Suspicious Deal and Mysterious Businessman: Armenians in Jerusalem Outraged by Elite Construction in the Old City

The tranquility of the Armenian community in Jerusalem has been disrupted by reports of a questionable real estate transaction allegedly involving the local church leadership, as reported by the BBC's Russian service, citing local activist Hakob Jernazyan.

“It resembles a puzzle; we are trying to understand what exactly happened, when, and how,” said Jernazyan. The reports indicate that public outrage has reached such a level that the leader of the Armenian church is effectively under house arrest at his residence, while the priest who facilitated the transaction has fled to California.

Recently, it was revealed that roughly a quarter of the Armenian quarter of the Old City has been leased for 99 years to a mysterious Australian businessman of Jewish descent for elite development.

Specifically, the leased area includes a large parking lot, one of the few undeveloped sites in the Old City. Many Armenians hoped that the area could be used to build affordable housing for young couples in the shrinking community.

The development plan, which Hakob and other community members have seen only informally, includes the construction of an Ottoman-style building providing housing for five Armenian families, as well as a restaurant, shops, and a seminary. Many fear this could make the neighborhood less residential in the long term.

“This is historic land belonging to us for 700 years. Losing it due to one signature would affect our culture and daily life,” explained Hakob. “It would change the status quo, altering the entire mosaic of Jerusalem.”

Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem Nourhan Manougian admitted to signing the land lease agreement but stated that he was deceived by his subordinate, the local church priest. Consequently, the priest was defrocked and disgracefully expelled from the Armenian quarter, where he was to be removed under the protection of Israeli police amidst shouts of “Traitor.”

Numerous Armenians now take to the streets every week to protest, singing nationalist songs and demanding the patriarch rescind the deal from his residence.

In the wake of recent attacks on Christians in Jerusalem by radical Jews, some Armenians believe that the deal would put all Christians in Jerusalem at risk.

“The character and nature of the city are changing significantly,” said Ardan, a resident of the Old City. According to her, religious nationalists in Israel have embraced recent political decisions, stating, “Priests walking in the streets suddenly find newcomers spitting at them. People are saying they do not want to see Christmas trees in the city, and there are unprovoked attacks on restaurants. Everything is heading in a certain direction.”

The site clarified that the expelled priest Yeretsyan has emigrated to the USA, where he has given interviews to local journalists. He categorically denies that the developer (identified in some documents as Denny Rothman and in others as Daniel Rubinstein) is motivated by ideological reasons.

The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that it is aware of the Patriarch of Armenia's transaction but refused to comment due to “political sensitivity.”