Russia slams Israel over church land ruling

Published June 16, 2022
People walk past the Imperial Hotel located next to the Jaffa Gate in the Christian Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City. — AFP/File
People walk past the Imperial Hotel located next to the Jaffa Gate in the Christian Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City. — AFP/File

MOSCOW: Russia said on Wednesday it was “deeply concerned” after Israel’s top court ruled that a Jewish settler group legally purchased an east Jerusalem property from the Greek Orthodox Church.

The Ateret Cohanim organisation, which seeks to “Judaize” Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, bought three buildings from the church in a controversial deal struck in secret in 2004.

The church brought charges against Ateret Cohanim, claiming the properties were acquired illegally and without its permission.

“We are deeply concerned about the situation regarding the Christian presence in Jerusalem,” Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement, a week after Israel’s Supreme Court dismissed the church’s appeal.

“Such a decision is predictably detrimental to interfaith peace and raises legitimate concerns about the position of the Christian community in the Holy Land,” she added.

Tensions between Russia and Israel have heightened since the start of the former’s military intervention in Ukraine, with Moscow accusing Israel of supporting the “neo-Nazi regime” in Kyiv.

In April, Russia asked Israel to hand over ownership of the contested Alexander Nevsky Church in Jerusalem after the transfer — approved by the previous Israeli government — was halted.

Published in Dawn,June 16th, 2022

Opinion

Editorial

Maulana’s message
Updated 11 Mar, 2025

Maulana’s message

The problem now is that most jihadi fighters, ideologues refuse to end their "struggle" on advice of state or mainstream clerics.
President’s speech
11 Mar, 2025

President’s speech

PRESIDENT Asif Zardari, addressing Monday’s joint session of parliament to mark the start of a new parliamentary...
Indian takeover
11 Mar, 2025

Indian takeover

BY the time the Champions Trophy final ended, the only indicators that the tournament had been hosted by Pakistan...
Mosquito season
10 Mar, 2025

Mosquito season

AS temperatures rise, the threat of dengue looms large over Pakistan. Its warning signs have already arrived. Dengue...
Reckless rhetoric
10 Mar, 2025

Reckless rhetoric

ONCE again, the Indian leadership gave in to their worst impulses, with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar...
Water scarcity
Updated 10 Mar, 2025

Water scarcity

The need to meet climate challenge is even greater when Pakistan is prone to multiple disastrous events at the same time.