish businessman with connections to the radical settler movement is poised to develop a quarter of the neighbourhood’s territory, with plans to build a luxury hotel. If this goes ahead, it will significantly change part of Jerusalem’s Old City and hasten the demographic shift towards the city’s Jewish population which has been happening for some years.
The Armenian quarter actually makes up one-sixth of the Old City (the other quarters being the Muslim, the Christian, and the Jewish) and the Armenian presence in Jerusalem dates back to the 4th century. Together with the neighbouring Christian quarter, it is a stronghold for the city’s small Christian minority. The threat of a takeover of parts of the quarter by Jewish settlers is widely seen as altering the demographic status quo to favour Israel’s interests.
In 2021, the Armenian patriarch of Jerusalem, Nourhan Manougian, agreed a 98-year lease over part of the Armenian quarter with the developers. The agreement covers a significant area that today includes a parking lot, buildings belonging to the office of the Armenian church leader – known as the patriarchate – and the homes of five Armenian families.
News of the deal prompted strong protests among the neighbourhood’s Armenians last year. Such was the depth of feeling that in October, the patriarch and the other church leaders felt compelled to cancel the agreement. This led to violent confrontations between settlers and local Armenians.
After a few quiet weeks, fighting broke out again at the end of December when more than 30 men armed with stones and clubs reportedly attacked the Armenians who had been guarding the area for several weeks.
The dispute has now gone to court. The question is whether the lease agreement is valid or whether the unilateral termination makes the agreement void. The patriarchate has engaged lawyers – local and from Armenia and the US – who will present its case that the agreement was not entered into properly because of irregularities in the contract.
Changing East Jerusalem’s demographyThis is not a single incident. Since the 1967 six-day War, when the whole of Jerusalem came under Israeli control, there has been a concerted effort to change the demography in the traditionally Arab East Jerusalem.
In many places the authorities are evicting the Arab families who have lived there for decades with the explanation that they lack documents that they own the house. Then a Jewish family moves in.
This change of the demography of East Jerusalem happens through evictions, demolitions and buildings restrictions. This is also happening in Jerusalem’s iconic and touristic Old City.
Almost 20 years ago, there was a minor scandal when it emerged that the Greek Orthodox patriarchate, a large property owner, had entered into a long lease agreement with a Jewish settler organisation regarding two historic hotels.
Now we have a similar incident concerning the Armenian patriarchate. Selling or renting out property to Jewish settlers for a long time is viewed extremely negatively by the Palestinians, who have long fought against illegal Jewish settlements in Palestinian areas.
East Jerusalem is of vital importance to the Palestinians. In proposed plans for a two-state solution, it is the intended capital of a future Palestinian state. Decisively changing the demography there is therefore a priority goal for some in Israel – including the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who doesn’t want a two-state solution.
The True North!
Posted 12 February 2024 - 08:51 AM
The Armenian Quarter actually makes up one-sixth of the Old City (the others being the Muslim, Christian and Jewish quarters) and the Armenian presence in Jerusalem dates back to the 4th century. Together with the adjacent Christian quarter, it is considered a stronghold for the city's small Christian minority. The threat of Jewish settlers taking over parts of the neighborhood is widely seen as changing the demographic status quo to Israel's interests.
In 2021, Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem Nourhan Manoogian agreed to a 98-year lease for part of the Armenian Quarter with developers. The agreement covers a large area that today includes a parking lot, buildings belonging to the office of the leader of the Armenian Church – known as the Patriarchate – and the homes of five Armenian families.
News of the deal sparked strong protests among Armenians in the neighborhood last year. Such was the depth of feeling that, in October, the Patriarch and other church leaders felt compelled to cancel the agreement. This led to violent confrontations between settlers and local Armenians.
After a few quiet weeks, fighting broke out again at the end of December, when more than 30 men armed with stones and clubs reportedly attacked Armenians who had been guarding the area for several weeks.
The dispute has now gone to court. The question is whether the lease is valid or whether unilateral termination renders the contract invalid. The Patriarchate has hired lawyers – local, from Armenia and the United States – who will present their case that the agreement was not concluded properly due to irregularities in the contract.
Changing the demographics of East JerusalemThis is not a single incident. Since the Six-Day War of 1967, when all of Jerusalem came under Israeli control, there have been concerted efforts to change the demographics of traditionally Arab East Jerusalem.
