The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem has denounced the “unlawful and illegitimate” Israeli seizure of its property in occupied East Jerusalem.
In a statement on Wednesday, the Patriarchate said that it “expressed grave concern over the Israeli raid and land grab targeting its Church property in Silwan”.
During the operation, which took place on Monday, “the Patriarchate’s representative was forcibly removed, his equipment was confiscated, trees were uprooted, and the property was enclosed with fencing and gates”.
It said that the disputed land, which is adjacent to the Monastery of St Onuphrius, is registered under its ownership, and warned that this seizure “sets a dangerous precedent for Church rights in Jerusalem”.
This move is part of a broader policy aimed at seizing Palestinian land, including private property, public land, religious endowments and church-owned assets, the statement added.
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“The incident constitutes an unlawful and illegitimate seizure of established Church property in the heart of Jerusalem,” it said, calling it part of “a wider pattern of escalating assaults aimed at weakening the indigenous Christian presence in the Holy Land”.
Decades of settlement expansion
For decades, Silwan and other Palestinian neighbourhoods surrounding Jerusalem’s Old City have been at the centre of Israeli demolition and expulsion campaigns.
Palestinians in Silwan have been facing systematic efforts to displace them since the area became a target for Israeli settlement expansion following Israel’s occupation of East Jerusalem in 1967.
The neighbourhood lies strategically south of Jerusalem’s Old City and the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.
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Israeli authorities have drastically accelerated demolition and seizure of Palestinian properties in the neighbourhood since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023.
The statement raised concerns over repeated attacks on Christian worshippers, church communities, religious symbols and church properties across Palestine, “amid unacceptable international tolerance”, including the bombings of Gaza churches which have resulted in heavy casualties and damage.
“In Gaza, the Patriarchate recalls the Israeli army’s strike on the compound of Saint Porphyrius Church on October 19, 2023, which killed 18 civilians, and the strike on Holy Family Church on July 17, 2025, which killed 3 civilians and injured Father Gabriel Romanelli.”
The Patriarchate has already initiated a lawsuit to recover access to the seized property, the statement concluded, calling on the international community “to intervene immediately” with the responsible authorities to stop endangering “the Church properties in Jerusalem and elsewhere in the Holy Land”.
“Religious freedom begins with respect for law, property, holy places, and the dignity of Jerusalem’s authentic Christian presence.”
