The Lemkin Institute said in a statement on April 9 it is dismayed by the recent assault on and incursion into the Armenian Quarter in Jerusalem by Israeli police and settlers.
In January 2024, the Lemkin Institute published a statement condemning the attack on the Armenian Quarter in East Jerusalem by armed mobs associated with an Israeli-Australian businessman, Danny Rubenstein.
“This recent assault follows the Israeli state’s repeated attempts to evict indigenous Armenians from the Quarter. Amid the ongoing provocations by Azerbaijan against the Republic of Armenia in the South Caucasus, this attack represents another effort to compromise Armenian autonomy and sovereignty. The disturbing level of Armenophobia present in genocidal regimes from Azerbaijan to Israel is alarming and places Armenians in a state of constant peril,” the Lemkin Institute said.
“The Armenian community in Jerusalem, specifically the Patriarchate, acts as a crucial custodian of Christian holy sites in the city, representing both Christian and Armenian culture in Jerusalem. Attempts to buy land at the heart of the Quarter mirror a past scandal involving the Greek Orthodox Church, in which the Church sold two Palestinian-run hotels to foreign companies acting as a front for Jewish settlers. The sale generated uproar and concern around the globe, resulting in the ousting of the Greek Orthodox Patriarch Irenaios I,” it added.
The Institute highlights that the 1,600-year-old Armenian community residing in the historic Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem has been embroiled in a tense standoff against armed settlers since last summer. The conflict escalated following the revelation that the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem had struck a previously undisclosed land lease deal with Xana Gardens, a real estate company allegedly associated with settler interests, to develop a luxury hotel in the “Cows’ Garden” area, which encompasses crucial parts of the Armenian Quarter. The community, already grappling with a significant decline in population over the years, reacted with outrage upon learning about the details of the deal.
“On October 26, 2023, the leader of the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem announced the cancellation of the land lease deal. Yet, tensions at the Cows’ Garden continue to remain high. Representatives from Xana Gardens have sent contractors, armed settlers, and bulldozers to seize the land – which, along with the parking lot, includes Armenian Church property and the homes of the Nalbandian family as well as four others. These provocations have led to numerous confrontations, including altercations between armed settlers and Armenian residents. For months, Armenian community members in Jerusalem have peacefully camped in the Cows’ Garden to protect the Armenian Quarter from settler incursions. The peaceful protestors have often been met with violent force by Israeli settlers and police, with Armenians frequently being injured or arrested. In February, the Armenian community of Jerusalem officially launched a lawsuit to invalidate the real estate deal negotiated by the Patriarch.
