The Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy, (MIFTAH) is deeply concerned about a recent report that appeared in the Israeli newspaper Ma’ariv, which uncovered a supposed ‘million dollar deal’ struck between foreign Jewish investors and a member of the Greek-Orthodox Church in Jerusalem’s Old City.

The deal that was supposedly struck involved large tracts of land in the Omar Ibn Al-Khattab square just inside of Jaffa Gate, at the main entrance to the Old City. The site is currently home to two landmark hotels, the Imperial and Petra, as well as several shops and restaurants.

The Greek-Orthodox Patriarchy owns considerable amounts of real estate in Palestine, and has repeatedly been accused of selling, renting or leasing land to Israel. One such incident took place at the end of the 1990s, when approx. 70 square kilometers of land belonging to the patriarchy, including the Abu Ghneim Hill, in occupied east Jerusalem, was sold to Israel for the construction of the new illegal Jewish settlement of “Har Homa.” Another case in point was when the Patriarchy leased land adjacent to the Jerusalem-Bethlehem road for 903,000 NIS, to the Israeli army, which was used for construction of military bases and checkpoints.

Members of the Palestinian Christian community have been very vocal in their concerns about the monopoly of Greek monks and patriarchs in the Church and have called for the arabization of the Greek-Orthodox Church in the Holy Land. The Church’s spokesman Archimandrite Atallah Hanna condemned the alleged deal as “a big conspiracy” to “judaize” and “israelize” Jerusalem, and demanded the formation of an investigation committee “to know the truth . . . The individuals involved must be kicked out of the Church and tried,” he added. It should be stressed that much of the land owned by the patriarchy was given to the Church by Palestinian families.

In MIFTAH’s view, the Greek-Orthodox Patriarchy should firstly become a more responsible custodian for property entrusted to them by local Palestinians. Furthermore, MIFTAH supports the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) in its efforts to investigate the issue through a high-level ministerial committee.

Although the Greek-Orthodox Patriarchy today denied knowledge of the supposed deal, declaring it “null and void,” MIFTAH would like to see a transparent investigation into this matter, and having those responsible for this illegal transaction be held accountable. Taking into consideration that, according to International Law as stipulated in the Fourth Geneva Conventions, as well as the Hague Regulations, it is illegal for the occupying power to confiscate ownership of land or property, either through forceful eviction or monetary compensation.

This latest incident embodies the critical and endangered status of east Jerusalem and its Palestinian inhabitants, which will hopefully remind the PNA to re-establish the issue of Jerusalem as one of its top priorities.