The Greek Orthodox church in the Holy Land, already mired in financial and political scandal, has been accused of secretly selling off a prime Arab area of Jerusalem's old city to Jewish settlers.
The properties were allegedly sold by the church's treasurer in Jerusalem, Nicholas Papadimas, before he disappeared when he was charged in Greece with stealing church funds in a separate case.
But Palestinians in the Greek Orthodox hierarchy allege that the church's controversial patriarch in Jerusalem, Irineos I, is behind the secret deal with two groups of overseas Jewish investors. Irineos is already fighting for his survival as patriarch after an Israeli court ruled that he had been elected to the post with the help of a convicted drug trafficker who discredited rivals using homoerotic pictures.
rich church
The Greek Orthodox church, which has about 100,000 followers in the Holy Land, is the richest church in the region and the second largest landowner in Jerusalem after the Israeli state. Among its holdings is the land on which the Israeli parliament and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's official residence stand.
Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia has ordered an investigation of the sale of land and buildings in Omar Ibn al-Hitab square, next to the Jaffa Gate, a sensitive area because its future is uncertain in any negotiated settlement between the Israelis and Palestinians.
Qureia said he suspected the deal was part of a broader strategy by Jewish groups to buy up property and force Arabs out, "all with the goal of making Jerusalem Jewish."
"It is dangerous and a clear indication of the Israeli plan that targets the holy city," he said.
The affected properties include the renowned Imperial hotel, a favorite meeting place for Palestinian politicians, and numerous shops.
Papadimas is alleged to have secretly sold the area some months ago and then disappeared after he was indicted over the missing funds. The Greek Orthodox leadership in Jerusalem said it had no prior knowledge of the sale, which it has declared "null and void." Any such deal would need the written approval of the patriarch, the church said in a statement.
But local Arab leaders of the Greek Orthodox community, headed by Archimandrite Attalla Hanna, dismiss the denials and accuse Patriarch Irineos of being part of a conspiracy to "Judaize" the old city.
"The Judaization of the city is unacceptable and whoever concedes our rights to the city does not represent us," he said. "The individuals involved must be kicked out of the church and tried."
threat to identity
Marwan Tobasi, head of the executive committee for the Arab Orthodox Conference, said the deal posed "a real threat to the Arab identity of Jerusalem and to the joint Christian-Muslim existence in the city."
Although the identity of the new owners is not yet public, Palestinians fear they will follow an established pattern of moving Jewish residents into the area and edging Arabs out over time, as has happened in other parts of the old city and just outside its walls.
The Israeli newspaper Maariv described the sale as Jews seeking to "liberate the lands of Jerusalem."
The Greek foreign ministry dispatched a delegation to Jerusalem on Monday to investigate the sale in an attempt to prevent a further deterioration in relations between the church leadership and Palestinians who say it is working in league with the Israelis.
In the 1990s, the church enraged Palestinians by selling land outside East Jerusalem to Jewish investors.
‘GREAT OPPRTUNITY’: The Paraguayan president made the remarks following Donald Trump’s tapping of several figures with deep Latin America expertise for his Cabinet Paraguay President Santiago Pena called US president-elect Donald Trump’s incoming foreign policy team a “dream come true” as his nation stands to become more relevant in the next US administration. “It’s a great opportunity for us to advance very, very fast in the bilateral agenda on trade, security, rule of law and make Paraguay a much closer ally” to the US, Pena said in an interview in Washington ahead of Trump’s inauguration today. “One of the biggest challenges for Paraguay was that image of an island surrounded by land, a country that was isolated and not many people know about it,”
DIALOGUE: US president-elect Donald Trump on his Truth Social platform confirmed that he had spoken with Xi, saying ‘the call was a very good one’ for the US and China US president-elect Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) discussed Taiwan, trade, fentanyl and TikTok in a phone call on Friday, just days before Trump heads back to the White House with vows to impose tariffs and other measures on the US’ biggest rival. Despite that, Xi congratulated Trump on his second term and pushed for improved ties, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The call came the same day that the US Supreme Court backed a law banning TikTok unless it is sold by its China-based parent company. “We both attach great importance to interaction, hope for
‘FIGHT TO THE END’: Attacking a court is ‘unprecedented’ in South Korea and those involved would likely face jail time, a South Korean political pundit said Supporters of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol yesterday stormed a Seoul court after a judge extended the impeached leader’s detention over his ill-fated attempt to impose martial law. Tens of thousands of people had gathered outside the Seoul Western District Court on Saturday in a show of support for Yoon, who became South Korea’s first sitting head of state to be arrested in a dawn raid last week. After the court extended his detention on Saturday, the president’s supporters smashed windows and doors as they rushed inside the building. Hundreds of police officers charged into the court, arresting dozens and denouncing an
RELEASE: The move follows Washington’s removal of Havana from its list of terrorism sponsors. Most of the inmates were arrested for taking part in anti-government protests Cuba has freed 127 prisoners, including opposition leader Jose Daniel Ferrer, in a landmark deal with departing US President Joe Biden that has led to emotional reunions across the communist island. Ferrer, 54, is the most high-profile of the prisoners that Cuba began freeing on Wednesday after Biden agreed to remove the country from Washington’s list of terrorism sponsors — part of an eleventh-hour bid to cement his legacy before handing power on Monday to US president-elect Donald Trump. “Thank God we have him home,” Nelva Ortega said of her husband, Ferrer, who has been in and out of prison for the
RSS