Israeli Occupation Authorities Seize Land Belonging to the Orthodox Patriarchate in Silwan

SadaNews - The Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem condemned the seizure of a piece of land belonging to it by the Israeli occupation authorities in the town of Silwan in occupied Jerusalem, emphasizing that what happened constitutes an "illegal and unlawful seizure" of church property, and is part of escalating assaults targeting the Christian presence in the city.

The patriarchate stated in a statement that the occupation forces stormed its land in Silwan last Monday, expelled its representative from the site, confiscated equipment, uprooted trees, and then surrounded the land with a fence and gates.

It added that these actions represent an "illegal and unlawful seizure" of a fixed church property in the heart of Jerusalem, further noting that what occurred is part of "the context of escalating assaults aimed at weakening the authentic Christian presence in the Holy Land.".

In the same context, the Presidential Committee for Church Affairs in Palestine condemned the assault on the land belonging to the patriarchate, considering it a "flagrant violation" of international law, private property rights, and the historical and religious status of churches in the Holy Land.

The committee said that what happened in Silwan falls within a systematic policy targeting the seizure of Palestinian lands, whether private, public, religious endowments, or church properties, with the aim of altering the geographic and demographic reality of the Palestinian land and erasing its historical identity.

It added that targeting land registered in the name of the Orthodox Patriarchate confirms that Israeli seizure policies do not exempt even religious and historical properties, revealing the "false claims regarding the respect for freedom of worship and the preservation of the Christian presence in Jerusalem.".

The committee linked the events in Silwan to the increasing assaults on Islamic and Christian holy sites, noting that settlers set fire to parts of two mosques in the villages of Jalqamiya and Mazra’a al-Nubani, north of Ramallah, and wrote racist slogans on their walls early Wednesday.

It emphasized that the continuation of these violations in the absence of international accountability encourages further assaults, calling on churches around the world, the United Nations, and human rights organizations to take practical steps to protect church properties and Islamic and Christian holy sites and to hold those responsible for the assaults accountable.

In contrast, the Deputy Mayor of the Occupation in Jerusalem, Aryeh King, known for his extreme and racist positions, claimed that the municipality carried out the operation accompanied by the Israeli police to "remove a violator" who claimed to have seized the land without a permit.

King stated in a post on "Facebook" that restoration work will begin at the site soon and that it will later be opened to the public as part of the "City of David" settlement project, also claiming in later statements to Agence France-Presse that the land is designated for the construction of a street belonging to the municipality.

Silwan is located south of the Al-Aqsa Mosque along the southern wall of the Old City of occupied Jerusalem, and is considered one of the most targeted areas for Israeli settlement projects.

In this context, the organization "Human Rights Watch" stated on Wednesday that Israel is accelerating home demolition operations and the displacement of Palestinians in Silwan under the pretext of the war on Gaza and military escalation with Iran, emphasizing that these practices amount to a "war crime", urging world governments to take urgent action to stop them.

Silwan has been witnessing ongoing demolition operations carried out by the occupation municipality under the pretext of construction without a permit for years, while these measures aim to expand the archaeological and tourism project "City of David" promoted by the occupation authorities as the original site of the Old Jerusalem.

Demolition operations are also being carried out to make way for the "King's Garden" project designated for visitors to the "City of David", which is managed by the settlement organization "Elad".