In many places, the authorities are evicting Arab families who have lived there for decades under the pretext of their lack of documents proving ownership of the house. Then a Jewish family moves in.
This change in the demographic composition of East Jerusalem occurs through evictions, demolitions and building restrictions. This also happens in the famous and touristic Old City of Jerusalem.
Nearly 20 years ago, there was a small scandal when it emerged that the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate, a large real estate owner, had entered into a long lease agreement with a Jewish settlement organization regarding two historic hotels.
Disputed territories: In most two-state solution plans, East Jerusalem would be the capital of a Palestinian state.
United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)CC BY-NDNow we have a similar incident involving the Armenian Patriarchate. Selling or renting property to long-time Jewish settlers is viewed very negatively by Palestinians, who have long struggled against illegal Jewish settlements in Palestinian areas.
East Jerusalem is of vital importance to Palestinians. In the proposed plans for a two-state solution, it is the intended capital of the future Palestinian state. Therefore, decisively changing demographics is a priority goal for some in Israel – including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who does not want a two-state solution.
Hierarchical institutions
This conflict also highlights an old problem facing the Christian churches in Jerusalem: the gap between the leadership and the people. Ancient churches are inherently hierarchical with leaders at the top ruling supreme. An additional problem in Jerusalem is that church leaders are not always chosen from local residents.
The largest Christian denomination in the Holy Land is the Greek Orthodox Church. Its members are largely Arab, but the patriarch and other prominent bishops are Greek.
Nourhan Manoogian, the current 97th Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem, was born in Syria to an Armenian family. The Armenian Patriarchate has been accused of corruption and illegal property sales in the past, long before the current crisis.
If the Armenians lose this battle and the settler movement gains control of such a key site, it will hurt a small, vulnerable minority. The settlers' campaign to colonize East Jerusalem under Jewish control will have achieved another victory.
The True North!
Posted 21 February 2024 - 09:09 AM
On February 18, RA Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan met with the Deputy Prime Minister of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Ayman al-Safadi, within the framework of the Munich Security Forum.
During the meeting, reference was made to the activation of high-level political dialogue, mutual visits, and further expansion of intensive cooperation between the two countries in various fields. Exchanges and additional opportunities in the field of education were noted with satisfaction.
The Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Jordan exchanged ideas on regional issues. Ararat Mirzoyan presented RA approaches to critical problems regulating relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
At the meeting, reference was made to the Armenian quarter in Jerusalem.
The True North!
Posted 26 February 2024 - 07:51 AM
Nir Hasson
In 1574, Andreas Ben Ibrahim, an Armenian bishop in Jerusalem, went to the city's sharia court requesting to register "a land parcel that includes grape, fig, olive, and pomegranate trees in addition to five cisterns for the collection of rainwater" in the name of a "legal, permanent and eternal" endowment in favor of his brother.
Minutes from the court hearing state that following the brother's death, the endowment will be inherited by the brother's sons, and following their death, "to the benefit of their children and then the children of their children and the children of the children of their children and any person who will be born to them."
If no heir remained, the land would be endowed to the Armenian Christian community of Jerusalem. This week, these minutes became the key document in a dispute that has outraged residents of the Old City's Armenian Quarter.
Two years ago, the Armenian patriarch of Jerusalem, Nourhan Manougian, sold land that comprises about a quarter of the entire area to real estate developers. The land sold is also the last large open space in the Old City, except for the Temple Mount/Al Aqsa compound – 11.5 dunams (2.975 acres) spread between the Armenian Monastery and the Old City walls.
Two months later, members of the Armenian community learned the full details of the deal, and embarked on a determined struggle to cancel it. The precious site was purchased by a company called Xana Gardens for a suspiciously low sum of $2 million. Under the agreement, the company undertook a plan to build a hotel on the site and transfer a fixed percentage of the revenue to the Patriarchate.
Xana Gardens was founded on the day the sale agreement was signed by Israeli-Australian businessman Danny Rothman (also known as Danny Rubinstein). Shortly after the deal was signed, Rothman sold half of the company shares to a Jaffa businessman named George Warwar.
Several young activists from the small Armenian community, which is estimated at just 1,000 people, are leading the struggle to cancel the deal. When Warwar's associates tried to access the site, they were blocked by the activists and violent confrontations broke out.
The activists warn that executing the deal would truncate the Armenian Quarter and wipe out Jerusalem's ancient Armenian presence. In view of the criticism of the Armenian community, Patriarch Manougian revoked the deal and the Patriarchate sued to cancel it.
