Territory of Armenian community of Al Quds illegally leased

The Armenian Patriarch of Al Quds sent a letter to the Israeli company to cancel the 99-year lease agreement for 25% of the Armenian quarter, The Tatoyan Foundation Center for Law and Justice, which is headed by Arman Tatoyan, the former Human Rights Defender (ombudsman) of Armenia, noted this on Facebook, Report informs, citing NEWS.am

However, shortly after the letter, the situation on the ground became tense.

To put it all in context, a few months before this, in June of 2023, a group of lawyers and advisers led by the “Kerkonian Dajani” firm carried out a fact-finding mission, in which the Tatoyan Foundation, Center for Law and Justice also participated.

Before that mission, alerts were received from the Armenian community in Al Quds that a hotel and entertainment facility would be built in the Armenian grounds known as "Cows' Garden,” and the residents who historically live in the area of the St. Hakob Armenian Monastery would be evicted from the adjacent neighborhoods. Further, that the museum of the Armenian neighborhood would also be seriously threatened, and the cemetery would be displaced.

On November 5, around 3:00 p.m. in the afternoon, a group of Israeli settlers entered Cows’ Garden, where the Armenian community was stationed, to prevent the further illegal demolition of the interior walls of the Cows’ Garden.

As of now, the Israeli settlers and united Armenian community have dispersed, but the situation is ongoing.

The aforementioned standoff took place after the Armenian Patriarchate sent a letter stating that it considered the contract to rent the Cows’ Garden territory null and void. According to the Chancellery of the Patriarchate, as of November 6, no answer had been received to this letter.