The Armenian Quarter (Arabic: حارة الأرمن, Harat al-Arman; Hebrew: הרובע הארמני, Ha-Rova ha-Armeni; Armenian: Հայոց թաղ, Hayots t'agh ; currently mostly known as Երուսաղէմի հայկական թաղամաս, Yerusaghemi haykakan t'aghamas) is one of the four quarters of the walled Old City of Jerusalem. Located in the southwestern corner of the Old City, it can be accessed through the Zion Gate and Jaffa Gate. It occupies an area of 0.126 km² (126 dunam), which is 14% of the Old City's total. In 2007, it had a population of 2,424 (6.55% of Old City's total). In both criteria, it is comparable to the Jewish Quarter. The Armenian Quarter is separated from the Christian Quarter by David Street (Suq el-Bazaar) and by Habad Street (Suq el-Husur) from the Jewish Quarter.
Armenian Convent of Saint Saviour
Why the Armenian Diaspora Supports Palestine
Hüsamettin Aslan[1] wrote for Independent Turkish
The Armenians of Jerusalem constitute one of the oldest
Armenian communities outside of Armenia.
The Armenian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem is also
one of the most "Armenian" places in the world.
The Armenian presence in Jerusalem dates back to the 4th
century AD, when Armenia adopted Christianity as a religion and Armenian
priests settled in Jerusalem.
For this reason, the Armenians of Jerusalem are considered
the oldest diaspora community living outside of Armenia.
It is estimated that there are between 5,000 and 6,000
Armenians living in Israel and Palestine.
In 1986, it was known that 1,500 Armenians lived in the city
of Jerusalem.
The overwhelming majority of Armenians in Israel are
Armenian Orthodox Christians, but there are also a small number of Armenian
Catholics and Armenian Evangelicals.
3,000 Armenians live in central Israel, 2,000 in Jerusalem,
500 in the south, and 500 in various cities of the country.
There are two reasons why these figures vary:
First, since Armenians are not citizens, their status is
uncertain.
Second, Armenian descendants from many countries, primarily
Latin America, organized by the Armenian Diaspora, visit Jerusalem to show off
their population and to become pilgrims.
The Armenian diaspora calls on many Armenian descendants
from Latin American countries, primarily Argentina and Uruguay, as well as
Brazil, Chile, and Mexico, to be part of a religious and political motivation
for Jerusalem.
The Armenian community is concerned that the Jewish Quarter
"will expand as the number of Jews in the Old City continues to increase
while the Armenian population decreases."
Because Israel's project to Judaize Jerusalem, the Armenian
Quarter's location across from the main access roads between Israeli-controlled
West Jerusalem and the Jewish Quarter and the holy sites at the Western Wall
has made Armenian properties prime real estate in Israel's eyes.
In this context, the Armenian diaspora has been openly or
indirectly supporting the Palestinian cause for years.
However, although Hamas' Islamist identity has caused them
to be distant from each other from time to time, the Diaspora, especially in
the face of Israeli attacks, presents a unified image.
The Armenian Quarter is located in the southwestern corner of the Old City of Jerusalem. It can be accessed from the Zion Gate and the Jaffa Gate.
According to a 2007 study published by the International
Center for Peace and Cooperation, the quarter covers an area of 126 acres and corresponds to 14
percent of the total Old City.
The Patriarchate is the de facto administrator of the quarter and acts as a "mini welfare state" for its approximately 2,000 Armenian residents.
Although the Armenians are institutionally separate from the Greek Orthodox and Catholic Christians, they see their own quarter as part of the Christian Quarter.
However, the main reason why the Armenian Quarter is
perceived as separate from the Christian Quarter is that, unlike the majority
of Christians in Jerusalem, the Armenians speak Arabic and display
cultural-humanitarian behaviors similar to the Palestinians.
This is one of the main reasons why Jews in Israel have a negative attitude towards Armenian clergy and property.
Another reason is the great stubbornness of the Armenian
Apostolic Church.
In the 3rd century, there were already many Armenian
pilgrims in Jerusalem.
After Armenia refused to recognize the Council of Chalcedon
(451 AD), it entered into a conflict with the Byzantine Empire.
In the 6th century, Armenian pilgrims were expelled from
Jerusalem by the Byzantine Empire because they refused to assimilate to Eastern
Orthodoxy.
After the Crusaders conquered Jerusalem in 1099, Armenian
Christians began to return.
After the Mamluks conquered Jerusalem from the Crusaders,
the Armenians were officially allowed to return to their neighborhoods in
Jerusalem and build new churches and buildings.
The Mamluks took this a step further and issued an official decree granting the Armenians the highest level of freedom, completely exempting them from all taxes. Thus, the Armenian quarter developed and took its current form.
The Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent also guaranteed
religious freedom and allowed the Armenians to expand their quarters even
further.
The Armenians were also part of the intelligentsia in the region and the empire: in 1833, the Armenians established the first printing press in the city. In 1855, the first photography studio in Jerusalem was established in the Armenian quarter.
After the Six-Day War, Israel financed the reconstruction of all the holy places and buildings in the old city, the Armenian quarter.
Altough it is a purely Christian quarter, it is not part of
it and remains independent.
The Greek, Catholic and Coptic Christians were all
established in the Christian quarter, while the Armenian Apostolic Church was
established in the Armenian quarter.
The Armenian quarter remains the smallest of the four
quarters of Jerusalem and the most conservative, orderly and isolated.
The biggest obstacle for Armenians residing in the Armenian
Quarter is their Jordanian citizenship (before 1967), so the Israeli government
considers them to have the same status as Palestinians.
The Armenian diaspora is calling on many descendants of Armenians from Latin American countries such as Argentina and Uruguay, Brazil, Chile and Mexico to come to Jerusalem as part of a religious and political motivation.
The Armenian community is concerned that the Jewish Quarter will "expand as the number of Jews in the Old City continues to increase while the Armenian population decreases."
Because of Israel's Judaizing Jerusalem project, the Armenian Quarter's location across from the main access roads between Israeli-controlled West Jerusalem and the Jewish Quarter and the holy sites at the Western Wall has made Armenian properties prime real estate in Israel's eyes.
In this context, the Armenian Diaspora has been openly or indirectly supporting the Palestinian cause for years.
However, although Hamas' Islamist identity has caused it to remain distant from time to time, the Diaspora presents a united image, especially in the face of Israeli attacks.
The Armenian Quarter is located in the southwestern corner
of the Old City of Jerusalem. The quarter can be accessed from the Zion Gate
and the Jaffa Gate.
According to a 2007 study published by the International Center for Peace and Cooperation, the neighborhood covers 126 acres and accounts for 14 percent of the Old City.
The Patriarchate is the de facto administrator of the neighborhood and acts as a "mini-welfare state" for its approximately 2,000 Armenian residents.
Although institutionally separate from the Greek Orthodox
and Catholic Christians, the Armenians see their neighborhood as part of the
Christian neighborhood.
However, the main reason why the Armenian neighborhood is
perceived as separate from the Christian neighborhood is that, unlike the
majority of Christians in Jerusalem, the Armenians speak Arabic and have
cultural and humanitarian behavior similar to the Palestinians.
This is one of the main reasons why Jews in Israel have a
negative attitude towards Armenian clergy and property.
Another reason is the great stubbornness of the Armenian
Apostolic Church.
In the 3rd century, there were already many Armenian
pilgrims in Jerusalem.
Armenia came into conflict with the Byzantine Empire after refusing to recognize the Council of Chalcedon (451 AD).
In the 6th century, Armenian pilgrims were expelled from Jerusalem by the Byzantine Empire for refusing to assimilate to Eastern Orthodoxy.
After the Crusaders conquered Jerusalem in 1099, Armenian Christians began to return.
After the Mamluks conquered Jerusalem from the Crusaders,
the Armenians were given official permission to return to their neighborhoods
in Jerusalem and build new churches and buildings.
The Mamluks took this a step further and issued an official decree granting the Armenians the highest level of freedom, completely exempting them from all taxes. Thus, the Armenian quarter developed and took its current form.
The Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent also guaranteed
religious freedom and allowed the Armenians to expand their quarters even
further.
Armenians were also part of the intelligentsia of the region
and the empire: in 1833, Armenians established the first printing press in the
city. In 1855, the first photography studio in Jerusalem was established in the
Armenian quarter.
After the Six-Day War, Israel financed the reconstruction of
all the holy places and buildings in the old city, or Armenian quarter.
Although it is a purely Christian quarter, it is not part of
it and remains independent.
The Greek, Catholic and Coptic Christians are all located in
the Christian quarter, while the Armenian Apostolic Church is located in the
Armenian quarter.
The Armenian quarter remains the smallest of the four
quarters of Jerusalem and the most conservative, orderly and isolated.
The biggest obstacle for Armenians residing in the Armenian Quarter is their Jordanian citizenship (before 1967), which is why the Israeli government considers them to be "permanent residents" with the same status as Palestinians.
Therefore, delays in obtaining official documents and difficulties at the airport occur because the Israeli bureaucracy considers Jerusalem Armenians to be Palestinians.
In other words, Armenians live under the status of being "Palestinian residents" but ethnically Armenian.
Therefore, the lives, property, heritage and fate of Armenians are subject to the same Israeli restrictions as Palestinians.
