ArmInfo. British MP Sir Edward Leigh called on Israeli officials to respond to attacks on Christians in the Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem.
"Jerusalem is a multi-faith city, but Christians of the Armenian Quarter are facing threats and intimidation. As good friends of Israel we need to call out the thuggish behaviour of the extremist settler movement and those few officials who sympathise with them," the parliamentarian wrote on his account on Twitter.
The Armenian community of Jerusalem has been protecting its property 24/7 since November 5, 2023. In the last 150 days alone, its representatives have faced a barrage of unpunished attacks. The attacks have become more frequent in recent days. Thus, on April 3, 2024, at approximately 11:00 local time, the Israeli police began an illegal eviction from the territory of the Cows' Garden of the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem, destroying the property of the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem, as well as attacking the clergy and local Armenians. The attacks were repeated in an even harsher form on April 10.
Notably, this is not the first attempt to forcefully seize the property of the Armenian Patriarchate in the Old City. The Save the Garden movement calls on all international organizations to put pressure on the Israeli government to resolve this situation, which threatens the 1,700-year-old presence of Armenians in the holy city of Jerusalem. These actions of the Israeli police have already been condemned by France, Jordan and Russia. In July 2021, the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem signed an agreement with an Israeli company, giving it the right to build a luxury hotel on the Cows' Garden site, with the right to demolish several historical buildings. The Patriarchate canceled the deal after protests from the Armenian community, as well as the authorities of the Palestinian Authority. After that, attacks began against the Armenian community, with the most recent attack on December 28, when about 30 armed men attacked the site, injuring several Armenian activists on duty there, including a priest and seminary students.