Greek Orthodox Patriarchate Condemns Israeli Seizure of Its Properties in Silwan

The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem issued a strongly worded statement condemning the Israeli occupation authorities' seizure of a plot of land belonging to it in the town of Silwan in occupied Jerusalem. The Patriarchate described this move as an illegal seizure that falls within plans aimed at undermining the historical Christian presence in the Holy City, warning of the serious consequences of continuing these escalatory policies against church properties.

Informed sources explained that the assault began last Monday when reinforced occupation army forces stormed the targeted land, expelled the Patriarchate's representative from the site, and confiscated all equipment present there. The forces did not stop there; they proceeded to uproot trees and destroy landmarks on the land before enclosing it with a fence and tightly secured metal gates to completely isolate it from its rightful owners and prevent access to it.

For its part, the Presidential Higher Committee for Church Affairs in Palestine affirmed that what happened in Silwan represents a blatant violation of international law and the existing historical status quo. The committee indicated that these measures expose the falsity of the occupation's claims about respecting freedom of worship and preserving holy sites, emphasizing that the targeting has systematically extended to endowment and church properties to erase the city's Arab identity.

The committee linked this assault to the escalation of settler attacks targeting Islamic places of worship, particularly the recent burning of parts of two mosques in the villages of Jaljulia and Mazari al-Nubani. The Patriarchate and the committee concluded their statement by calling on the international community, global churches, and the United Nations to assume their legal and moral responsibilities to intervene immediately and stop these crimes, with the necessity of activating international accountability mechanisms to deter the occupation from continuing its violations.

This illegal seizure represents a blatant violation of the historical status of churches and exposes the falsity of the occupation's claims of respecting freedom of worship.