By Anahit Voskanyan
JERUSALEM (Panorama.am) — A video emerged from Jerusalem on Tuesday, June 10, showing a group of young Jewish men spitting on the wall of an Armenian church, highlighting the ongoing tension surrounding the Armenian Quarter and the longstanding struggle over the Cows’ Garden property.
The Armenian community in Jerusalem has been engaged in a principled, consistent and round-the-clock defense of the Cows’ Garden, a piece of land in the Armenian Quarter. The controversy began back in November 2023, when armed individuals accompanied by trained dogs attempted to seize the area from Armenians based on a controversial deal. The agreement in question, currently under judicial review, allegedly transfers control of Armenian Patriarchate properties to developers to demolish them and build a hotel in the area.
The already tense situation risks further escalation due to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s attacks on the Armenian Apostolic Church, including his vague and disgraceful allegations of pedophilia and breaches of the vow of celibacy against clergymen. Some fear that his statements might embolden Israeli groups to justify their attacks on the Armenian Patriarchate in Jerusalem.
Concerned about the incident, this reporter reached out to activist Bedig Giragosian, who confirmed that he and others rushed to the church as soon as they learned what had happened. He identified the perpetrators as Jewish extremists, or as he put it, “children.”
