Dangerous controversy looms in Jerusalem over land leased by the Patriarchate
Posted on January. 24. 2022
BY MIHRAN KALAYJIAN | USA Armenian Life Magazine | Issue #1818
Aside from the Orthodox, the Armenians are the oldest Christian community in Palestine. The nearly 1,000 Armenians live in the Armenian Quarter, which is located next to the Jewish Quarter, in the Old City of Jerusalem, where housing, school and other basic institutions are provided for the local community. The current religious leader of the Armenians and his real estate director are now embroiled in a row with the Palestinian leadership for leasing hitherto unused sensitive land next to the Jewish Quarter initially to the Israeli municipality for a parking lot.
As if Armenians did not have enough problems these days with the disastrous developments in Artsakh, we are now faced with a new controversy in the Diaspora. I have received dozens of phone calls and emails from Armenians in various countries, informing me about a new issue brewing at the Armenian Patriarchate in Jerusalem. The details are sketchy and shameful.
In March of 2020, Abp. Manougian and Fr. Yeretsian signed a 10-year contract with the Jerusalem Municipality allowing the “Goveroun Bardez” area located in the historical Armenian Quarter to be used as a parking lot for Jews visiting the Western Wall in the Old City. This parking lot was officially opened in May of 2021.
Sources in Jerusalem who have asked not to be identified told me personally that Armenians in Palestine are unhappy with this case, with many refusing to go along with the patriarch. More significantly, it appears that the St. James Synod, which is the highest religious body in the church, has not met in three years and has not approved all these deals. This means that in fact the Synod is most likely opposed to these land deals that will cause unnecessary and long-term friction with the Palestinians and will side with Israel in the Palestinian-Israeli dispute over the occupied Old City of Jerusalem.
The Higher Presidential Committee of Church Affairs in Palestine wrote to Armenian Patriarch Nourhan Manoogian reminding him that the Armenian quarter is part of occupied Palestinian territories where UN resolutions, including the 2017 UNSC Resolution 2334, apply.
Letters by senior Palestinian officials were also sent to the Catholicos of All Armenians Patriarch Karekin II, calling land transactions in the Armenian Quarter in the Old City of Jerusalem a violation of international law since the area inside the Old City of Jerusalem is an “integral part of the Palestinian occupied territories” governed by relevant international resolutions.
The property in question is called “Goveroun Bardez” (Cows’ Garden), located on the historic Mt. Zion, at the southwest corner of the Armenian Quarter in Jerusalem. In 2021, the Patriarchate had signed an agreement with the municipality of Jerusalem to use the same property as a parking lot to be renovated at the expense of the municipality and part of it used to park the cars of Jewish residents of the area. At the time, the Patriarchate issued a statement declaring that the value of this land was over $2 million.
The 10-year lease that required the Israelis to spend $2 million to clear rubble in order to prepare the parking lot is now said to have become a 99-year lease to Jewish Australian businessman Danny Rubenstein, to convert it into a luxurious hotel that the patriarchate has admitted to and said it “will bring in a stream of hundreds of thousands of dollars that will provide financial stability for the cash-strapped church.
The construction of a hotel near the monastery, the Patriarchate, and the Theological Seminary will also create immense inconvenience and disrupt the normal life, activities, and the peace of the Patriarchate and the seminary, greatly jeopardizing the fulfillment of their mission in the future.
There have been past controversies when members of the Patriarchate leased other properties or attempted to sell precious manuscripts stolen from the archives at Sotheby’s auction in London. To make matters worse, the sale or lease of any Armenian property to Israeli individuals, companies or the government is frowned upon by Palestinians who view such transactions as expanding Israel’s presence in the occupied territories. I was told that the Palestinian Authority had sent a formal letter of complaint to the Armenian Patriarchate regarding the lease of this property.
Israeli relations with the Armenians have fluctuated over the years. The Israelis have tried to propose affinity with the Armenians because the two communities combine religion with nationalism. On the other hand, Armenians have accused Israel of supplying weapons to Azerbaijan, which may have tilted the latest war over Nagorno-Karabakh in favor of the largely Muslim former Soviet country.
The current patriarch is selling The Armenian real estate of Jerusalem. The most valuable real estate NO money can buy in the world. These properties are NOT the property of one individual whether clergyman or not; it is the property of the nation of Armenia. Patriarch Nourhan Manougian must resign and rescind the sale of the real estate.
In conclusion, we would like to emphasize that the Holy See of Jerusalem is a pan-Armenian asset, and it has been under the attention and care of all Armenians for many centuries. The selfless sacrifices of the clergy of the Holy See, as well as that of the entire Armenian people, (with their moral and financial support), contribute to its continued existence and preservation. Therefore, this sacred heritage must be handled with the utmost care and responsibility, always upholding the charter of the Holy See so as not to undermine its centuries’-old course and pass it on to future generations.
About the author:Mihran Kalaydjian is born and raised in Jerusalem. He is a consummate leading member of the community and a devoted activist. He is the former board member on the Armenian Young Men’s Society, a key liaison for the Armenians in Jerusalem and Diaspora.