Christian clerics, Palestinian figures, and Turkish and European diplomats protested in occupied Jerusalem on Tuesday, against Israeli settlers' storming of a Palestinian hotel in East Jerusalem in preparation for its confiscation.
On Sunday evening, extremist settlers stormed the Petra Hotel, owned by the Greek Orthodox Church, and took over part of it with the presence of the Israeli police.
The Palestinians, local churches in Jerusalem and Western diplomatic representations in the city are calling for the settlers to be removed from the hotel, which is owned by the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate in Jerusalem and has been managed for decades by a Palestinian family.
The hotel is located at the entrance to Bab Al-Khalil - one of the gates of the Old City - which leads to the Christian and Armenian quarters in the Old City and to Christian holy sites, including the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, which is considered one of the most sacred religious sites for Christians around the world.
The Greek Orthodox Patriarch of occupied Jerusalem, Theophilos III, said that the heads of churches in Jerusalem have repeatedly warned against the illegal actions of this extremist group (in reference to the Ateret Cohanim Association), who commit criminal acts and act as if they are above the rule of law.
Ateret Cohanim, an Israeli settlement association, is active in seizing Palestinian properties in and around the Old City of occupied Jerusalem.
Patriarch Theophilos III, referring to that association, added that their storming of the "Petra" Hotel constituted an intrusion into the property of others.
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Settlers storm the Petra Hotel in Bab Al-Khalil in the Old City of occupied Jerusalem pic.twitter.com/KFdS221pt4
— Shehab News Agency (@ShehabAgency) March 27, 2022
In Athens, the Greek Foreign Ministry said it was "particularly concerned" about this issue, stressing that settlers had seized part of the property after illegally storming it.
The Ateret Cohanim settlement association had claimed years ago that it had bought the "Petra" hotel and the adjacent "Imperial" hotel, both of which have been under the ownership of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate for years. However, the patriarchate challenged the documents submitted by the settlement association and said that they were tainted by many defects.
The Israeli courts are still looking into the dispute between the two parties and have not decided on the ownership.
Theophilos III accused the Israeli extremists of working to kidnap the Old City of Jerusalem and trying to impose their illegal and dangerous agenda on all parties.
He added, "We reject this and say: This will lead to instability and tension at a time when everyone is trying to calm down, build trust and build towards justice and peace."
The Ateret Cohanim Association did not comment on the statements of Patriarch Theophilos III, while the Israeli police did not explain the reasons for not removing the settlers from the hotel building.
By owning these properties, Ateret Cohanim becomes the owner of most of the buildings located at the entrance to Bab Al-Khalil, one of the main gates to the Old City and the Arab market.
All processions of Christian patriarchs in their religious ceremonies depart from Bab Hebron.
About 320,000 Palestinians are trying to stay in East Jerusalem, which Israel declared part of its "eternal" capital in a process that violates international law.
Israeli law allows Jewish citizens to reclaim property they claim they lost in East Jerusalem before 1948, but this does not apply to Palestinians.