Armen Sarkissian: Israel must take swift action to protect Armenian  community, their historic heritage, and uniqueness of Jerusalem

ArmInfo. Large recent coordinated attacks against members of the Armenian community of Jerusalem are a matter of grave concern. These attacks have ranged from vandalism and destruction of property to physical violence against innocent civilians. This is stated in the article of the 4th President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian, published in the Israeli Haaretz, which we present below.

"The seriousness of the situation was underscored in a statement  released by the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem, which said that  Armenian clerics are "fighting for their lives", while the Armenian  Quarter-one of the four sections of the old city of Jerusalem-is  facing the threat of "a violent demise".

-The land battle rocking an ancient community in Jerusalem's Old City

-Anti-Christian hate crimes in Jerusalem soaring this year

-Politics and real estate endanger shrinking Armenian community in       Jerusalem's Old City The Armenian community has been left shaken  by these incidents. Israel should be no less disconcerted.  Armenians  have lived peacefully for millennia in the Holy Land. Indeed, Israel  is home to the oldest Armenian diaspora in the world. Armenian monks  made their way to Jerusalem in the years following Armenia's  conversion to Christianity in 301 AD, but there was an Armenian  presence in Jerusalem as early as 55 BCE. In the 12th century, the  Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem made its home in the Cathedral of  St James in the city's Armenian Quarter.

The Armenian Church, with its fabulous treasure of antiquities, owns  a third of Christian holy places in Jerusalem, while the city's  Armenian Quarter has a millennia-long history. The violence there  stems from a dispute around a 99- year lease of approximately 25  percent of the Armenian Quarter to an Australian-Israeli businessman  and his local partner who planned to build a luxury hotel on the  site.

The so-called "Cows' Garden deal" sparked outrage among the Armenian  community because it would lead to the displacement of residents,  demolition of homes and a seminary, and the loss of their cultural  heritage.

Two months ago, in response to the disquiet within the Armenian  community, the Armenian Patriarchate decided to exit the contract.  Rather than engage in talks, however, the developers mobilized  construction equipment and began preparatory groundwork. The Armenian  Patriarchate then initiated legal proceedings to annul its agreement  with them. Once again, rather than walk the legal route, the  disgruntled side, according the Armenian Patriarchate, reacted with  violence.

In the past week, Jewish friends and Christian organizations from  around the world have reached out to me to express their support and  solidarity for Israel's ancient Armenian community and also their  profound concern about the war in Gaza. The attempts to terrorize the  Armenian community is an ugly departure from the normality that has  characterized relations between Armenia and Israel despite  disagreements stemming from the fact that Israel, while refusing to  recognize the Armenian Genocide, has sold weapons to Azerbaijan that  have been used against Armenia.

By contrast, I saw a glimpse of the helpful side of Israel during my  first visit to the Holy Land in the early 1990s as a callow Armenian  diplomat. I was granted an audience with Yitzhak Rabin, then the  prime minister of Israel. Rabin was a formidable figure, a man who  inspired affection and admiration (and even loathing) in his people.  But the person who received me was an avuncular teacher. He displayed  a surprisingly deep knowledge of Armenia's past and was curious to  know about events in the country. He reminded me that we were both  members of ancient civilizations that had survived every attempt to  wipe them out.

"We are survivors," Rabin said. "We should never forget that." The  generosity of the great man was as surprising as it was moving. But  he wasn't done. He offered me any and all assistance. Since survival  and state-building were also Armenia's primary goals at the time, I  asked if I could visit the Jewish Agency and other government and  non-governmental organizations. I wanted to observe how they worked,  and apply that knowledge to newly independent Armenia. Rabin  immediately picked up the phone and made all the arrangements.

In 2020, before Azerbaijan launched a war against Armenia, I returned  to Israel as Armenia's president, becoming the first head of state of  my country to make an official visit to the Jewish State. The  occasion that took me to Israel was the 75th anniversary of the  liberation of Auschwitz. Almost fifty other heads of state had come  to the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial museum. But as a senior Israeli  official reminded me, Armenians could relate to the place and all  that it memorialized in a "different" way.

As other leaders departed, I was extended an invitation to stay on a  while longer. I accepted, and spent the time touring holy sites,  visiting Ramallah, and going to Israeli universities. The most  memorable portion of my trip, however, was spent discovering  Jerusalem's Armenian Quarter, where I met monks, studied manuscripts,  and got to the know the local community. The city's Armenian heritage  filled me with pride.

The Armenians who arrived as refugees from the genocide in the  Ottoman Empire a century ago not only enlarged Jerusalem's ancient  Armenian community but also enriched the crafts of Israel by resuming  in Israel the skilled ceramics works that had been decimated by the  Ottoman Empire. The finest "Kuthaya Ceramics", named after the  Armenian city in Anatolia, are now to be found in Israel. Ceramic  tiles crafted by Armenian refugees adorn some of Jerusalem's most  illustrious buildings, including the American Colony Hotel and the  residence of the Israeli president.

Unfortunately, what is happening in and to the Armenian Quarter is  threatening more than the concord that has defined the Armenian  community's presence in Jerusalem. It is imperiling the very  foundation of Jerusalem's unique character. And it demands immediate  intervention by the authorities. Israel, as a nation founded on the  rule of law, must take swift action to protect the Armenian  community, their historic heritage, and the uniqueness of Jerusalem."