Report Sparks Uproar in Jerusalem

Published by The National Herald, March 25, 2005

JERUSALEM (AP) – Arab leaders of the Greek Orthodox church in the Holy Land called for the resignation of Patriarch Eireneos of Jerusalem last Saturday, March 19, following a report that he was involved in a land deal transferring sensitive Jerusalem property to Jewish control.

The Patriarchate of Jerusalem is investigating a reported sale of sensitive Jerusalem property to Jewish organizations, a church official said last Sunday, March 20, as dozens of Palestinian faithful staged a protest in Jerusalem, calling Eireneos a "collaborator" and demanding his resignation. Palestinian church leaders have also demanded that he step down.

Archbishop Aristarchos, the chief secretary of the Patriarchate, declined to confirm or deny whether the sale had taken place.

"This is an unfortunate event. We are investigating," he said. "We shall try to cancel whatever actions have been done illegally."

In a statement, the Church said any sale which might have taken place was unauthorized, adding that an arrest warrant had been issued in Greece for a former employee allegedly involved in the case.

The reported sale has sparked an uproar among Palestinian followers of the Church, who accuse the Greek leadership of betraying the Palestinian cause.

A land sale to Jews in east Jerusalem, while legal, is viewed as a treasonous act by Palestinians.

The controversy erupted after the Israeli daily, Maariv, reported at the end of last week that the church had sold properties in the predominantly Arab sector of the walled Old City of Jerusalem, which is home to Jewish, Christian and Muslim holy sites.

Maariv, reported last Friday, March 19, that the Church sold land in the walled Old City of Jerusalem to Jewish groups working to bolster the Jewish presence in the area. The properties, which include two hotels, are located in traditionally Palestinian sections of the Old City.

The Maariv report, which did not attribute information to any authorized sources, could not be independently confirmed, however, and church officials said they had no knowledge of such a transaction.

But the report aggravated long-running tensions between Greek monks and local Palestinian leaders of the Orthodox Community who have demanded more representation within the church. The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem represents about 100,000 faithful in the Holy Land.

During last Sunday’s protest, several dozen people gathered at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the traditional site of Christ’s Crucifixion and Resurrection, and marched to the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate, chanting slogans and carrying signs such as "No to Judaize Jerusalem" and "We will not rest until the Patriarch is fired."

"What is more difficult than witnessing the sale of Jerusalem," Ellen Kashram, a deputy school principal who joined the crowd, asked?

When the Patriarch departed from morning services, about ten people started heckling him and calling him a collaborator. Eireneos did not comment.

After a brief standoff with Israeli police, Palestinian representatives of the Church leading the protest met privately with the Patriarch’s aides.

Nabil Mshahwar, chairman of the Arab Orthodox Council of Jerusalem, said Church leaders denied any connection to a land sale and said they suspect fraud.

In the West Bank town of Ramallah last Saturday, Arab church representatives demanded the Patriarch’s resignation.

"We condemn this behavior, and we demand the resignation of those behind this deal, if it proves to be true," said Atallah Hanna, a Greek Orthodox church official.

Hanna and other Arab representatives of the church also demanded Eireneos’ resignation, saying they had lost confidence in him after hearing of the reported land deal.

The allegations prompted Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia to form a committee to investigate the land sale. "It is dangerous and a clear indication of the Israeli plan that targets the holy city," Qureia said, adding that the plan includes buying up land "through secrecy, through fraud… all with the goal of making Jerusalem Jewish."

A number of Jewish groups have quietly purchased dozens of properties in east Jerusalem in recent years in efforts to bolster the Jewish claim to the area and prevent the city from being divided. Officials with Ateret Cohanim, one of the groups active in such efforts, said they knew nothing of the latest deal.

Residents and business owners in the Old City said they were shocked by the alleged land sale, although they did not know whether the report was true.

"This city is not for the Greeks or the Jews or the Arabs," said Abul Walid Dajani, manager of Jerusalem’s Imperial hotel, one of the properties reportedly sold in the deal. "This city is a house of religion for the whole world."

The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate is one of the biggest property owners in Jerusalem, including large tracts of real estate inside the Old City. It also shares control of Holy Sepulcher with other Christian denominations.

The Palestinians claim the eastern part of the city, which includes the Old City, as the site of a future capital. Israel, which captured east Jerusalem from Jordan in the 1967 Mid-East War, claims all of the city.

The controversy is the latest sign of internal divisions within the church. In 2003, Eireneos accused a senior priest and formal rival for this job of hiring a Palestinian hit squad to assassinate him. The cleric, Metropolitan Timothy of Vostron, denied the accusations.

Eireneos’ appointment to the post of Patriarch was also controversial. Israel approved Eireneos’ appointment in 2004 after a more than two-year delay, accusing him of being too sympathetic to the Palestinian Authority.

The above incorporates information from reports posted by the Associated Press on March 20 ("Greek Orthodox Leaders Call For Eireneos’ Resignation after Reported Land Deal" and "Greek Orthodox Church Investigating Reported Sale of Land to Jews").



Volume 7 Number 13 - Tuesday, March 29th, 2005	A Publication of the ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN LAITY