Armenian Quarter In Jerusalem

[Yervant1]

Jan 10 2024

The Armenian Quarter in occupied Jerusalem: 'All Christians here are at risk'

Introduction

As the genocide in Gaza persists, Israeli efforts to ethnically cleanse and displace more Palestinians to replace them with settlers continue all over Palestine. One prominent and current example is the Armenian Quarter in occupied Jerusalem.

Jerusalem has the world's oldest Armenian diaspora community, going back 2,000 years. Nowadays, this historic quarter is under threat of demolition and confiscation. The hotel development company Xana Gardens Ltd. is claiming rights over property in the Armenian Quarter to develop a hotel over it. Israel has always been trying to change the demographics of the old city and impose a Jewish supremacy in the Muslim and Christian parts of the city in a variety of ways. The Israeli government relies heavily on settler organizations to take over land and property and on settlers who act as thugs to harass and intimidate residents to get them to leave.

Watch the report at http://www.miftah.org/JerusalemCause.cfm?DocId=26855&CategoryId=39

[Yervant1]

The Catholic Telegraph

Jan 12 2024

LAND DISPUTE IN JERUSALEM THREATENS ARMENIAN CHRISTIANS, NONVIOLENT GROUP SAYS

Catholic News Agency

By Marinella Bandini

Jerusalem, Jan 10, 2024 / 12:45 pm

For the past two months, 33-year-old Kegham Balian, an Armenian Christian, has spent a significant part of his days and nights in a tent in a parking area known as “Cows’ Garden” in the southeast corner of the Old City of Jerusalem. He expects to spend his Christmas there, which the Armenian Apostolic Church in the Holy Land celebrates on Jan. 19 along with the Epiphany.

The tent is a permanent outpost established by the “Save the Armenian Quarter” (ArQ) association, founded by Hagop Djernazian and Setrag Balian (Kegham’s younger brother). It is a nonviolent movement created to defend properties of the Armenian Patriarchate from being taken over by Xana Gardens Ltd., a real estate company with alleged links to Israeli settler interests.

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 Bandini

In the last two months the Armenians have suffered seven or eight attacks by people Balian says were sent by Xana Gardens. The last was on Dec. 28, when 10 Armenians were injured by people throwing stones. Members of the ArQ community have been taking turns to maintain a constant presence on the property.

According to ArQ, the contract between the Armenian Patriarchate and Xana Gardens was illegal and jeopardizes the existence of the Armenian community in the Holy Land.

“In April, we found out there was an illegal leasing of the premises known as the ‘Cows’ Garden’ — an open area which today serves as a parking lot,” Balian explained to CNA. The Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem allegedly agreed to give Xana Gardens a 49-year lease of the property — with the option to renew for another 49 — to build a luxury hotel. The deal was signed in 2021 and kept a secret.

CNA reached out to Xana Gardens for comment but received no response.

The area known as Cows’ Garden in the Armenian Quarter in the Old City of Jerusalem, seen from above. Currently, it serves as a parking lot. The area, together with some other Armenian properties, is at the center of an economic and judicial dispute after a lease deal was signed between the Armenian Patriarchate and the real estate company Xana Garden. Credit: Marinella Bandini

CNA also contacted Kerkonian Dajani LLP, the law firm representing the Armenian community of the Old City of Jerusalem.

“The community is opposed to any deal that undermines the integrity of the Armenian Quarter and the centuries-old presence of Christian Armenians in Jerusalem,” said Karnig Kerkonian, co-founder of the firm. “Our investigation has revealed that the signing of the purported agreement at issue did not follow the internal procedures of the Holy Synod [the highest authority in the Orthodox and Oriental Churches] and the General Assembly [the general assembly of the monastic order of the Brotherhood of St. James]. This, and a number of other material irregularities including financial ones, fatally handicap the validity of the purported contract.”

Furthermore, according to Balian, “this contract doesn’t bring any benefit to the Armenian Patriarchate nor to the Armenian community. The rent is $300,000 a year, which is like a joke.”

When the Armenian community found out about the agreement, protests broke out. They felt threatened not only with regard to their security but also to their identity and cultural heritage. “We started protesting, asking for transparency from the patriarchate,” Balian explained.

The Armenian patriarch has reportedly said he was deceived about the details of the agreement and in October 2023 canceled the deal. The patriarchate is now bringing the case to court.

The positions of ArQ and the patriarchate have gradually come closer together in the past few months, “even if they’re not fully transparent yet,” Balian said. “In any case, the outpost in the parking lot has the full support of the patriarchate.”

The Armenian community has been present in Jerusalem for about 1,700 years. The Old City is today divided into four quarters, a legacy of the British Mandate for Palestine. The Armenian Quarter comprises one-sixth of the old city and occupies the entire southwest corner of the city. Here are not only religious institutions such as the patriarchate, seminary, and churches but also schools, shops, and residences for approximately 2,000 people.

The property involved in the disagreement with Xana Gardens constitutes approximately 25% of the neighborhood’s total area. In addition to the parking lot, it also encompasses a residential area, the private garden of the patriarch, and the Alex and Mary Manougian Hall of the theological seminary of the patriarchate.

“If they take 25% of the Armenian quarter, they condemn the next generation to extinction. It would be the biggest existential crisis in our history,” Balian said.

Eighty-year-old Garo Nalbandian, a professional photographer, and his wife, Hrout, sit on a couch in their living room. They risk losing the home they have lived in since 1969, where they have raised their children in a residential area of the Armenian Quarter close to the Cow’s Garden. Credit: Marinella Bandini

Garo Nalbandian, a professional photographer, and his wife, Hrout, risk losing their home because of the agreement. Sitting on a couch in their spacious living room, they share their story and the anxiety they feel at the thought of having to leave the house they purchased when they got engaged in 1969 and where they have raised their children.

“We were born and raised in the Armenian Quarter. Here we feel protected,” they said. “But if they take away this land, which belongs to all Armenians worldwide, our presence and heritage will be at risk."

The contract with Xana Gardens was originally signed by the Armenian patriarch of Jerusalem, Archbishop Nourhan Manougian; the grand sacristan of the Armenian Patriarchate, Archbishop Sevan Gharibian; and Father Baret Yeretzian (now known as Khachig Yeretzian), the former director of the Real Estate Department of the Armenian Patriarchate, who was defrocked and removed from his position.

The chancellor of the Armenian Patriarchate, Father Aghan Gogchyan, told CNA that according to the bylaws of the patriarchate, the contract cannot be considered valid because one of the three signatures — that of the then-priest Yeretsian — should not have been present.

“For transactions like this, where the property is transferred for a period of more than 25 years, the signatures of the patriarch, the grand sacristan, and the chairman of the General Assembly of the Brotherhood of St. James are required. The latter is missing, and instead, someone who should not have signed has done so. That’s why the contract is not valid,” he said.

This is also why on Oct. 26, 2023, the patriarchate announced that it would cancel the lease deal, saying it was illegal, but only after months of internal pressure from the Armenian community.

Since then, the patriarchate has consistently emphasized the exclusively Armenian character of the neighborhood and the importance of preserving it as such.

After the patriarchate’s announcement in October, bulldozers believed to be sent by Xana Gardens entered the parking lot to dismantle the pavement and take over the area, and the ArQ group started mounting protests and peaceful sit-ins there.

“Some people are trying to spin it as a religious battle, but the issue isn’t Jewish-Armenian or Muslim-Armenian,” Balian told CNA. “It’s not a religious fight or an ethnic issue, it’s purely against Xana Capital.”

The interior of the tent where the Armenian activists from the “Save the Armenian Quarter” (ArQ) association gather. For more than two months, a group of youth of the Armenian community of Jerusalem takes turns to maintain a constant presence and defend the area of the Armenian Patriarchate known as “Cows’ Garden,” which is now a parking lot. Credit: Marinella Bandini

On Dec. 8, 2023, Archbishop Manougian, the patriarch, made a surprise visit to the members of the Save the ArQ Movement in a show of solidarity. All the members expressed their undivided and steadfast support for the patriarch for having initiated the cancellation of the illegal deal pertaining to Cows’ Garden.

Balian said there have been blessings in the struggle.

“The entire community gathered, we got united despite any political affiliation, personal differences, and familiar disputes,” Balian said. “Everyone was united around the common goal of protecting the Cows’ Garden and by extension preserving the Armenian heritage in Jerusalem … Before, there was no interaction between civilian people and clergy, but now we started to get to know each other better,” he said.

“Furthermore, through this struggle, the younger generation has come to understand the value of the land, of our heritage and presence, while before we took it for granted and not appreciated it,” he said.

The Armenian community is planning to take further legal action in the next few weeks, Kerkonian told CNA.

