Christian Church Heads Warn of Potential Erasure of Jerusalem's Armenian Community Due to Contested Land Deal

The heads of the Christian Churches in Jerusalem have issued a rare joint appeal, expressing concern about a disputed land deal that could potentially erase the centuries-old presence of the Armenian community in the Old City. The Armenian community has its own district within the ancient city, which was outlined by Ottoman rulers and is the smallest of the four quarters, alongside the Muslim, Jewish, and Christian neighbourhoods.

The concern arises from a deal to lease about 25% of the Armenian district to developers who plan to build a luxury hotel on the site. However, members of the Armenian community claim that they were not informed about the deal until surveyors started working in the area this year. The head of the Armenian Church in Jerusalem, who signed the deal in July 2021, has expressed that he was misled and has initiated legal action to annul the contract.

The situation has worsened as tensions rise, with some individuals from the Armenian community going to great lengths to protect their presence in the area. There is a group guarding the carpark day and night, utilizing barbed wire to keep out developers and settlers. The head of the Armenian Church in Jerusalem has described the struggle as a fight for their existence.

Activist Israeli lawyer Daniel Seidemann, who closely monitors the expansion of Jewish settlers in Jerusalem, believes that the project aims to extend the Jewish Quarter's influence throughout half of the Old City. Seidemann suspects that the proposed Armenian Quarter deal is part of a larger plan to encircle the outside of the Old City with settlement projects. He highlights the irregularities surrounding the deal and suggests that there is a good chance the courts will reject it.

The situation raises broader issues regarding the conflicting claims to Jerusalem. Israel, which captured east Jerusalem, including the Old City, in the 1967 war, considers the entire city as its eternal and undivided capital. On the other hand, Palestinians aspire to have East Jerusalem as the capital of a future state.