The Greek Orthodox Church is the second largest landowner in the country after the Israel Land Authority. The church purchased about 450 hectares of land in central Jerusalem in the 19th century, primarily agricultural land at the time. After the independence of the State of Israel, the church, in the 1950s, agreed to lease the land to the KKL for 99 years, with an option to renew.
1,500 Jerusalem property owners affected by a secret land sale by the Church
In a Kafkaesque story combining religion, politics, and real estate, the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate is selling land to private investors!
This incredible story is thus possible based on a 99-year lease agreement, particularly through a emphyteutic lease between the church, the landowner, and the leaseholders of these neighborhoods in Jerusalem.
1,500 owners of the wealthiest neighborhoods in Jerusalem have discovered that some of the land on which their properties sit has been secretly sold to private real estate companies.
They fear that at the end of their lease—some expiring within 18 years—they will have to choose between paying significant sums of money to renew the lease or selling to the new owners and moving.
Their 99-year lease diminishes as the end approaches. Furthermore, these owners find themselves in a scenario where their value has already decreased by 30%. But developers could also buy their homes and land at the lowest prices before rebuilding. They could add floors and resell, making handsome profits in the process.
It seems that the Greek Orthodox Church, as a landowner, has sold significant land in the capital to private investors.
The agreements are said to have been made not only behind the backs of the owners but also behind the back of the Jewish National Fund (JNF – KKL), to whom the church initially leased the land for 99 years, and the State.
Interestingly, even the Knesset (the Israeli Parliament) is built on land owned by the Church.
The Church is said to have managed to sign contracts in secret, the first in 2011 and another in August 2016 to sell land to companies. Indeed, Noam Ben David, a lawyer from Jerusalem, is the instigator of these contracts, according to the financial daily Calcalist, which revealed the information.
The Greek Orthodox Church presents itself as the second largest landowner in Israel, after the Israeli government.
Developers can now start moving forward with projects, since, in any case, the process takes ten years. Gradually, the leases [of the KKL] will end, and then the new construction rights will fall into the hands of the developers, he said. Moreover, developers can always re-lease the land and demand a lot of money for it.
The Greek Patriarchate has confirmed the sales. Furthermore, it stated that it had offered the KKL to renew the leases, but the latter had “done nothing.”
The KKL accused the Jerusalem city council, which was informed in September of last year’s sale, of not having informed it of the sale, Calcalist reported.
In a statement to Channel Two, the organization indicated that it had always managed the lease issue, and that now, “after the sale has become clearer,” it would act to protect the rights of the residents.
The KKL, as the manager of the Jewish people’s money, acts responsibly.
Moreover, the KKL will not allow real estate sellers to pressure residents to make personal profits. The full identity of these investors is not even known,
The problem is a national issue, and the KKL calls on the government and other concerned institutions to organize, as soon as possible, a round table to resolve it.
The city of Jerusalem has indicated that it is “studying its position” on the matter.
On the other hand, in a completely different transaction carried out several years ago, the Greek Orthodox Church leased land to two foreign investors. These developers plan to build 61 luxury apartments. The catch is that this location, according to Christian tradition, is the Hill of the Diabolical Council [where Judas conspired to betray Jesus]. The hill is located in the Abu Tor neighborhood.
Internal sources within the Church have explained that all agreements aim to generate money to buy back properties illegally sold by the former Patriarch Irineos. These include land in the Old City, near the Jaffa Gate, which Palestinians hope will one day belong to their future state, as well as the Monastery of Mar Elias, located on the road to Bethlehem.