“We are undertaking legal actions as well as diplomatic outreach to counter the attacks on the Armenian Quarter — and to hold those having brought about the circumstances and the violence accountable,” he said.

https://www.thecatholictelegraph.com/land-dispute-in-jerusalem-threatens-armenian-christians-nonviolent-group-says/94768

[Yervant1]

Jan 16 2024

The battle to save Jerusalem's Armenian Quarter

In-depth: Armenian lawyers and the diaspora community in Jerusalem are uniting their efforts to push back against secretive Israeli land deals.

Yerevan, Armenia - There are mounting concerns in Armenia regarding a controversial land lease agreement in East Jerusalem's Armenian Quarter, with many fearing the issue goes well beyond just a commercial deal.

In 2021, a land leasing agreement was signed between the Armenian Patriarchate and a private company owned by a Jewish Australian investor for the area known as the Cows’ Garden.

Details of the contract were revealed only last year, causing apprehension among the Armenian community. The 99-year lease agreement encompasses 11,500 m2 and is almost 25% of the Armenian Quarter.

“Our concerns escalated when we discovered that the businessman who signed the contract has connections with Israeli extremist groups,” Hagop Djernazian, an active member of the Armenian community in Jerusalem, told The New Arab.

"This is not just a hotel itself, but also a set of restaurants, cafes, and other places of entertainment. This means that the entirety of the Armenian Quarter is endangered"

The deal was finalised without obtaining approval from the Synod, a local assembly of church officials, and the General Assembly, which is a violation of the Armenian Patriarchate’s Charter. It is one of the reasons why Armenians consider the agreement illegal.

The Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem says it sent a letter to the partner company, Xana Gardens Ltd, informing it about its intention to cancel the agreement, as well as submitting documents about its request to the Israeli courts, where the case is now pending.

Since then, Armenians patrolling the area have been attacked twice by armed Israeli settlers.

“If the company signed the contract legally, why did it have to start attacks and try to intimidate? Instead of coming to the Patriarchate and clarifying its rights, it begins to exert force on the community,” said Hagop Djernazian.

The symbolism of Mount Zion

The Cows' Garden is located on the historic Mount Zion, in the southwest corner of Jerusalem's Armenian Quarter. The loss of the land threatens to sever the connection between the Armenian Quarter and the Christian Quarter, thereby posing a grave risk to a continued Christian presence within the Old City.

According to Archbishop Mikael Ajapahyan, the leader of the Shirak Diocese of Mother See in Armenia, it is no secret that the “Jewish state or Jewish extremism” does not want the presence of Christians or Muslims in Jerusalem.

“Mount Zion is both a pan-Christian holy place and also holy for the Jews. It is no coincidence that the national movement of the Jews is called Zionism, to gather the Jewish people around Mount Zion,” the Holy Father said in the conversation with The New Arab.

The entrance to the Church of St Mark in the Armenian Quarter of East Jerusalem's Old City. The Armenian presence in Jerusalem dates back to the 4th century. [Getty]

“Mount Zion belongs to the Armenians and Armenian church for centuries. This is where the conflict comes from,” he added.

The Armenian presence in Jerusalem dates back to the 4th century when Armenian monks settled in Jerusalem after the Armenian Kingdom became the first to adopt Christianity as a state religion.

As Archbishop Ajapahyan explained, Mount Zion is a symbol of God’s coming and God's presence on Earth, and encroachment on Christian territories is very dangerous.

“We tremble for every centimetre of Armenian land because each of them is extremely precious to us," the Holy Father added.

"In 2021, a land leasing agreement was signed between the Armenian Patriarchate and a private company owned by a Jewish Australian investor for the area known as the Cows' Garden"

Shady transaction policy

The leasing agreement of the Cows’ Garden is similar to scandals that have mired the Greek Orthodox Church, which has sold church property in Jerusalem to anonymous investors, later identified as Israeli and Jewish businessmen, using front companies.

Middle East expert Armen Petrosyan describes these kinds of transactions as an attempt by the Israeli state to strengthen its position in East Jerusalem.

“After Jerusalem was completely occupied by Israel in 1967, continuous attempts were made by the State of Israel and various pan-Jewish organisations to create Jewish structures in the form of hotels, stores, especially in the area of Christian and Muslim sanctuaries,” Petrosyan said in an interview with The New Arab.

RELATED

Rothman: The investor that angered Jerusalem's Armenians

Investigations

Anas Ambri

As the expert noted, various shady and corrupt transactions are carried out through individuals to establish a documented Jewish presence in East Jerusalem.

“This policy is not directly executed by the state but is rather under its patronage, implemented with the involvement of private actors. The state operates behind the scenes but naturally demonstrates comprehensive and institutional support for such transactions,” added Petrosyan. Although it is a lease agreement, he sees it as obvious that if the land is yielded it will not be returned to Armenians.

The expert believes that the timing is not coincidental either. “Due to the war in Gaza, nationalistic sentiments are dominant in Israel, facilitating a united position against other nations,” he said.

Uniting Armenian efforts

On 8 December 2023, the Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem, Nourhan Manougian, met with members of the Armenian community and explained that the deal took place without his full knowledge and that he was deceived by a local priest who worked for him, who has now been defrocked.

He promised to do everything in his power to reach a full cancellation of the deal.

The Armenian community of Jerusalem is now being supported by a group of Armenian lawyers working collaboratively with the Centre for Law and Justice ‘Tatoyan’ foundation, which has offices in Yerevan and California.

"After Jerusalem was completely occupied by Israel in 1967, continuous attempts were made by the State of Israel and various pan-Jewish organisations to create Jewish structures in the form of hotels, stores, especially in the area of Christian and Muslim sanctuaries"

In a conversation with The New Arab, Arman Tatoyan, the director of the foundation, emphasised that the contract contradicts the interests of both the Armenian community and the Patriarchate.

“We had the chance to collect detailed facts about the planned hotel and I have to say that this is not just a hotel itself, but also a set of restaurants, cafes, and other places of entertainment. This means that the entirety of the Armenian Quarter is endangered,” he said, stressing that the execution of the project will result in the eviction of a number of Armenian families.

According to the lawyer, members of the Armenian community in Jerusalem, who he says now serve as guardians of the territory, are doing all they can to protect their interests and the interests of the Armenian Quarter.

The last time Armenians were attacked was on 28 December 2023, when dozens of armed men entered the territory of the Cows’ Garden, resulting in the injury of clergymen from the Patriarchate and members of the local Armenian community. According to witnesses, the police arrived 20 minutes later, which some people saw as intentional․

After the attack, the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, the governing body of the Armenian Apostolic Church in Armenia, expressed concern about “the ongoing provocative actions around the Cows’ Garden area belonging to the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem”.

“It is obvious that the provocateurs are once again trying to seize the Cows’ Garden area through terror, threats, and force, violating the procedures defined by the law,” the Holy See stated in a news release, expressing hope that “Israeli authorities will legally respond to the criminal actions” and exclude the repetition of similar cases.

“The recent attacks that the whole world could witness were organised. These armed individuals with masks came to impose violence and terrorise people. As lawyers we qualify this as existential danger,” said Arman Tatoyan.

He also stressed that Armenian cultural heritage in the Armenian Quarter in Jerusalem is an integral part of Armenian identity. “This is pan-Armenian and that is why the state of Armenia should express its reaction to the situation.”

In response to The New Arab’s written request, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia stated that they closely follow the developments in the Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem's Old City. “The RA MFA has always been in favour of combining international efforts aimed at preserving the status quo in Jerusalem for decades.”

Armenian lawyers working on the case maintain constant contact with the Armenian community of Jerusalem and cooperate with all parties involved. They hope that the issue can be solved after the letter of the Patriarch, which detailed its intention to cancel the contract, but if not, they are ready to use international means.

“The only solution for us is a complete cancellation of the contract,” said Hagop Djernazian, stressing that they will continue their struggle until justice prevails.

Gaiane Yenokian is a journalist and photographer based in Yerevan, Armenia. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Journalism from Yerevan State University and has seven years of experience in the field. Her areas of focus are the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, human interest stories, and human rights. She has been recognised with local awards for her journalism.

https://www.newarab.com/analysis/battle-save-jerusalems-armenian-quarter?fbclid=IwAR03cEWGmrLah1P6h_RCstTdR-CacXoW3cerOjORLRTJFSkRpkaQ5eO_38c

[Yervant1]

BBC. UK

Jan 21 2024

Jerusalem: Armenian Christians fight controversial land deal

By Yolande Knell

BBC News Middle East correspondent

While Christmas may be a distant memory for many, the Armenians of Jerusalem only just held their annual celebration on 19 January.

This year, the holiday was overshadowed by the war in Gaza and the ongoing threat to the survival of the community from a deeply controversial real estate deal.

Many spent the day in an unconventional fashion, joining a sit-in at a tent in their church car park, which is part of a large plot at risk in the Armenian Quarter of the walled Old City.

"This illegal, treacherous land deal actually brought us all together," says Setrag Balian, a ceramicist turned activist.

