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Orthodox Christian property sales to Israelis are documented

January 15, 2018 at 12:19 pm

An Orthodox Church in Jerusalem’s old city on 16 September 2013 [Saeed Qaq//Apaimages]

The Central Council of the Orthodox Christians in Jordan and Palestine said on Sunday that it has documents proving that strategic properties belonging to the Patriarchate in Jerusalem have been sold to the Israeli occupation authorities and Jewish settlers, Safa News Agency has reported. In a letter sent to the Palestine Liberation Organisation, the Orthodox Christian body said that the documents also prove that property linked to Al-Aqsa Mosque has been sold as well.

The letter reiterated the importance of countering Israel’s Judaisation plans for Jerusalem and the displacement of citizens through selling property belonging to the Orthodox Church. According to Safa, the letter also noted that these sales were carried out by a “Greek group monopolising the Arab Orthodox Church”; Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem is said to be at the top of the list of these “conspirators”. Such sales, the group said, support Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

“Our issue is not religious or sectarian, but Palestinian and Arab,” the Church’s Central Council said. “Our church is the only one in the world which is not headed by a patriarch from its own people.”

The PLO was requested to adopt the recommendations of the first National Orthodox Conference held on 1 October last year, which was the first of its kind in about 100 years.

Read: Palestinian Christians slam US Jerusalem recognition