In addition, the clergy, who have been living in the Armenian monastery compound for decades, do not have resident status and therefore pay for public services such as healthcare as tourists.
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
Although Armenians have a 1,700-year history in Jerusalem,
the Armenian community was lost in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Today, Armenians in Jerusalem struggle in legal limbo, considered "permanent residents" rather than citizens by the Israeli government.
However, they have a serious say in international law. One
of the two most powerful lobbies in the US, in particular, is the Armenian
lobby.
Apart from this, the Armenian Diaspora in Latin America
still maintains strong contacts with the region.
Moreover, the Armenian Quarter, one of the four
neighborhoods of the Old City in Jerusalem, holds great significance for
Armenian Christians and has significant power over the status of Jerusalem.
Motivated by the religious importance of the city for
Christianity, Armenians first came to Jerusalem in the 4th century. From the
1850s onwards, Armenians became dominant among Palestinian photographers.
The central figure in this development was the prominent
cleric Esayee Garabedian, who would become the Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem
in 1864-65 and who began taking photographs in 1857 and established a
photography studio in the St. James Monastery.
A photography school was later established. Other
19th-century Armenian photographers in Jerusalem include Garabed Krikorian,
Kevork, J. H. Halladjian, M. Mardikian, and Yusuf Tumayan. They were later
joined by others such as Hrnat Nakaşyan and Elia Kahveciyan.
These names also greatly supported the development of the
Armenian Diaspora.
Thanks to the photographers, the Armenian Diaspora became
the world's most powerful monopoly in media, press, cinema, politics and art,
and is thought to be the oldest surviving Armenian Diaspora outside the
Republic of Armenia.
Until the early 20th century, this Armenian population
remained small and modest.
According to the Ottoman Census, before World War I, there
were between 2,000 and 3,000 Armenians living in Palestine, mostly in
Jerusalem.
However, between 1915 and 1920, the local population in
Jerusalem exploded as people escaping the deportation arrived in Palestine.
Although it is difficult to obtain an exact number, British
Mandate sources estimate that around 20,000 Armenian refugees arrived in
Palestine during this period, and most of them settled in Jerusalem.
Until the 20th century, the Armenian community in Jerusalem
consisted mostly of monks and a small number of lay families who provided
various services to the monks.
Many of their descendants still live in the city today. Some communities also settled in Jaffa, Haifa and the village of Rama.
In addition, systematic Israeli harassment of Armenian
priests in the backstreets of the Old City, including spitting, swearing and
pushing, has become routine.
These young Jewish men, who appear ultra-Orthodox, harass Armenian priests in groups to identify them and harass and humiliate them.
THE DIVIDE BETWEEN EAST AND WESTERN JERUSALEM AFTER WORLD
WAR II
Tensions between Arabs and Jews increased after World War
II.
When British troops withdrew from Palestine in 1947,
fighting broke out throughout the country and Armenians flocked to the Armenian
Quarter of the Old City to seek refuge.
30 to 40 Armenians were killed during the bombing and
fighting.
After the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and the establishment of the
State of Israel, some Armenians residing in the area that was the British
Mandate of Palestine acquired Israeli citizenship, while other Armenians living
in the Old City of Jerusalem and the territories captured by Jordan acquired
Jordanian citizenship.
These names also greatly supported the development of the
Armenian Diaspora.
Thanks to the photographers, the Armenian Diaspora became
the world's most powerful monopoly in media, press, cinema, politics and art,
and is thought to be the oldest surviving Armenian Diaspora outside the
Republic of Armenia.
Until the early 20th century, this Armenian population
remained small and modest.
According to the Ottoman Census, before World War I, there
were between 2,000 and 3,000 Armenians living in Palestine, mostly in
Jerusalem.
However, between 1915 and 1920, the local population in
Jerusalem exploded as people escaping the deportation arrived in Palestine.
Although it is difficult to obtain an exact number, British
Mandate sources estimate that around 20,000 Armenian refugees arrived in
Palestine during this period, and most of them settled in Jerusalem.
Until the 20th century, the Armenian community in Jerusalem
consisted mostly of monks and a small number of lay families who provided
various services to the monks.
Many of their descendants still live in the city today. Some communities also settled in Jaffa, Haifa and the village of Rama.
In addition, systematic Israeli harassment of Armenian
priests in the backstreets of the Old City, including spitting, swearing and
pushing, has become routine.
These young Jewish men, who appear ultra-Orthodox, harass Armenian priests in groups to identify them and harass and humiliate them.
THE DIVIDE BETWEEN EAST AND WESTERN JERUSALEM AFTER WORLD
WAR II
Tensions between Arabs and Jews increased after World War
II.