Armenians date their presence in the holy city back to the 4th Century. Many of the 2,000-strong community live inside the large, cobble-stoned compound of St James Convent.

In the past, they have often been divided by political differences and family fights and there have been rifts between Jerusalemite Armenians and their Church leaders who act as employers and landlords for many.

Yet for two months, local Armenians and priests have all been staying in a large, improvised tent here, around-the-clock, to try to block the development going ahead. They eat here and work shifts as guards behind a makeshift barricade decorated with Armenian flags.

Together, they say, they have seen off attacks by contractors with bulldozers, armed settlers and masked thugs.

• Controversial land sale angers Jerusalem Armenians
  
• Jerusalem Christians say attacks on the rise

"Everything was put in danger with this deal," Setrag says. "Whoever wants to take away our rights and endanger our presence and our lives here, we will stand up against them and defend our rights till the end."

Last April, facts began to emerge about a 2021 contract secretly signed between the Armenian Patriarch and a Jewish Australian-Israeli developer. It gave a newly-created firm, Xana Gardens, a 98-year lease to build and operate a luxury hotel in an area known as the Cow's Garden.

The deal covered a plot of 11,500 sq m, abutting the ramparts of the south-western corner of the Old City, with an option to take over an even bigger area.

It includes the car park, some church buildings and the homes of five Armenian families, accounting for about 25% of the Armenian Quarter.

Located on Mount Zion, it has huge religious significance and is incredibly valuable real estate but an annual fee of just $300,000 (£237,000) was to be paid by the developer.

"For that amount you could barely rent yourself a couple of falafel shops in the Old City," commented one Armenian using the car park, who asked for his name not to be used.

Amid heated protests by locals and a decision by Jordan and the Palestinian Authority to withdraw their recognition of the patriarch over his role in the deal, pressure grew on the Church to cancel the contract.

Meanwhile, an international team of Armenian lawyers came to investigate and give advice.

The patriarch claimed he had been tricked by a trusted priest who was later defrocked. He finally announced a formal move to cancel the deal in October.

At that point, tensions between Armenians and representatives of the developer - whose workers had forcibly taken over the car park - began turning into direct confrontations.

When Israeli bulldozers arrived at the contested site to try to begin demolition, Armenians rushed to block it. The next month, there were claims of intimidation as the developer arrived with several armed men.

Further attempted incursions came after the protest tent was set up. The most violent was last month when masked men came to the car park beating people with sticks and using tear gas. A priest, Father Diran Hagopian, broadcast events on Facebook Live.

"They were shouting, 'you should go out from this land'," he later told the BBC. "One of their leaders was shouting: 'You can break their legs, you can even kill them, but they should leave.'"

The apparent involvement of known Jewish settlers in attacks alongside other evidence has increased long-held suspicions that a powerful settler organisation is involved in the attempted land takeover.

Ever since Israel captured the Old City and its holy sites from Jordan in the 1967 Middle East War, Jewish investors in Israel and overseas have sought to buy properties to try to cement Israeli control over occupied East Jerusalem.

Palestinians want this part of the city as the capital of their hoped-for future state. Jewish Israelis view the whole of the city as their eternal, undivided capital.

Researchers at the Israeli non-profit organisation Ir Amim, which is focused on the Israel-Palestinian conflict and supports the diversity of Jerusalem, are worried about developments in the Armenian Quarter.

"This is close to sensitive places," says Aviv Tatarksy. "Creating a settlement in this area is part of very far-reaching aims of settler organisations who basically want to Judaise completely the Old City, with their eyes on the Temple Mount or al-Aqsa Mosque."

The settlements built in occupied territory are seen as illegal under international law, although Israel disagrees.

The BBC has contacted the developer behind Xana Gardens several times but not heard back.

The now-defrocked American priest who coordinated the deal, Baret Yeretsian , was surrounded by a mob of angry young Armenians shouting "traitor" as he exited St James Convent last year, assisted by Israeli police, before moving to Southern California.

He has since denied to journalists that the developer has any political or ideological agenda, describing such accusations as "propaganda" based on his Jewish identity.

The Armenian Church has now begun proceedings through the Israeli courts to challenge the validity of the contract for the Cows' Garden.

As locals gathered around a brightly lit Christmas tree in their makeshift tent last week, they remained resolute but were aware that their legal fight could easily take years.

Whether incursions can be stopped in the meantime remains to be seen.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-68034722

[Yervant1]

Jan 21 2024

The battle for Jerusalem plays out in the Armenian Quarter

A questionable real estate transaction between Armenian Patriarch Nourhan Manougian and Australian-Israeli settler Dany Rubenstein is testing the resolve of the local Armenian community, which opposes the encroachment of settlers on their land.

BY IBRAHIM HUSSEINI

Local Jerusalemite Armenians are under mounting pressure from Israeli settlers to relinquish control of a big chunk of property held for centuries by their forefathers in the Armenian Quarter in Jerusalem’s Old City. In the battle for Jerusalem, many in the Armenian community are adamant about defending and keeping the property out of the settlers’ grip.

A questionable real estate transaction in one of Jerusalem’s most sensitive areas between Armenian Patriarch Nourhan Manougian and Australian-Israeli settler Dany Rubenstein is testing the resolve of the local Armenian community, which opposes the deal. In an occupied city where Jewish settlers are constantly seeking to upset a delicate status quo in their favor for political and ideological reasons, demographics and real-estate ownership are intensely political issues. As such, the sale of such property to the hands of settlers is causing an embarrassment to one of Jerusalem’s oldest Christian communities and stokes tensions with Palestinians.

For months, Hagop Dejernazian and fellow Jerusalemite-Armenians have been rallying their community in the Armenian Quarter in occupied East Jerusalem to stand firm in the face of Israeli settlers and their agents. At stake are 11.5 dunams (2.8 Acres) of precious land on the Western edge of Jerusalem’s Old City that have been in the possession of the community for centuries. Above the uncertainty the deal brought to their lives, they have endured at least three violent attacks from thugs hired by an investment company with settler ties, with the objective of intimidating them into relinquishing control of the property.

“It was a brutal attack against the Armenian community that endangered our presence here,” Dejernazian remarked on the latest raid on December 28, 2023, by some 30 men bursting into the property armed with batons, assailing members of the community, including priests, seeking to eject them.

In October of last year, amid the uproar, the Patriarchate canceled the deal it had signed with Dany Rubenstein, and the matter was referred to the courts.

Two fights

The real-estate transaction estranged the local Jerusalemite Armenian community from the Patriarchate, which is mainly run by clergy of Armenian descent from abroad and largely indifferent to the political considerations or implications accompanying such a deal.

Now, Dejernazian and his fellow local Armenians are in a situation where they have to defend the character of the community under threat from messianic settlers, all while without the clear backing of a Patriarchate that has lost respect.

The rift between the locals and the Patriarchate grew more evident when the latter challenged the deal with Rubenstein without considering the community’s views.

“They excluded the community,” Dejernazian stated.

“I think they’re still not ready to accept that the community is stronger than them. The community will decide its future and not a priest who comes from abroad who doesn’t know anything about the situation or politics in Jerusalem, or about the Middle East,” he added.

The worry, local Armenians say, is that the Patriarchate will eventually compromise with the settlers and agree to lease part of the property. This would be disastrous to the local Armenian community.

Two contracts

In 2020, the Patriarchate leased part of the property to the Israeli-run Jerusalem municipality to be used as a parking lot purportedly “for Jews and Armenians.” The Municipality was granted a 10-year lease.

The Patriarchate first agreed to a long-term 99-year lease to Rubenstein (representing Xana Gardens) in July 2021, with the partial consent or knowledge of the synod, reportedly to develop a luxury hotel on the property. The deal signed between the Patriarchate and Dany Rubinstein purportedly encompasses a vast tract of land currently used as a parking lot, a seminary, and five residential homes.

The contract, according to an article published in The Armenian Mirror Spectator in September 2021, was approved by Patriarch Nourhan Manougian, Grand Sacristan Sevan Gharibian, and Fr. Yeretzian.

Sometime after, new information came to light. Dany Rubenstein has a partner named Geroge Warwar, an Arab Christian man thought to be from Jaffa.

In October 2023, following growing discontent from the local Armenian community and members of the diaspora opposing the deal with Dany Rubinstein, the Patriarchate announced that it had pulled back from the agreement signed with Xana Gardens.

Settler connections

On November 5 of last year, armed settlers stormed the parking lot known as the Cow’s Garden in the Armenian Quarter, knocked down parts of a stone wall and partially destroyed asphalt ground. The stone wall is roughly in the middle of the land, separating the part leased to the Municipality for a parking lot and the Armenian Patriarchate’s private parking lot, which is said to be outside the deal. Local Armenians quickly organized, repelling the assailants. Dany Rubenstein and partner George Warwar’s thugs returned in mid-November and then again in late December. On both occasions, they were repulsed.

