The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate has filed a lawsuit against the occupied Quds municipality of the Zionist enemy entity, demanding the recovery of church land in the town of Silwan, south of the al-Aqsa Mosque. The lawsuit seeks to force the authorities of the usurping entity to lift their hands off the property following its seizure under the protection of enemy forces on June 15, 2026.
In a statement, the Patriarchate confirmed that "the storming of its land in Silwan on June 15, 2026, the expulsion of its representative, the confiscation of his equipment, the uprooting of its trees, and surrounding it with a fence and gates, embodies an illegal and illegitimate seizure of established church property in the heart of al-Quds."
It stressed that what happened in Silwan falls within "the context of escalating assaults aimed at weakening the authentic Christian presence in the Holy Land."
According to the Quds Governorate media, the municipality of the enemy entity seized the land, expelled its caretaker, Khaled Al-Zeir, confiscated his equipment, and uprooted perennial plants and trees. They also confiscated livestock and vehicles before surrounding the land with a fence and gates to impose their control over it.
The targeted land measures approximately 11 dunams and is identified as Plot No. 6 of Block 29985, located near the Al-Bustan neighborhood in Silwan.
According to the lawsuit filed by the Patriarchate, the land is a church property officially registered under the name of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate. It is situated adjacent to a historic monastery and contains religious and archaeological artifacts that reflect the depth of the Christian presence in the city of al-Quds.
The town of Silwan is located in occupied al-Quds, south of the al-Aqsa Mosque and extending along the southern wall of the Old City.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Human Rights Watch pointed out that the Zionist enemy is accelerating home demolitions and the displacement of Palestinians in the Silwan neighborhood of occupied East of al-Quds, under the cover of hostilities in Gaza and the subsequent exchange of bombardments with Iran.
The organization added: "This is a war crime, and world governments must confront it with concrete and urgent measures."
In Silwan, the Zionist enemy has forcibly demolished dozens of Palestinian homes under the pretext of "violating the law." These demolition operations aim to expand archaeological and tourist settlement activities in Silwan.
The demolitions are being carried out to make way for the adjacent "King's Garden," which is designated for visitors to the "City of David" and managed by the settler organization "Elad."