The Patriarchate also accused the financier who handled the deal on its behalf, Father Baret Yeretsian, of corruption. Yeretsian was dismissed and left Israel as a result of the outcry. In December, he denied the charges in a response to Haaretz.
It now seems that the struggle against the deal has been invigorated, as historical documents found by lawyer Sami Arshid, co-counsel for the community with attorneys Eitan Peleg and Daniel Seidemann.
The claim that the three filled this week with the Jerusalem District Court on behalf of 380 members of the Armenian community states that the land sold by the patriarch was not his, but rather belonged to the endowment established by Andreas Ben Ibrahim 450 years ago.
The endowment deed states that the patriarch is only the endowment trustee and is prohibited from selling the land. He may only use it for the good of the Armenian community. The plaintiffs argue that the deal should thus be voided.
The Armenian community also argues that were the land wholly owned by the patriarch, he was not authorized to sell it without authorization of the general council of the Saint James Monastery, the primary religious entity in the Armenian Quarter, and that no such authorization had been given.
The authorization requirement is established in an amendment to the law on churches enacted in 2015 following lessons learned from the scandal of the sale of two large hotels owned by the Greek Patriarchate to the pro-settler Ateret Cohanim non-profit organization. That scandal has been reverberating throughout the Greek Orthodox Church for 20 years.
Sixteenth-century maps that label the land the Armenian Gardens have been attached to the suit, in contrast to other areas marked as owned by the monastery or Patriarchate. The plaintiffs argue that this is further evidence that the lot is owned by the Armenian community and not the Patriarchate or the church.
The lawsuit also criticizes the business logic behind the sale, specifically the lack thereof. "This is a large area of land without equal in the world, leased at a rent that is less than the rent paid for a single apartment in [Jerusalem's] Mamilla area or in the Talbieh neighborhood or in the Jewish Quarter," it says.
"What we are claiming against is the dispossessing of the Armenian community of the most valuable property in the city and perhaps one of the most expensive properties in the world at a ludicrous price, indicating the depths of the illegality and corruption adhering to this agreement."
"The claim is a milestone in the protection of assets of the Armenian community in Jerusalem," said Arshid. "The documents filed are intended to prove that the Armenian Gardens is the property of all members of the community. The land is an endowment property of the community, and the deal signed for it between the Patriarchate and Xana Gardens is therefore null and void."
Arshid emphasizes that the claim is also intended to "symbolize the unity of the community's members and their powerful wish to prevent construction of a megalomaniac project in the Armenian Quarter. Moreover, the Patriarchate itself admits that the project was made in a corrupt deal."
The Armenian Patriarchate declined to respond to the claim at this time. No response has been received on behalf of Xana Gardens.
https://www.haaretz....cd-f9be13520000
The True North!
Posted 04 April 2024 - 07:30 AM
20:18, 3 April 2024
YEREVAN, APRIL 3, ARMENPRESS. The lawyers representing the Armenian community of Jerusalem has strongly condemned the behavior of the Israeli police, who help the Israeli settlers to illegally and forcibly enter the "Cows' Garden" of the Armenian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem in an attempt to illegally expel the Armenians and try to change the situation (status quo) , the Tatoyan Foundation Center for Law and Justice said.
"The international law company continues to protect the interests of the Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem and the Armenian community with all legal possibilities.
We consider what happened to be a gross violation of the rights and legitimate interests of the Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem and the Armenian community, which is of ontological significance," reads the statement.
https://armenpress.a...g7YD-abcamZ_vUK
The True North!
Posted 05 April 2024 - 08:13 AM
April 4 2024
Armenian community in Jerusalem calls on Christian communities around the world to pressure Israeli government
Israeli settlers attempt to seize Armenian properties under the protection of Israeli occupation authorities in the Armenian Quarter in occupied Jerusalem. Tensions have mounted in the past month after a Jewish developer leased 25% of the Armenian Quarter, which is home to about 2,000 Armenian Christians, from the Armenian patriarch against the community’s will. A coveted plot of land inside the Armenian Quarter in Jerusalem has become the focus of a legal controversy between the Armenian community and an Australian-Israeli developer who intends to build a luxury hotel complex on the property, as reported by the Times of Israel. In recent weeks, the dispute over the property has escalated.
The True North!
Posted 06 April 2024 - 07:17 AM
The True North!