An investigation by The New Arab revealed that among the armed assailants was an American Jewish settler with links to Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel’s Minister of National Security.

Another U.S. citizen, Sam Goodman, aka Tzvi Goodman, was also identified in the investigation. Goodman is linked to current Jerusalem Deputy Mayor Aryeh King, who is infamous for his pro-settler agenda. They both have a history of involvement in the eviction of Palestinians from East Jerusalem to achieve a Jewish majority there.

An unsourced photo that surfaced late last year showed Dany Rubenstein and George Warwar meeting with Matityahu Dan and Australian-born Daniel Luria, both from Ateret Cohanim, the same settler organization that purchased key properties, The Imperial Hotel and The Petra Hotel, in Jaffa Gate two decades ago from the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate. The hotels are only a minute’s walk from the Armenian Quarter and the land in question.

“We are fighting for our future”

Locals are now planning to file their own lawsuit against the transaction that transpired between the Patriarchate and Xana Gardens.

The outcry over the deal led them to contemplate taking matters of the community, including the property administered by the Patriarchate, into their own hands. They reason that an institution that enters a deal with political consequences and endangers the status and standing of the community warrants a new modus operandi.

“I don’t trust them; I don’t trust an institution that brought us to this day, that brought us to this catastrophe,” Dejernazian said.

Armenian presence in Jerusalem dates back over a millennium and a half ago. Historical records tell that Armenia became the first nation to formally adopt Christianity in 301 AD—more than a decade before Rome. Subsequently, Armenian pilgrims began journeying to Jerusalem, with some remaining to establish a permanent community.

“Jerusalem is my country, more than Armenia,” George Hintilian told Mondoweiss us as he sat in the spacious tent the community erected in the parking lot to keep a steady day-and-night watch against potential settler attacks.

“In many ways, we are Palestinian,” he added.

Hintilian, an expert historian of Armenian affairs and a central figure in the Armenian community in Old Jerusalem, reaffirms that the Armenian presence in Jerusalem is 16 centuries old.

His ancestors arrived in Palestine from Konya and Cappadocia in Ottoman Turkey during the First World War, seeking refuge from persecution by the authorities.

For the septuagenarian chronicler, Jerusalem is a mosaic of cultures and religions, of which he speaks fondly, and this deal stands to make it homogenous and exclusive to one group.

Summing up the turn of events, he remarked that a “careless” Patriarch “signed away” a piece of “precious heritage” in an “unnecessary” deal.

“I’m very angry and sad,” Hintilian said. “We are fighting for our future.”

Israel has long sought to acquire Church property, specifically in Jerusalem. The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, which is said to be the second-largest owner of real estate in the city but claims inadequate cash flow to pay salaries and for the upkeep of its monasteries, has long been mired by allegations of leaking valuable property into the hands of the government and settler organizations. It, too, has earned the distrust and dismay of many Palestinian Christians who accuse it of corruption.

The Knesset, for instance, is one of many state buildings constructed on land leased from the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem.

https://mondoweiss.net/2024/01/the-battle-for-jerusalem-plays-out-in-the-armenian-quarter/

[Yervant1]

SBS Armenian, Australia

Jan 23 2024

“Every time they attack the Armenian Quarter, the Armenian community resists with more strength and unity”

Interview with Jerusalem Armenian community member Hagop Djernazian about the latest developments in the Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem.

Listen to the podcast at https://www.sbs.com.au/language/armenian/en/podcast-episode/every-time-they-attack-the-armenian-quarter-the-armenian-community-resists-with-more-strength-and-unity/rfrxpxoog

[Yervant1]

Jan 29 2024

Developer behind controversial Jerusalem deal hired 'armed enforcers' to attack Armenian Quarter residents

Standoff between hired "provocateurs" and protestors against controversial Armenian Patriarchate deal not an Arab-Armenian brawl as claimed.

Anas Ambri

29 January, 2024

[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.

Screenshot from Father Hakobyan’s livestream video, showing the masked men spraying the gathering crowd with pepper spray in Jerusalem’s Armenian Quarter. [Hayr Tiran Hakobyan/Facebook/fair use]

Retaliation quickly followed. Two members from the Armenian community rushed forward, carrying sticks and spraying a fire extinguisher. The police intervened shortly after.

Screenshot from Father Hakobyan’s livestream video, showing local residents retaliating against the attack in Jerusalem’s Armenian Quarter. [Hayr Tiran Hakobyan/Facebook/fair use]

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.

https://www.newarab.com/investigations/israeli-firm-attack-jerusalems-armenians

[Yervant1]

Publisher, California Courier

www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com

 

 

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.

[Yervant1]

Church Times

Feb 2 2024

Armenians in Jerusalem in dispute over land

byREBECCA PAVELEY

02 FEBRUARY 2024

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.

https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2024/2-february/news/world/armenians-in-jerusalem-in-dispute-over-land

[Yervant1]

Spain - Feb 5 2024

Fights, settlers, and a luxury hotel: An opaque land deal puts Jerusalem’s Armenians on the warpath

A 1,500-year-old community has risen up to defend its home in the Old City fearing that a land deal is a maneuver by Jewish ultranationalist organizations that is being covered up by the war in Gaza

ANTONIO PITA

Jerusalem - FEB 05, 2024

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.

https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-02-05/fights-settlers-and-a-luxury-hotel-an-opaque-land-deal-puts-jerusalems-armenians-on-the-warpath.html

[Yervant1]

Feb 8 2024

Jerusalem: Jewish settler movement makes bid for large slice of Armenian quarter

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.

Contested: Jerusalem’s Armenian quarter. Ermeniniane kwartiri i Jarsa, CC BY-ND

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 demography

This 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.

https://theconversation.com/jerusalem-jewish-settler-movement-makes-bid-for-large-slice-of-armenian-quarter-222915

[Yervant1]

Geo TV News
Feb 11 2024

The Jewish settler movement is applying for a large slice of the Armenian Quarter GeoTv News

The Armenian Quarter in Jerusalem's Old City is facing its biggest crisis in a long time. A Jewish businessman with ties to the extremist settler movement is preparing to develop a quarter of the neighborhood's land, with plans to build a luxury hotel. If this goes ahead, it will transform much of the Old City of Jerusalem and accelerate the demographic shift toward the city's Jewish population that has been occurring for several years.

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 Jerusalem

This 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-ND

Now 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.

https://geotvnews.com/the-jewish-settler-movement-is-applying-for-a-large-slice-of-the-armenian-quarter-geotv-news/

[Yervant1]

Feb 18 2024

The situation around the Armenian quarter in Jerusalem was discussed.

Politics
18 February, 19:10

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.

https://radar.am/en/news/politics-2616531713/

[Yervant1]

Ha'aretz, Israel

Feb 24 2024

Ancient Documents May Void Sale of the Last Open Land in Jerusalem's Old City

Jerusalem residents are protesting a real estate deal for the last large open space in the Old City, which Ottoman-era documents show was intended to benefit the Armenian community

 

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.com/israel-news/2024-02-24/ty-article-magazine/.premium/ancient-documents-may-void-sale-of-the-last-open-land-in-jerusalems-old-city/0000018d-d98a-df79-a5cd-f9be13520000

[Yervant1]

Armenpress.am

Lawyers representing Armenian community in Jerusalem strongly condemn Israeli police behavior

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.am/eng/news/1133944.html?fbclid=IwAR11QlJnASlH-FDkpjHYVTn8oqCc3bJWBdfoRDt8dY_b1Kx5uG11PqQNjag_aem_Aa2eSKBG0Phz-eyJfXXds1-kIXJULFl6PrM782NOniD22DfPO80lok8qzKLgoD2iENzryhKa9g7YD-abcamZ_vUK

[Yervant1]

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.

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20240404-armenian-community-in-jerusalem-calls-on-christian-communities-around-the-world-to-pressure-israeli-government/

[Yervant1]

Yeni Şafak
Turkey - April 5 2024

Jordan condemns Israeli attempt to seize Armenian Christian church's property in Jerusalem

There has been an increase in Israeli attacks in recent years against Christian clergy by settlers, police in occupied East Jerusalem

Jordan on Thursday condemned an attempt by Israeli authorities to seize control of a property that belongs to the Armenian Christian church in the Old City area of occupied Jerusalem.

The Jordanian Foreign Ministry said Israeli police's attempt to evacuate the "Cows' Garden," part of the property of the Armenian Patriarchate, is "invalid and unacceptable measures under the international law and a violation to the existing historical and legal status quo in occupied Jerusalem."

It said Israeli provocative measures against Christians in occupied Jerusalem and assaults on clergy are a "flagrant and unacceptable" violation of international law and existing historical and legal status quo in Jerusalem and its sanctities.

It urged the international community "to assume its responsibilities and to stop the ongoing Israeli violations of the international law."

