Shafaqna English- The illegal seizure of Palestinian Church land is part of Israel’s new efforts to erase Christians from Jerusalem.
On 15 June 2026, officials from the Jerusalem Municipality, accompanied by Israeli police, raided property belonging to the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem in the neighbourhood of Silwan.
The Israeli authorities forcibly removed the church land’s caretaker, tore down equipment, uprooted trees, and installed a fence.
“The incident constitutes an unlawful and illegitimate seizure of established Church property in the heart of Jerusalem,” the Jerusalem Patriarchate said in a statement, emphasising that it “sets a dangerous precedent for Church rights in Jerusalem.”
Sources: New Arab