Posted 06 April 2024 - 07:24 AM
In the shadow of the war in Gaza, attacks, abuses, and violations by radical groups and sometimes also by law enforcement are taking place and often take a back seat.
An improvised barricade covered with barbed wire. In the background, the tent of activists from the “Save the Armenian Quarter” (ArQ) association who are guarding the “Cow’s Garden” parking lot. (photo: Marinella Bandini)
A new episode of violence involving a land dispute has shaken the Armenian community in Jerusalem once again.
According to a communique from the Chancellery of the Armenian Apostolic Patriarchate of Jerusalem, on April 3 at about 11 a.m. “an unlawful eviction was initiated by Israeli police on the grounds of the Cows’ Garden” located within the premises of the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem. The stated purpose of this action was to remove the temporary rooms belonging to guards at the main entrance of the parking lot, but “permits or court orders were not presented.”
The area known as Cows’ Garden is a property located in the southeast corner of the Old City of Jerusalem and constitutes approximately 25% of the Armenian Quarter’s total area. It has long been at the center of a legal dispute after a deal was secretly signed in 2021 between the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the real estate company Xana Gardens, with alleged links to Israeli settler interests, for a 49+49-year lease of the property to build a luxury hotel.
According to the “Save the Armenian Quarter” (ArQ) association — a nonviolent movement created to defend properties of the Armenian Patriarchate and represent the Armenian community — the contract is illegal and jeopardizes the existence of the Armenian community in the Holy Land.
What happened April 3 was a sudden escalation of the conflict due to direct intervention by the police, according to a statement by the ArQ. “Israeli settlers representing Xana Gardens were escorted by the Israeli Police into the Cows’ Garden. ... This action blatantly disregards the ongoing legal processes and undermines the established status quo,” the statement said.
After the raid, in which no one was hurt, the Armenian Patriarchate and the Armenian community strongly condemned the police, accusing them of “flagrant violation of legal norms,” “aggressive interference,” and “trampling on the rights of the Armenian community.” Such actions, continues the statement from ArQ, “mark a severe overstep by Israeli law enforcement authorities and an alarming infringement on the property and communal rights of the Armenians.”
The Armenian Patriarchate asked for “answers from the Israeli police and the Israeli government for their participation in the event. Today’s provocations are an attempt to set a precedent against the Armenian Quarter and its lawful lands.”
Since April 2023, several legal actions have been taken both by the Armenian Patriarchate and the ArQ. In particular, two lawsuits were filed before the Jerusalem District Court by the Armenian Patriarchate and by the ArQ to challenge the validity of the agreement.
Kegham Balian is an Armenian with the “Save the Armenian Quarter” (ArQ) association, founded by Hagop Djernazian and Segrat Balian, the younger brother of Kegham. It is a nonviolent movement created to defend some properties of the Armenian Patriarchate. Credit: Marinella BandiniAt a press conference on the evening of the events, Setrag Balian and Hagop Djernazian, the founders of the ArQ, shared some previously unknown details about the two legal proceedings.
On Dec. 26, 2023, the Armenian Patriarchate officially took legal action against Xana Garden, submitting a lawsuit. Even more significant is the legal case initiated by the ArQ on Feb. 18. One of the group’s arguments, Balian highlighted, is that “this land is a ‘waqf’; this land is a trust, this land is an endowment.”
A waqf in Islamic law is a charitable endowment held in trust in which a person donates property or assets for charitable or benevolent purposes. The act of donation is often considered legally irrevocable because it implies the complete transfer of ownership rights from the hands of the donor to the hands of God: The property can’t be sold, bought, inherited, gifted, mortgaged, or transferred. The only exception allowed is if the property ceases to serve the purpose for which it was intended.
Regarding the Cows’ Garden, Balian said that “this trust was established in 1575 by the Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem Antreas, who bought this land with his own funds and made a waqf for the interest and benefit of the Armenian Christian community in Jerusalem.” Balian considers this a strong argument, because “the trust, legally cannot be sold or leased.”
“We will not accept any future encroachment on this land and we expect Israeli authorities and Israeli police to respect the two lawsuits pending in the Jerusalem District Court,” Djernazian added. “You cannot come out of nowhere and just change the status quo on the ground. You cannot use the current situation and the war to change facts on the ground. This is unacceptable.”
In the shadow of the war in Gaza, in fact, attacks, abuses, and violations by radical groups and sometimes also by law enforcement are taking place and often take a back seat.