There has been no comment by the Israeli government.

In recent years, there has been an increase in Israeli attacks against Christian clergy in Jerusalem by settlers who spit on monks and verbally assault them, and police who have been involved in physically assaulting Palestinians.

Tensions continue to soar across the occupied West Bank amid a deadly Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 33,000 Palestinians since Oct. 7.

The Israeli army has since killed at least 456 Palestinians, and detained nearly 8,000 in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, according to Palestinian figures.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara

https://www.yenisafak.com/en/news/jordan-condemns-israeli-attempt-to-seize-armenian-christian-churchs-property-in-jerusalem-3680693

[Yervant1]

April 5 2024

New Episode Involving Land Dispute Shakes Armenian Community in Jerusalem Again

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)

Marinella Bandini/CNAWorldApril 5, 2024

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 Bandini

At 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.”

https://www.ncregister.com/cna/new-episode-involving-land-dispute-shakes-armenian-community-in-jerusalem-again

[Yervant1]

Church Times,UK

April 10 2024

Israeli police accused of eviction from Armenian site in Jerusalem

byFRANCIS MARTIN

10 APRIL 2024

ALAMY

A 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.

Advertisement

“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.

https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2024/12-april/news/world/israeli-police-accused-of-eviction-from-armenian-site-in-jerusalem

[Yervant1]

April 11 2024

 

VIDEO: Armenian Christians under siege by Israel

JEREMY LOFFREDO·APRIL 11, 2024

 

Jeremy Loffredo visits the Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City, where a community of Armenian Christians dating back to the 4th century face displacement at the hands of a shadowy Israeli corporation called Xana Capital and the violent settlers it uses as hired muscle.

https://thegrayzone.com/2024/04/11/armenian-christians-siege-israel/

 

 

[Yervant1]

April 15 2024

Armenian Christians Under Siege By Israel

byEDITORApril 15, 2024

Jeremy Loffredo visits the Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem's Old City, where a community of Armenian Christians dating back to the 4th century face displacement at the hands of a shadowy Israeli corporation called Xana Capital and the violent settlers it uses as hired muscle.

watch the video at https://scheerpost.com/2024/04/15/armenian-christians-under-siege-by-israel/

[Yervant1]

May 13 2024

Armenian heritage threatened by Jerusalem hotel plan

Deal puts 12th-century monastery, Ottoman-era houses and Roman ruins at risk

Hadani Ditmars

While the world’s attention is concentrated on Gaza, an at times violent battle for the historic Armenian quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City has been playing out on the streets over several months.

The simmering dispute escalated anew in April when Israeli police entered an area that Armenian protesters have been guarding from developers for several months. The Old City and its walls are a Unesco World Heritage site.

‘Unlawful eviction’

“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 Armenian Patriarchate said in a statement on 3 April. “The eviction began with the destruction of Armenian Patriarchate property, and assaults on clergy and indigenous Armenians.”

The Israeli police spokesman Dean Elsdunne did not respond to The Art Newspaper’s request for comment.

The conflict—now also the subject of two lawsuits—centres on a planned luxury hotel development at Cows’ Garden, a former agricultural area that was converted into a community parking lot in 1967. It adjoins the 12th-century St. James Monastery, as well as five Ottoman-era houses in a courtyard compound abutting the historic city walls. One of these is home to a family with ancestral ties to the area dating back more than 1,600 years.

Armenian monks first settled in Jerusalem in the fourth century. The Armenian quarter, comprising around 14% of the Old City, was home to 27,000 people a century ago, as numbers swelled after the Ottoman Empire’s genocide against the Armenian people. Only around 2,000 still live there, but it remains a spiritual homeland of sorts for the wider Armenian diaspora.

Unesco concern

The Old City and its walls, which have been on Unesco’s “world heritage in danger” list since 1982, are part of East Jerusalem, where the majority of residents are Palestinian. According to a 2021 report by the Jerusalem Institute for Policy Research, of the Old City’s 35,000 residents, 27,000 are Muslims, 5,000 are Christians and 3,000 are Jews.

While all of Jerusalem has been under Israeli control since Israel occupied East Jerusalem during the Six-Day war in 1967, Palestinians view it as the capital of their future state. The international community considers the Jewish settlements in East Jerusalem illegal.

The dispute over Cows’ Garden dates back to a 2021 deal signed by the Armenian patriarch Nourhan Manougian, in which he handed over 13% of the historic quarter to a company called Xana Gardens for a hotel development. The Armenian community found out about this transaction a year ago.

Two members of the community, Hagop Djernazian and Segrat Balian, founded a protest movement, the Save the Armenian Quarter (ArQ) association. ArQ first protested outside the office of the Patriarchate demanding full transparency, then in recent months took shifts guarding the site from developers and groups of settlers.

Ambiguous contract

Djernazian says that an ambiguous clause in the contract allowing Xana Gardens to include “adjacent properties in the project” means a much larger area is at risk. This comprises the private garden of the patriarch as well as a modern seminary building, erected in 1975. Underneath the seminary are Roman ruins unearthed in 1960 by the British archaeologist Kathleen Kenyon, as well as a crusader palace.

It will not be a hotel but a settlement

“You can’t build a modern hotel within the ramparts of the Old City,” Djernazian says. “It could damage the whole structure and status quo of the Old City. It will not be a hotel but a settlement. It’s a provocative act.”

Xana Gardens is based in Tel Aviv and led by the Australian Israeli investor Danny Rothman, who has consistently declined to speak to the press. The company does not appear to have a website. Rothman did not respond to The Art Newspaper’s request for comment.

Cancellation

After months of protests, Manougian cancelled the agreement in October. A 16 November statement by the Armenian Patriarchate said the contract he signed in 2021 was “tainted with false representation, undue influence, and unlawful benefits”.

Since the cancellation, the Armenian community says its members guarding the site have been attacked on several occasions. On 26 October, bulldozers entered the car park to dismantle the pavement, damaging part of a wall in the process. They were turned back by members of the Armenian community. In December, violence erupted. The Middle East Monitor reported that around a dozen people were injured when a group of men attacked residents.

Lawsuits

The Patriarchate has filed a lawsuit against Xana Gardens to be heard in the Jerusalem District Court. A second lawsuit was filed on behalf of the Armenian community on 18 February.

The state of Israel has also joined the legal fray, according to a February statement by two Israeli NGOs, Bimkom and Ir Amim. They said it recently emerged that Israel had initiated the official registration of land rights within the Armenian Quarter of the Old City.

“If the Xana Gardens company were successful in taking possession of this area at the alleged behest of settlers, it would dramatically alter the character of the environs and significantly damage the unique historic identity of the Armenian Quarter,” says Amy Cohen at Ir Amim. “Such a move would likewise serve as another link along the growing ring of Israeli control in and around the Old City.”

ArQ plans to appeal to Unesco, Djernazian says. “We are of course aware of the legal procedure that is under way,” Polina Huard, a spokeswoman for Unesco, tells The Art Newspaper. “The State of Conservation Report on this property will be brought to the attention of the World Heritage Committee at its next session in July 2024.”

https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2024/05/13/armenian-heritage-threatened-by-jerusalem-hotel-plan

[Yervant1]

The New Arab

May 23 2024

Netzah Yehuda veteran was among ‘guards’ who intimidated Jerusalem Armenians in November 2023

The US has considered suspending military aid destined to this notorious Israeli army unit due to its involvement in abuses on Palestinians in the West Bank.

Anas Ambri

[This article is the fifth part of The Armenian Quarter Files, a series of investigations into a controversial land deal in occupied East Jerusalem].

The New Arab Investigative Unit can reveal that a veteran of the notorious Netzah Yehuda battalion was involved in confrontations with the Armenian community in Jerusalem.

He is among more individuals identified by The New Arab’s Investigative Unit present at the confrontations between representatives of Israeli Xana Gardens Ltd, and members of the local Armenian community, in the Old City of Jerusalem.

The altercations, which occurred on 4-5 November 2023, saw armed settlers attempt to intimidate residents of the Armenian Quarter, who were protesting a controversial land deal between Xana Gardens and the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem.

The New Arab (TNA) Investigative Unit previously identified two American settlers present at the confrontations.

These include Saadia Hershkop, an American Jewish settler with ties to Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel’s minister of national security.

Also present was Sam Tzvi Goodman, a US citizen from Jacksonville, Florida, and ex-Israeli border police guard, with a seven-year-long history of involvement in the eviction of Palestinians from occupied East Jerusalem.

The newly identified individuals include a veteran of the Netzah Yehuda battalion, as well as an Israeli reservist who was accused of being involved in a ‘Skunk’ spray attack at a January 2024 pro-Palestine demonstration at Columbia University in the US.

Once again, TNA’s investigative work sheds light on how, to different extents, settler violence and its international ramifications affect all communities in the Occupied Territories, not just the Palestinians.

