Dalia Hatuka criticizes what she describes as abuse and abuse of Christian religious establishments in Palestine and points out that the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate in Jerusalem deliberately abandons church property for the private sector and ends up in the hands of Israeli settlers.
In an article in Foreign Policy magazine, the writer says Israeli groups are pursuing a strategy of buying Palestinian homes through a network of intermediaries and buyers, ending up with the ownership of Jewish families in order to change the demographic nature of the city.
She adds that among these groups is the ultra-right-wing Ateret Cohanim, which has a settlement strategy.
"The Israelis are seeking to take over Palestinian homes in Jerusalem from a long-term plan to Judaize the city," said the writer, former legal adviser to the peace negotiations between Israeli and Palestinian organizations.
| Dozens of Palestinians protest Bethlehem streets over Greek Orthodox Patriarch's procession (Reuters) |
Protests in Bethlehem
According to the writer, recent months have witnessed the emergence of many details regarding these deals. The Orthodox Church has already leased a number of land and property to many Israeli organizations since the 1950s, similar to the Jewish National Fund, which was aimed at establishing a Jewish state for decades.
According to the author, the church sold many lands in the historic Palestinian town of Jaffa, as well as a group of properties in the Mediterranean city of Caesarea, and in both East and West Jerusalem.
The writer claims that the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate in Jerusalem denies voluntarily relinquishing these properties to Israeli right-wing groups, explaining that their holding of these deals and leasing them to these lands shows their desire to achieve a material return and the preservation of these lands.
The writer refers to the protest of dozens of Palestinians on the roads of Bethlehem on the sixth of January, the procession of the Greek Orthodox Patriarch in Jerusalem Theophilos III and his daughter traitor, after being accused of involvement in the abandonment of many properties for many years.
| Greek Orthodox Patriarchate holds about one-third of land in Old Jerusalem and other parts of Palestine (Reuters) |
Awqaf and settlement
According to the writer, the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate holds about a third of the land in Old Jerusalem, as well as many properties and lands in the West Bank and Israel.
The name of Theophilus III has always been associated with the disintegration of Christian endowments in favor of the settlers in secret, raising the fears of Palestinian citizens who fear the growing presence of Israelis on the grounds of the charter churches.
Rachel Azaria, a member of the Israeli Knesset from the Kolanu party, has been working to protect Israeli settlers from sponsoring a bill that would allow the government to take over the lands of churches abandoned to the private sector, which in turn are leased to settlers.
The church leaders' protest against the decision was echoed by Republican and Democratic lawmakers in the United States who sent a protest letter to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
Deals and demographics
The writer attributed to the researcher at the Institute for Palestinian Studies, Mouin Rabbani, saying that the Christian clergy held many deals with the Israelis, in order to maintain their influence and increase their strength within the church.
"These deals fall within the framework of an active and ongoing colonial project, in which Israel and its agents are using the real estate deals to transform the demographic character of Jerusalem radically," says Moin Rabbani. "These deals will end with the expulsion of the Palestinians."
The writer points out that during a conference held by members of the Orthodox community, the spokesman of the Palestinian Orthodox Youth in Beit Sahour Issa Rishmawi called on the Palestinian Authority and Jordan to isolate Theophilus III. He demanded explanations explaining the sales he oversaw, Sacred with them by dictatorship.
The policy of relinquishing property has contributed to the growing voices calling for the Arabization of the Greek-dominated Orthodox Church.
"We feel that we are strangers in our church, everything is related to the Greek Church. The prayer is held on Sunday in Greek, and we have to learn this language to understand the words spoken in our church," Rashmawi said.