Jewish extremists spit on Armenian church wall in Jerusalem

A video emerged from Jerusalem on Tuesday showing a group of young Jewish men spitting on the wall of an Armenian church, highlighting the ongoing tension surrounding the Armenian Quarter and the longstanding struggle over the Cows’ Garden property.

The Armenian community in Jerusalem has been engaged in a principled, consistent and round-the-clock defense of the Cows’ Garden – a piece of land in the Armenian Quarter. The controversy began back in November 2023, when armed individuals accompanied by trained dogs attempted to seize the area from Armenians based on a controversial deal. The agreement in question, currently under judicial review, allegedly transfers control of Armenian Patriarchate properties to developers to demolish them and build a hotel in the area.

The already tense situation risks further escalation due to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s attacks on the Armenian Apostolic Church, including his vague and disgraceful allegations of pedophilia and breaches of the vow of celibacy against clergymen. Some fear that his statements might embolden Israeli groups to justify their attacks on the Armenian Patriarchate in Jerusalem.

Concerned over the incident, I reached out to activist Bedig Giragosian, who confirmed that he and others rushed to the church as soon as they learned what had happened. He identified the perpetrators as Jewish extremists, or as he put it, “children”.

Kirakosyan assured that the act of desecration was unrelated to Pashinyan’s anti-church campaign, but insisted it must be publicly condemned to underscore the dehumanization of Armenians and vandalism of their churches.

While Armenian community members arrived at the scene within a minute, Israeli police reportedly took 25 minutes to respond. Let’s hope that Pashinyan’s rhetoric isn’t being echoed in the streets of Jerusalem.