The European Union called on Israel to stop attempts to seize the property of Christian churches in occupied East Jerusalem.
Yesterday, Friday, the European Union countries expressed their "deep concern" after settlers seized a property belonging to a church in East Jerusalem.
"On December 27, elements of the Elad settlement organization, accompanied by the Israeli police, seized a property in the Wadi Hilweh area of Silwan," the union's representative to the Palestinian territories and heads of missions of member states in Jerusalem and Ramallah said - in a joint statement.
They added, "The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate has been renting this property for decades to one of the tenants in Jerusalem."
Settlers seized a 5-donum land in the town of Silwan, south of Al-Aqsa Mosque, and erected a fence around it, under the protection of the occupation police.
The EU missions in Jerusalem and Ramallah expressed "deep concern" about the repercussions of this measure on the property rights of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate and Christian churches in Jerusalem in general, including the Old City.
She pointed out that "stopping attempts to seize the property of Christian churches is a must," because they constitute a serious threat to the peaceful coexistence between the three monotheistic religions in Jerusalem.
The statement also stated that the European Union calls for the protection of holy places, including Christian ones, as well as the preservation and respect of the special status and character of Jerusalem and its ancient city by all.
Settler groups have seized several church properties in East Jerusalem in recent years.
Elad is a settlement association, one of the richest non-governmental associations in Israel. It supervises about 70 settlement outposts in Silwan, most of which are located in Wadi Hilweh, which is the closest area to Al-Aqsa. It also finances Israeli excavations in the area.