When British troops withdrew from Palestine in 1947,
fighting broke out throughout the country and Armenians flocked to the Armenian
Quarter of the Old City to seek refuge.
30 to 40 Armenians were killed during the bombing and
fighting.
After the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and the establishment of the
State of Israel, some Armenians residing in the area that was the British
Mandate of Palestine acquired Israeli citizenship, while other Armenians living
in the Old City of Jerusalem and the territories captured by Jordan acquired
Jordanian citizenship.
In a significant move, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Jordanian King Abdullah II suspended the recognition of Patriarch Manougian, who holds a life term.
This left him unable to sign contracts, conduct transactions or make decisions in the Palestinian territories or Jordan.
The priest who coordinated the deal, Baret Yeretsyan, was
dismissed, attacked by a mob of angry young Armenians and abducted by Israeli
police before fleeing to Southern California.
The Armenian Church has declined to disclose details of the
sale, but has identified the investor in the Yeretsian Hotel as
Australian-Israeli businessman Danny Rothman.
Yeretsyan, the church’s real estate manager, said he acted
at the patriarch’s request. His LinkedIn page identifies Rothman, who also uses
the surname Rubinstein, as the chairman of a hotel company called Xana Capital.
Records show that the firm, which was founded in the United
Arab Emirates, was registered in Israel in July 2021.
Yeretsian, an exiled priest, said Rothman planned to develop
a luxury resort in the Armenian Quarter. He said the project would be managed
by One&Only, a Dubai-based hotel company in the United Arab Emirates that
established diplomatic relations with Israel in 2020.
Jewish investors in Israel and abroad have long sought to
buy property in East Jerusalem. The Armenian Quarter is seen as an attractive
location for Jews because it is adjacent to the Jewish Quarter and the Western
Wall, the holiest site where Jews can pray.
Of course, their real aim is less to invest in tourism than
to expand the Jewish presence in East Jerusalem and to consolidate Israeli
control over a part of the city that the Palestinians claim as their capital.
Scandals over land sales to Jewish settlers have previously embroiled the Greek
Orthodox Church, which previously was the custodian of many Christian sites in
the area.
In Jerusalem, the Jewish plans to dispossess Jerusalem do
not only target the Armenian community. The Greek community is also facing
similar irregularities.
20 years ago, the Greek Church sold two hotels run by Palestinians in the Old City to foreign companies acting as a cover for a Jewish settler group.
The secret agreements led to the overthrow of the Greek
patriarch and caused an international crisis.
The main purpose of Israel's leasing/buying of Armenian and
Greek properties is to expand the Jewish presence in East Jerusalem and to
strengthen Israeli control over the part of the city that the Palestinians
claim as their capital.
AS A RESULT; the Armenian community in Jerusalem fears
displacement, just like the Palestinians.
It is fighting to prevent the Armenian Patriarchate's
properties from being seized by local/foreign investors or the Israeli
government through what is called the 'Judaization of Jerusalem'.
The Armenian diaspora also supports the patriarchate and
ensures that it finds a place in the international arena by supporting the
Palestinian cause.
Although it does not have a direct and primary policy of
expelling Armenians from Jerusalem 'for now', Israel does not want Armenians in
Jerusalem in the medium and long term.
Because while there are millions of Muslims in Palestine; Israel does not see a strong Armenian Diaspora as a priority target in the international arena in order not to confront it.
Because Israel's first goal is to ensure the integrity of the so-called occupied lands that have been cleared of Muslims, Armenians expect to be directly targeted after Muslims.
Therefore, the Armenian Diaspora, which wants to delay this strategy, supports Palestinian Muslims against Israel.
Because Armenians in Jerusalem fear that the shady land deals will be the "beginning of the end".
*The opinions expressed in this article belong to the author
and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Independent Turkish.
Hüsamettin Aslan[1]
Political Scientist @HusamettinAslan
Friday November 17, 2023
[1] HÜSAMETTİN ASLAN
Born in Istanbul. He completed his master's degree with the thesis "Anatomy of Brazil and Comparison of the Governments of Lula da Silva and R.T. Erdoğan", which he wrote under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Mim Kemal Öke. The thesis was selected first in the Social Sciences Thesis Competition. He continues his doctoral studies at Istanbul Commerce University. He specializes in Latin America, the Middle East and North Africa. He worked as a visiting researcher at the University of Sao Paulo for a while. He served as the Director of the Yunus Emre Institute Sao Paulo in Brazil. He wrote numerous articles for various newspapers and magazines. He published analyses on Latin American, African and Turkish foreign policy in the think tanks Bilge İnsan Strategic Research Center (BİLGESAM), African Research Center (AFAM), Istanbul Center for Intellectual Research (İFTAM) and Dünya Politics. He is a consultant and manager in various public and private sector institutions
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