A controversial land deal

The controversy around the deal started in April 2023, when news broke out that the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem had leased some 13% of the Armenian Quarter to Xana Gardens to construct a luxury hotel.

The homes of some Jerusalem Armenians, threatened by displacement, were allegedly included in the deal.

As a consequence, 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.

This did not stop the situation from escalating.

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.

On 4-5 November 2023, Danny Rothman, the Australian Jewish investor behind the deal, confronted the protestors, accompanied by a group of armed Jewish settlers.

Eventually, both parties dispersed after the police intervened.

TNA contacted Mr. Rothman for comment. No reply was received at time of publication.

Former Israeli soldiers and Kitat Konenut

The two identified individuals are Netanel (Sonny) Danziger, previously from the Netzah Yehuda battalion, and Menajem Mendel Perez, who claims to have been part of the Israeli army as a paratrooper.

TNA contacted Mr. Danziger over WhatsApp, social media and the phone to respond to the allegations in this piece. We did not receive a reply.

TNA also contacted Mr. Perez by email and over social media as well. He did not answer our repeated attempts to seek comment.

During the confrontations at the Armenian Quarter, the armed men presented themselves as guards protecting the land of the Cows’ Garden.

In an interaction recorded by Jerusalem-based journalist Nicole Schiavi Jansezian on November 4, one of the men is heard saying that they were from “Kitat Konenut [...] providing backup to the police”.

Kitat Konenut (meaning “rapid response squads”) are volunteer security forces, usually operating in rural areas, and generally found in Israel’s illegal settlements in the West Bank.

In the aftermath of the October 7 Hamas attack, the Israeli Ministry of National Security announced it would train some 600 new rapid response squads all over Israel. Ten groups are reportedly already operating in East Jerusalem, including in the Old City’s Jewish Quarter.

TNA contacted the Israeli police back in November 2023 to ask whether Kitat Konenut were supposed to “provide backup to the police” during incidents in Jerusalem’s Old City. The Israeli Police Spokesperson Unit did not respond to these questions.

In another interaction recorded on 5 November 2023 and later shared with TNA, Perez can be seen in the middle of an altercation between Mr. Rothman and Father Koryoun Baghdasaryan, the current director of real estate at the Armenian Patriarchate in Jerusalem.

Netanel Danziger: veteran of the Netzah Yehuda battalion

According to his Facebook profile, Netanel Danziger, who also goes by Sonny Danziger, was in the Israeli army from July 2010 until January 2014.

TNA was not able to determine whether Danziger is an American citizen, like some other settlers present at the Armenian Quarter on 5 November 2023.

A post on Facebook from 23 September 2011 shows Danziger in uniform with other Israeli soldiers from his military brigade.

A retired officer of the Netzah Yehuda battalion confirmed to The New Arab that, “to the best of my recollection”, Danziger enlisted in the unit some time in 2010.

This is also corroborated by a Facebook post from 22 January 2014, where Danziger is seen wearing a military tag cover, displaying the emblem of the Netzah Yehuda battalion, as well as the number 97.

The 97th Netzah Yehuda battalion is a notorious unit of the Israeli army, formed in 1999 to encourage ultra-orthodox Haredi men to enlist.

Haredim represent 13.5% of Israel’s population, but have historically preferred to “defer” the compulsory military service in the Israeli army by studying full-time in yeshivas - traditional Jewish educational institutions - instead. Outside Israel, some Haredim have been staunchly opposed to Zionism, from a religious and moral viewpoint.

Haaretz described the battalion as “a kind of independent militia that doesn’t obey the army’s rules”.

In December 2022, the unit was moved away from its usual deployment in the West Bank, after its involvement in the death of 78-year-old American-Palestinian Omar Abdalmajeed As'ad.

According to Haaretz, soldiers from Netzah Yehuda handcuffed As’ad, gagged him, and left him to die of cardiac arrest out in the cold in the village of Jiljilya, near Ramallah.

The U.S. State Department is currently considering the suspension of military assistance to the Netzah Yehuda battalion over its violation of the Leahy laws.

According to US-based human rights advocacy organisation Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN), the law authorises the suspension of “US military assistance to a specific foreign military unit if they find it has committed gross violations of internationally recognized human rights and those responsible have not been brought to justice”.

DAWN had previously documented what it called “a pattern of gross and systematic human rights abuses” by the Netzah Yehuda unit and submitted its findings to the State Department in October 2022.

On 29 April 2024, a letter from Secretary of State Anthony Blinken stated that three Israeli Army battalions and two “civilian authority” units in Israel’s security forces were found responsible for gross violations of human rights, according to Reuters.

According to the US State Department, Israel had taken “effective steps to bring to justice” the culprits in four of these cases, in compliance with US law. Therefore, no more measures were needed.

The only pending case relates to the Netzah Yehuda battalion, for which Washington is still possibly considering restrictive measures.

"The two identified individuals are Netanel (Sonny) Danziger, previously from the Netzah Yehuda battalion, and Menajem Mendel Perez, who claims to have been part of the Israeli army as a paratrooper."

The battalion has been deployed inside the Gaza Strip as part of Israel’s ongoing offensive, according to the Israeli army’s Arabic and MENA Media Desk.

The media unit told TNA over WhatsApp that “the battalion is professionally and bravely conducting operations in accordance to [sic] the IDF Code of Ethics and with full commitment to international law.”

Human rights organisations and the UN’s human rights office have decried Israel’s repeated violations of international humanitarian law - the so-called laws of war - in its onslaught on Gaza.

When asked about the involvement of soldiers from the battalion in the death of As’ad, the Israeli army’s media unit told TNA that “there were failures in the conduct” of the soldiers involved.

However, according to them, the army had found “no causal link between the failures of the soldiers’ conduct and Assad’s death”. Therefore, no criminal prosecution was undertaken.

The outcome of the army’s investigation is unsurprising. According to Israeli human rights group Yesh Din, between 2017-2021, only 0.87% of Israeli soldiers involved in cases of alleged offences were prosecuted.

The potential decision to suspend military assistance to the Netzah Yehuda battalion would follow an earlier Executive Order, issued by US President Joe Biden on 1 February 2024, aiming to impose sanctions on Israelis who have been involved in “high levels of extremist settler violence, forced displacement of people and villages, and property destruction” in the West Bank.

So far, however, the Executive Order has not been applied to individuals involved in settler-linked violence in East Jerusalem.

‘Lone soldier’ at the Jerusalem Heritage House

After his deployment with Netzah Yehuda ended in January 2014, Mr. Danziger stayed as a guest at the Jerusalem Heritage House, a non-profit youth hostel in the Old City’s Jewish Quarter, founded in 1985.

The Heritage House is run by Rabbi Ben Packer, who was born and raised in Virginia, before moving to Israel in 1999 and volunteering with the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip.

TNA contacted Rabbi Packer to comment on the allegations in this piece. No reply was received at time of publication.

In a recent Facebook post by Rabbi Packer on 21 March 2024, Packer called Danziger a “long time friend of the Jerusalem Heritage House”, where he stayed as a “lone soldier”.

Lone soldiers are volunteers in the Israeli army who come from abroad on their own to join it. According to the Israeli non-profit Lone Soldiers Center, there are over 7,000 lone soldiers currently in the 169,500-strong Israeli army.

In November 2017, Haaretz revealed that Rabbi Packer had “lured” hundreds, if not thousands, of young American Jews - including lone soldiers - to stay for free at the Heritage House.

Some of these youth had apparently no idea of Packer’s political agenda or his close ties to radical factions in the settlement movement.

Sam Tzvi Goodman, whom TNA previously identified as an armed guard at the confrontation in the Armenian Quarter, also stayed at the house as a guest before working there as a Madrich (Hebrew for “youth leader”).

From paratrooper reservist to suspended Columbia University student

The second individual identified by TNA is Menajem Perez, a Florida-native who flew back from the US to Israel to join the flight against Hamas after its October 7 attack.

During an interview with American television network CBS on 11 October 2023, Perez claimed to be a paratrooper reservist in the Israeli army.

TNA was not able to determine whether Perez was ever deployed in the ongoing war on Gaza.

However, less than two months later, he was seen at the Armenian Quarter, along with the guards present there on 5 November 2023.

Perez made news again on 17 January 2024, when he was accused of throwing “stink bombs” at pro-Palestine protesters at Columbia University.

On 22 January, the office of the provost at Columbia University announced that “the alleged perpetrators identified to the University were immediately banned from campus while the law enforcement investigation proceeds.”

TNA contacted Columbia University to ask whether Perez was among the identified perpetrators. In its response, the University stated that it “can’t comment about individuals or the specifics of disciplinary proceedings”.

TNA also contacted the New York Police Department for updates on the incident. It stated that “there are no arrests and the investigation remains ongoing.”

