The Orthodox Jews who caused an interreligious furor last week when they moved into a housing complex in the Old City’s Christian Quarter last week face eviction unless they can get a Jerusalem District Court order reversed.
District Court Judge Ruth Orr ruled Tuesday that the settlers would have to leave unless a higher court rules otherwise. She reserved further action, pending discussions with the disputants.
The 150 settlers, consisting of 20 families and 60 single men, mostly yeshiva students, say they purchased the building, known as St. John’s Hospice, through a Panamanian corporation.
The Greek Orthodox Church, which claims ownership, insists the Armenian brothers who leased the property had no right to sell it.
The Jerusalem Magistrates Court issued an evacuation order last Thursday, but its implementation was held up by the District Court, pending an appeal by the settlers’ attorney, Uzi Atzman.
Atzman delayed filing the appeal in an attempt to get a sympathetic judge. The District Court sharply reprimanded him for that tactic Tuesday.
The court also criticized the settlers’ description of themselves as “guests of a Panamanian company.” It dubbed them pilgrims.
The Jews moved in on April 11, during the Christian holy days preceding Easter. It was the first time Jews had settled there since Israel captured the Old City in 1967.
Church leaders complained their holy festival was “desecrated.” Spokespersons for the settlers say they were only restoring a Jewish presence to property owned by Jews who fled Arab riots in 1929 and 1936.
Ideological foes in the Knesset have squared off on the matter. Left-wing and right-wing members competed for signatures on petitions to convene a recess session to debate the issue from different points of view.
The dovish Center-Shinui Movement wants the parliament to affirm that the settlers created “unnecessary provocation,” harmed “Israel’s international standing and created unrest and animosity between Jews and Arabs.”
On the other end of side of the political spectrum, Reuven Rivlin of Likud demanded a resolution praising the settlers for strengthening Jerusalem’s status as Israel’s capital and foiling attempts “to divide” the city.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