That’s why both the Patriarchate and the Armenian community have renewed the appeal not only to the Heads of Churches and all the Christians around the world but also to diplomatic representatives and the international community to stand with the Jerusalemite Armenian community in these difficult times.
“Losing this land,” Djernazian said, “puts in danger the entire Christian community and entire Christian presence in Jerusalem.”
The True North!
Posted 12 April 2024 - 07:38 AM
ALAMYA street in the Armenian Quarter, Jerusalem
A DISPUTE over land in the Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem goes beyond questions of legality, and “touches the heart of our identity and heritage”, the Armenian Primate in the UK and Ireland, Bishop Hovakim Manukyan, says.
An area in the Armenian Quarter, the Cows’ Garden, is the subject of competing claims, after a lease agreement was purported to have been made between the Armenian Patriarchate and a development company, Xana Gardens (News, 2 February).
The Patriarchate and members of the Armenian community in Jerusalem have lodged lawsuits arguing that the agreement has no legal standing, while the developers maintain that they have legitimately acquired the land.
The Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem published a communiqué, on Wednesday of last week, alleging that Israeli police had initiated an “unlawful eviction” from the site, occupied by members of the Armenian community.
“The eviction began with the destruction of Armenian Patriarchate property, and assaults on clergy and indigenous Armenians,” the document, posted on X/Twitter, says.
“Permits or court orders were NOT presented and they continued to protect and assist the representatives of Xana Gardens in their destruction of property.”
The communiqué says that the police spoke of having warrants, but did not produce them.
“It is clear that today’s provocations are an attempt to set a precedent against the Armenian Quarter and its lawful lands. We will continue to stand our ground and ask for Christians worldwide to spotlight these never-ending encroachments on the peaceful Armenian Christian community.”
On Friday, Bishop Manukyan told the Church Times that the Armenian Quarter “holds profound significance as a cornerstone of Christian heritage in the Holy Land and as a symbol of Armenian resilience.
“For centuries, it has been a place of refuge, notably for survivors of the Armenian Genocide, and has become integral to Armenian traditions of pilgrimage. I personally lead groups from the UK, particularly from our congregations involved in Bible study courses, to visit this sacred place.
“The recent unsettling developments surrounding Cows’ Garden park are particularly distressing. Despite the legal entanglements stemming from contractual errors now being disputed in court, the issue transcends mere legalities.
“It resonates deeply within the global Armenian community, sparking widespread concern. This is not just a property dispute: it’s a matter that touches the heart of our identity and heritage. It is my hope that a just and sensitive resolution will be found to address the complexities of this situation.”
In a press conference streamed live on Facebook on Wednesday of last week, a representative of the campaign group Save the Armenian Quarter, Sertrag Balian, said that the group and a diverse array of supporters had “one goal: preserving and protecting the diversity and the cultural multi-ethnic multi-faith character of Jerusalem.
“We are all against the changing of the status quo, because we love Jerusalem, and know that Jerusalem belongs to all of us.”
Mr Balian outlined the efforts being made in the courts to maintain the Cows’ Garden plot. In December, the Armenian Patriarchate had filed a lawsuit arguing that the company leasing the land had misrepresented their intentions.
A further lawsuit was filed in February last year by members of the Armenian community in Jerusalem, asserting that the agreement was void because it had been signed without the agreement of the Armenian synod and general assembly.
In addition, the second lawsuit argued that the land had been granted in a specific type of trust, for the benefit of the Armenian community, and legally could not be sold or leased.
Almost $85,000 has so far been raised to support legal efforts of the campaign to preserve the status quo in the Armenian Quarter.
The Dean of St George’s College, Jerusalem, the Very Revd Canon Richard Sewell, told the Church Times that he was “very concerned” about the situation, and that the “entire Christian community” in Jerusalem was paying attention to the case.
Of the actions taken on Wednesday, Canon Sewell said that the police “seem to have removed some temporary structures erected by members of the Armenian community which have been put there to protect the space while the legal case continues.
“I’m very concerned about this new development, which seems to be an illegal act. The protection of spaces in the Armenian and Christian quarters for these vulnerable minority communities is critical.”
On Thursday of last week, in a statement on X/Twitter, the French Consulate in Jerusalem expressed concern about the incident and called on the Israeli authorities to refrain from taking any unilateral action that undermined the status quo in the Old City.
The True North!
Posted 13 April 2024 - 08:30 AM
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