THE Christian presence in Jerusalem is under threat from “Israeli radical fringe groups”, the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophilos III, has warned in an article in The Times on Saturday. “At the hands of these Zionist extremists the Christian community in Jerusalem is suffering greatly,” he wrote. Our clergy are subject to frequent intimidation.”An “Israeli radical group” was “seeking to occupy” two buildings at the Jaffa Gate, “acquired through illegitimate transactions”, he continued. “Their behaviour will be devastating for all Christians. Possession of the Jaffa Gate properties is the subject of a long-running dispute (News, 10 November 2017).

Source: The Times January 14, 2022 00:17 UTC