Translated material
Christian priests in Jerusalem are alarmed by the increasing number of cases of sale of church lands to overseas offshore companies
The Jerusalem patriarchs and archbishops of thirteen different churches have sent a letter to Christian leaders around the world calling on them to put pressure on Israel and restore the broken status quo on land ownership.
As NEWSru Israel reports, the reason for such an extraordinary appeal by the priests was a decision made a month ago by the Jerusalem District Court, which recognized the legality of the deal on the sale of several plots of land in Jerusalem by the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate to three companies backed by the Israeli organization Ateret Kohanim. The deal was finalized ten years ago, but after the change of patriarch it was challenged by the new leadership of the Church. After a lengthy legal battle, an Israeli court declared the deal legal.
Also, the anger of the hierarchs was aroused by the initiative of Knesset member Rachel Azaria from the Kulanu party, who put forward for parliamentary consideration a bill on the seizure by the state of church lands on which residential properties are located.
In a letter to the heads of churches, the patriarchs and archbishops call the court's decision unfair, and the actions of the Israeli authorities an obvious and significant violation of the status quo.
“We consider these steps to be a systematic attempt to damage Jerusalem and the holy places, weakening the Christian presence in the city. An active Christian community is an important factor in the social life of Jerusalem. Any threat to the Christian community will only increase the tensions that have recently arisen in the city,” it says in a letter.
In recent months, it has become known about a series of transactions involving the sale of lands in Jerusalem, Caesarea and Jaffa by the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate. Thus, in July 2017, the transaction was completed for the sale of land rights in the “Clock Complex” in old Jaffa to Bona Trading, registered on the islands of St. Vincent and the Grenadines in the Caribbean Sea. The transaction cost was almost $1.5 million.
Shortly before this, it became known about the sale of 70 hectares of land between Caesarea and Kibbutz Sdot Yam for $1 million to Senet Ventures, also registered in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
And in early July, it turned out that the Greek Patriarchate sold plots with a total area of 50 hectares located in the Jerusalem districts of Rehavia, Talbiya and Nayot to a group of Israeli investors. These plots have been leased by the Jewish National Fund since 1951. In total, we are talking about approximately 200 sites . They house the Khan Theater, part of the Israel Museum, the Central Synagogue, the Menachem Begin Heritage Center, and other public buildings.