Greek Patriarchate vows to fight 'bogus' Jerusalem real estate deal

The Greek Orthodox Church has denounced an Israeli court decision that ruled a 2004 sale of prime church property to Israeli developers was done legally.

In an ad published in the Palestinian newspaper Al Quds Tuesday, the Greek Patriarchate asserted that the deal, in which the church secretly sold 124 acres of land in west Jerusalem to undisclosed developers, was conducted illegally by the previous patriarch, Irenaios, who was deposed as a result.

Irenaios' patriarchate stretched from 2000 to 2005. He was accused of selling several parcels of church-owned land in Jerusalem to Israeli developers. While a 2005 investigation by the Palestinian Authority exonerated Ireneos and concluded that the allegations against him were "a very well calculated scheme" by a number of clerics opposing him, some Orthodox Church leaders in Jerusalem moved for the patriarch's dismissal, which was officially announced in June 2005.

The Greek Orthodox Church procured 1,110 acres of land in the center of Jerusalem during the 19th century. In the 1950s, it agreed to lease its land to the Jewish National Fund for 99 years, with an option to extend the lease. Such leases are typically renewed automatically, but not this time.

The controversial sale, estimated at over $32 million, was reportedly finalized behind the JNF's back, causing great concern among some 1,500 homeowners, whose future has suddenly been clouded by uncertainty.

The secretive nature of the deal, made public in June after the church contested a municipal tax demand before the Jerusalem District Court, has also sparked concern among Israeli lawmakers, as little is known about the identity of the buyers. The Palestinian Orthodox public, who resents the Greek clergy and wants it replaced by a Palestinian one, was also said to be enraged by the sale.

The Arab Central Orthodox Council condemned the deals. In a statement released after the sales were made public, the council denounced the sales as "dubious" and "illegal" arguing Irenaios had no right to sell the lands.

At the time, the patriarch dismissed the accusations and said that none of the lands sold since 2011 had religious value.

Greek Patriarch Theophilos III said he will "exert all the efforts and legal and financial means to cancel this deal."

The Greek Orthodox Church, which is subject to the provisions of Jordanian law, is said to be the second biggest land owner in Israel after the Israel Land Authority. Under Jordanian law, the patriarch is entrusted with the church's properties and lands and is not allowed to sell them. Moreover, most of Jerusalem's Orthodox Christians are Palestinians who oppose selling land to Jews.

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