Since the incident at Columbia University, all of Perez’ active social media profiles have been disabled. His whereabouts remain unknown.

"The newly identified individuals include a veteran of the Netzah Yehuda battalion, as well as an Israeli reservist who was accused of being involved in a ‘Skunk’ spray attack at a January 2024 pro-Palestine demonstration at Columbia University in the US."

However, on 16 April, Perez filed a lawsuit against the University, claiming that he had been the victim of “biased misconduct proceedings, which rushed to silence [him] and brand him as a criminal for harmlessly exercising his freedom of _expression_ in opposition to a pro-Hamas pro-Palestine rally”.

The lawsuit affirmed that Mr. Perez was indeed present at the January protest and sprayed into the air “a non-toxic ‘fart’ spray”.

TNA contacted the lawyers of Mr. Perez to provide comments. No reply was received at time of publication.

The lawsuit did not explicitly name Mr. Perez as the plaintiff, choosing instead to include him under the pseudonym of “John Doe”.

It described the plaintiff as a “Jewish Hispanic immigrant” and “a former Israeli Defense Forces soldier”. It also stated that Perez “was enrolled as a [...] student at Columbia University”. These details match the open-source information TNA was able to obtain.

The lawsuit coincides with a US-wide campaign of crackdown on pro-Palestine activism on campus.

As of 29 April 2024, this campaign included 13 different lawsuits against American universities, four of which targeting Columbia University alone.

Editing and fact-checking: Investigative Editor Andrea Glioti.

https://www.newarab.com/investigations/netzah-yehuda-radical-involved-armenian-quarter-standoff

[Yervant1]

May 30 2024

Inside the scheme to grab ‘holy’ land in Jerusalem’s Armenian quarter

Local activists are working to stop a mega-deal signed by the Armenian patriarch to lease land to a luxury hotel developer.

Amberin Zaman

JERUSALEM — Jewish settlers, a shady Australian developer and a defrocked priest. This unlikely cast sits at the heart of a multimillion-dollar real estate deal that has caused an uproar within Jerusalem’s ancient Armenian community and mobilized its youth in an unprecedented campaign to defend their land.

The legal case to sink the deal, which would see a long-coveted chunk of the Armenian quarter of Jerusalem fall into suspect hands, is inspiring Christian and Muslim Jerusalemites as they face down Messianic Jews bent on eradicating their presence in the bitterly contested city, now through dubious real estate deals. Armenian resistance to that long-running effort has spurred repeated attacks by masked thugs hired to intimidate the activists and revived gripes from the community about the conduct of the Armenian church, all of which has caught the attention of diverse foreign governments amid the conflict in Gaza.

A dwindling population of around 1,500 Armenians lives in the quarter that is wedged between the Jewish Quarter and the Western Wall, making it a prime target for Jewish acquisition. Like other non-Jews in the city, they face assaults from Jewish extremists who, emboldened by the current far-right coalition led by Benjamin Netanyahu, rough up and spit at their priests and deface their buildings.

“This is a battle for our very existence. A battle for the future of Jerusalem. It’s a battle to maintain its identity as a city of peace, a city of justice, of security and freedom of worship for all,” said Setrag Balian, founding member of a communal advocacy group called Save the ArQ.

“If God himself asked me to sell this land, I would not,” Balian told Al-Monitor.

Setrag Balian, co-founder of Save the ArQ, during an interview in Cows' Garden, East Jerusalem, May 22, 2024. (Amberin Zaman/Al-Monitor)

Balian hails from a storied family of well-known ceramicists whose tiles adorn historical buildings and homes of the wealthy and famous across the world. They came to Jerusalem from Kutahya, fleeing persecution in the Turkish province where they first honed their skills.

The bespectacled 27-year-old exudes a gravitas that is coupled surprisingly well with his man bun. We are “walking a very tight rope” he says, so as to ensure that the issue remains “a Christian Armenian one within the context of Jerusalem.” Yet the dispute's ramifications are being felt beyond Israel’s borders in Armenia proper, where a succession of Turkish- and Israeli-backed attacks by Azerbaijan resulted in the loss of large swathes of land.

Cows’ Garden or cash cow?

The 98-year-long lease agreement to construct a luxury hotel was signed on July 7, 2021, between the Armenian Patriarchate and an obscure Jewish Australian investor, Danny Rothman, who also calls himself Danny Rubinstein. It encompasses a vast and rare expanse of open space located in the Armenian quarter known as Cows’ Garden, named after the bovines that grazed there until the 19th century. Survivors of the 1915 genocide of the Armenians, including some 20,000 orphans whose wizened faces stare out from panels erected in their memory at the recently refurbished Armenian Museum, took shelter there after months of grueling travel through the deserts of Arabia. “It’s a holy place,” explained George Hintlian, a historian who has dedicated his life to researching and preserving his native Armenian heritage in Jerusalem and beyond. “There were many offers made before. We turned all of them down.”

An image of Armenians orphaned by the genocide at the Armenian Museum in East Jerusalem, May 24, 2024. (Amberin Zaman/Al-Monitor)

Cows’ Garden is currently used as a parking lot by local residents. It’s “a lifeline” for parents who bring their children to the pair of Armenian schools in the quarter, Hintlian noted. Rothman’s complex would gobble up not only Cows’ Garden but the homes of five Armenian families, parts of the Armenian Patriarch’s private parking space and garden and a wing of the Armenian seminary where the 1915 genocide of the Armenians by the Ottoman Turks is commemorated every year.

It’s a bum deal. The Patriarchate is to be paid a measly $300,000 annually for one of the choicest pieces of property in all of Jerusalem. The building scheme covers roughly 25% of the Armenian quarter and sits atop the highest point on Mount Zion, an oasis of calm encircled by thick stone walls built by Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, the second Ottoman ruler of Jerusalem, in the mid-16th century.

Many believe that Rothman is a front man for Jewish settler groups. Haaretz, the liberal Israeli daily newspaper, published a photograph showing Rothman at a Jerusalem hotel posing alongside Mati Dan, the founder of Ateret Cohanim, a group that promotes and funds Jewish settlements in and around the old city. There is no actionable evidence of any business ties between the two, and Dan has denied any links to the pending development, yet it’s “entirely conceivable” that settlers are behind the scheme, according to Laura Wharton, an elected member of the Jerusalem City Council who mediates between local communities and the mayor, Moshe Lion.

“There is a fringe group within the city and the country and beyond who want only Jews, religious and not secular ones, to fill Jerusalem. Many are trying to buy up land in East Jerusalem, which allows them to skirt charges of outright dispossession, and [israeli Minister of National Security] Itamar Ben-Gvir has a record of supporting them,” Wharton told Al-Monitor. She was alluding to the far-right politician’s overt support in 2022, when he was a lawmaker, for the eviction of a Palestinian family from Jerusalem’s Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood.

Suspicions of links between Rothman and the settlers deepened when a group of them, armed with rifles and attack dogs, moved against a peaceful sit-in staged by Save the ArQ in Cows’ Garden on the night of November 4, demanding they “get out of our land.” Rothman was present and caught on camera with one of the assailants, Saadia Hershkop, a notorious extremist with alleged ties to violent criminals. The standoff continued into the next day. Police were forced to intervene.

“That is when the reality of what we were up against fully hit us,” said Hagop Djernazian, who, with Balian, is at the forefront of the campaign to reverse the deal. The 24-year-old political science major is a descendant of Armenian genocide survivors from Turkey’s Kahramanmaras province. Service to the community is in his DNA — Djernazian’s grandpa chauffeured successive Patriarchs until the mid-1990s. “We are trying to marry the boldness of youth with the wisdom and experience of our elders,” Djernazian said of the campaign to rescue Cows’ Garden. The US-based Center for Law and Justice "Tatoyan" Foundation that is aiding the legal team has raised more than $113,000 to help cover legal fees so far.

'The fish stinks from its head'

The community first caught wind of the transaction in October 2021, after an Armenian publication, Keghart, reported that 12 priests belonging to the Armenian Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, also known as the Saint James Brotherhood, had signed a joint statement denouncing the deal. It was followed by another statement signed by 17 priests, asserting that the agreement had been concluded without the consent of the Holy Synod and the General Assembly and that Patriarch Nourhan Manougian and his two lieutenants who inked it lacked the authority to act on their own.

It was not until April 2023, though, that the full contours of the deal became known. Faced with public outrage, Manougian declared that he was not in command of its details — he had not even seen a map. He had been misled, he claimed, by his real estate advisor, Father Barets Yeretsian, who was a co-signer. The denial was met with disbelief. “The fish stinks from its head,” snorted Hoppig Jordan, a local entrepreneur, as she stirred a yogurt marinade for a shawarma she was preparing at the Armenian General Benevolent Union. Tucked away in a narrow alley, the social club is for families thought to have descended from Jerusalem’s original Armenian population who came to the city in the fourth century. “Are you telling me the Patriarch doesn’t know what was in that contract?” Jordan asked. “One hundred percent he does. I told him to take off his habit and to leave,” Jordan told Al-Monitor. “In the old days, we had guys with balls. Now we have this.”

