The Greek Orthodox church in the Holy Land, already mired in financial and political scandal, has been accused of secretly selling off a prime Arab area of Jerusalem's old city to Jewish settlers.
The properties were allegedly sold by the church's treasurer in Jerusalem, Nicholas Papadimas, before he disappeared when he was charged in Greece with stealing church funds in a separate case.
But Palestinians in the Greek Orthodox hierarchy allege that the church's controversial patriarch in Jerusalem, Irineos I, is behind the secret deal with two groups of overseas Jewish investors. Irineos is already fighting for his survival as patriarch after an Israeli court ruled that he had been elected to the post with the help of a convicted drug trafficker who discredited rivals using homoerotic pictures.
rich church
The Greek Orthodox church, which has about 100,000 followers in the Holy Land, is the richest church in the region and the second largest landowner in Jerusalem after the Israeli state. Among its holdings is the land on which the Israeli parliament and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's official residence stand.
Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia has ordered an investigation of the sale of land and buildings in Omar Ibn al-Hitab square, next to the Jaffa Gate, a sensitive area because its future is uncertain in any negotiated settlement between the Israelis and Palestinians.
Qureia said he suspected the deal was part of a broader strategy by Jewish groups to buy up property and force Arabs out, "all with the goal of making Jerusalem Jewish."
"It is dangerous and a clear indication of the Israeli plan that targets the holy city," he said.
The affected properties include the renowned Imperial hotel, a favorite meeting place for Palestinian politicians, and numerous shops.
Papadimas is alleged to have secretly sold the area some months ago and then disappeared after he was indicted over the missing funds. The Greek Orthodox leadership in Jerusalem said it had no prior knowledge of the sale, which it has declared "null and void." Any such deal would need the written approval of the patriarch, the church said in a statement.
But local Arab leaders of the Greek Orthodox community, headed by Archimandrite Attalla Hanna, dismiss the denials and accuse Patriarch Irineos of being part of a conspiracy to "Judaize" the old city.
"The Judaization of the city is unacceptable and whoever concedes our rights to the city does not represent us," he said. "The individuals involved must be kicked out of the church and tried."
threat to identity
Marwan Tobasi, head of the executive committee for the Arab Orthodox Conference, said the deal posed "a real threat to the Arab identity of Jerusalem and to the joint Christian-Muslim existence in the city."
Although the identity of the new owners is not yet public, Palestinians fear they will follow an established pattern of moving Jewish residents into the area and edging Arabs out over time, as has happened in other parts of the old city and just outside its walls.
The Israeli newspaper Maariv described the sale as Jews seeking to "liberate the lands of Jerusalem."
The Greek foreign ministry dispatched a delegation to Jerusalem on Monday to investigate the sale in an attempt to prevent a further deterioration in relations between the church leadership and Palestinians who say it is working in league with the Israelis.
In the 1990s, the church enraged Palestinians by selling land outside East Jerusalem to Jewish investors.
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