Her disdain, if not aired as bluntly, is shared by many in the community who question the Patriarchate’s recent maneuvers to terminate protected tenancy agreements — ostensibly for financial profit — at residents’ expense. Nir Hasson, a Haaretz reporter who covers minority affairs in depth, told Al-Monitor, “There is no way this deal could work without some corruption.” The Patriarch and his team “were at a minimum stupid and utterly responsible,” Hasson added.

An unfazed Manougian has maintained the line that Yeretsian was the sole culprit, even as he continues to refuse to provide information about his dealings with Rothman and his company, Xana Gardens. Yeretsian was defrocked on May 5. Asserting his innocence, the “fall guy” fled to California, but not before angry protestors besieged Yeretsian’s home to ensure that he did not take incriminating documents with him.

The affair took a further dramatic turn that month when Jordan and the Palestinian Authority announced in a joint statement they had withdrawn their recognition of Manougian as Patriarch on the grounds that he “mishandl[ed] culturally and historically significant Christian properties” in the Armenian quarter of East Jerusalem. East Jerusalem is considered the official capital of Palestine by numerous countries and was under Jordanian control until Israel occupied it following the 1967 Six-Day War. In a 1994 treaty signed between Jordan and Israel, the latter agreed to recognize the former’s “special role” over Muslim Holy sites in the city.

Crowds began gathering regularly under Manougian’s window, chanting “traitor” and demanding that he come clean. In October, likely fearing for his seat, Manougian caved. The Patriarchate announced that it was pulling out of the “fraudulent and deceitful deal” and pressed charges against Rothman and George Warwar, his Arab Christian business partner with a criminal record, of “misrepresenting” themselves and their intentions. The move triggered the first attack by Rothman’s thugs for hire who showed up with bulldozers and demolished a wall.

Led by Save the ArQ, community members, working in shifts, have since been guarding the site.

In a third incident on Nov. 15, “instead of removing the trespassers, Israeli police permitted a few settlers to continue their presence intended to possess the Armenian property,” Save the ArQ said in a press release shared on its X account, a virtual archive of the unfolding saga.

“The Israeli police in Jerusalem have a consistent record of turning a blind eye to Jewish nationalistic violence. We have witnessed Palestinians being attacked and police joining in,” Aviv Tatarsky, a Jewish activist who advocates on behalf of Eastern Jerusalem’s Palestinians and other threatened communities, said. “They have the state and Israeli law on their side. And the Armenians are especially vulnerable, as they are a minority within a minority,” Tatarsky told Al-Monitor.

That said, the Armenians have “a positive image” among Israelis, Wharton, the city councilor, observed. “Most Israelis see Christians as being more friendly to the Jews than Muslims are. Besides, anyone with any historical understanding knows that the Armenians have been in Jerusalem for a very long time,” she added.

Still, unlike numerous governments and historians of global repute, Israel refuses to label the mass killings from 1915 onward of more than one million Armenians by Ottoman Turkish forces as a genocide. Israel’s reluctance stems in part from a desire to not provoke Turkey, even as its ties with Ankara have plummeted to new lows over the conflict in Gaza.

Israel’s military support for Azerbaijan has sharpened Armenian feelings of besiegement. The state of mind is palpable in Cows' Garden. Armenian flags line the makeshift perimeter fence set up by community members to keep Xana Gardens out. Inside the encampment stands a “mountain” composed of loose rocks, discarded latrines and rusting metal. Above it flies the flag of Nagorno-Karabakh, the mountainous enclave that is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan and which Armenians call Artsakh. It was seized by Azerbaijan forces last year and ethnically cleansed of its majority Armenian population in less than two weeks.

“This is our Leletepe,” said Balian, gesturing toward the mound. He was referring to a strategic hilltop in Nagorno-Karabakh where the Azerbaijani military in 2016 committed atrocities against Armenian civilians, rights groups say.

Prostitutes and pills

On Feb. 18, after months of stonewalling by the Patriarchate, the Armenian community filed its own case in the Jerusalem District Court to nullify the Cows’ Garden lease. Precedent suggests that the case could drag on for years.

In 2005, it emerged that the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem had sealed a similarly opaque deal. Unbeknownst to his flock, the Patriarch had ceded two hotel buildings desirably situated at the entrance of Jaffa Gate at far below their true value to Ateret Cohanim. Haaretz’s Hasson recently unearthed tape recordings documenting how the settler group’s leader, Mati Dan, engaged the services of prostitutes, “as long as they are not Jewish,” and doled out sorryyyyy pills to lure East Jerusalemites to sell their land. The Patriarch was sacked and the Patriarchate went to court. After a nearly 20-year-long fight, the Israeli Supreme Court ruled that Ateret Cohanim was legally entitled to the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate’s land.

Sami Ershied, a Palestinian Muslim lawyer who is acting on behalf of the Armenians, asserts that their case is different.

For one, the prosecution’s case rests on the very same arguments listed in the statements signed by the brothers of Saint James, namely that the Patriarchate does not own the land and hence lacks the authority to conclude such deals. The prosecution has evidence to prove it.

“According to the ownership documents that we found and submitted to court, this land belongs to the Armenian community in Jerusalem,” Ershied said. The document was issued by an Ottoman Sharia court more than 450 years ago and proves that the land was “bequeathed” to the Armenian community of Jerusalem when the Ottomans were at their apex and felt secure.

“Frankly speaking, I conducted a few researches and visits to the Ottoman archive in Istanbul and the Ottoman land registry in Ankara. I found that the empire was well documented and well organized despite what we were taught in history lessons,” Ershied told Al-Monitor.

This works in favor of property owners, on all sides. Jewish settlers have used Waqf documents to establish ownership over disputed properties in Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan. Israeli courts have recognized their legitimacy, and as such, the Armenian community is hopeful that it will prevail.

In the meantime, the Patriarchate still refuses to cooperate. “They have refused to share anything with us from the beginning and refused to meet with the community members and the legal team after submitting our case,” Ershied lamented. “People in power don’t want to be held accountable.”

https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2024/05/inside-scheme-grab-holy-land-jerusalems-armenian-quarter

[Yervant1]

Associated Press

June 24 2024

 

Heads of churches say Israeli government is demanding they pay property tax, upsetting status quo

 

BY  JULIA FRANKEL

Updated 3:15 AM GMT+3, June 24, 2024

JERUSALEM (AP) — Leaders of major churches have accused Israeli authorities of launching a “coordinated attack” on the Christian presence in the Holy Land by initiating tax proceedings against them.

While Israeli officials have tried to dismiss the disagreement as a routine financial matter, the churches say the move upsets a centuries-old status quo and reflects mounting intolerance for the tiny Christian presence in the Holy Land.

In a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week, the heads of the major Christian denominations alleged that four municipalities across Israel had recently submitted warning letters to church officials cautioning them of legal action if they did not pay taxes.

“We believe these efforts represent a coordinated attack on the Christian presence in the Holy Land,” wrote the heads of the Catholic, Greek Orthodox and Armenian Orthodox churches. “In this time, when the whole world, and the Christian world in particular, are constantly following the events in Israel, we find ourselves, once again, dealing with an attempt by authorities to drive the Christian presence out of the Holy Land.”

Christians are a tiny minority, making up less than 2% of the population of Israel and the Palestinian territories. There are 182,000 Christians in Israel, 50,000 in the West Bank and Jerusalem and 1,300 in Gaza, according to the U.S. State Department. The vast majority are Palestinians.

The churches, who are major landowners in the Holy Land, say they do not pay property taxes under longstanding tradition. They say their funds go to services that benefit the state, like schools, hospitals and homes for the elderly.

 

 

The letter said the municipalities of Tel Aviv, Ramla, Nazareth and Jerusalem in recent months have all either issued warning letters or commenced legal action for alleged tax debts.

The Jerusalem municipality told The Associated Press that the church had not submitted the necessary requests for tax exemptions over the last few years. It said that “a dialogue is taking place with the churches to collect debts for the commercial properties they own.”

The other municipalities did not immediately comment. It was unclear if the municipalities acted in a coordinated effort or whether the tax moves are coincidental.

In 2018, Christians closed the Church of the Holy Sepulchre — revered by Christians as the site of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection — to protest a move by Israeli officials to impose taxes on commercial properties in the holy city.

The Christian leaders argued that the sites — like pilgrim hostels and information centers — served important religious and cultural purposes, and that taxing them would infringe on Christian religious observance in the Holy Land. After the public backlash, Netanyahu quickly suspended the plan.

https://apnews.com/article/israel-christians-taxes-church-palestinians-ac106bb1d49dd3d0d96613af53d4fcf7