In Defence of Armenian Jerusalem: The Struggle for the Cow Gardens

Hagop Djernazian and Setrak Balian were in Geneva to plead for a cause: save Armenian quarter of Jerusalem by cancelling a dubious and illegal real estate transaction that threatens to amputate the historic part of Jerusalem city. In a public meeting at the Armenian Centre in Troinex, near Geneva, they explained the importance and richness of Armenian presence in the Holy City, that goes back to the fourth century AD. “We gave more than 400 interviews to international media”, and the struggle to save ArQ continues. 

It was on July 7, 2021, when a controversial contract was signed by the Patriarch of Jerusalem Nourhan Manougian, the Grand Sacristain Archbishop Sevan Gharibian and the director of properties of the patriarchate Bishop Baret Yeretsian, on the one hand, and an obscure company known as Xana Gardens, for rental agreement of 98 years on the lands of what is known as “Cows Gardens”, an area. The land is part of the Armenian neighbourhood of old Jerusalem and currently used as car parking. It became later evident that the land concerned was even larger, encompassing five houses and the hall of the main hall of the Armenian Theological Seminary, making the contested surface area 19’000 meters square. (1) The company had to make a 2 million dollars as downpayment, and a yearly rent of 300’000 dollars to construct of a “seven-star hotel”. That is, 15% of all the Armenian lands in old Jerusalem was taken away for a long lease, while the total of the Armenian Quarter is 126’000 m2.

There were also political ramifications in relation with the deal. Palestinian Authorities and Jordan were angered by these developments, which threatens to change the Status Quo within the Holy Lands and withdrew their recognition of Patriarch Nourhan Manougian, for mishandling of “culturally and historically significant Christian properties.” . A joint commission was created including the Palestinian Authority, Jordan, and the Republic of Armenia to address this issue.  

This agreement has numerous problems, first the Armenian patriarchate has no legal right to sell the property, as it is a Waqf (trustee) that it manages on behalf of the Armenian community, and had no authority of sale. Moreover, the company Xana Gardens itself has dubious background. The company was created just the day before the contract signed and has no record of successfully constructing and managing hotels. Xana Gardens belongs to a mother company “Xana Capital” registered in Israel and the United Arab Emirates. The man behind Xana Gardens is Daniel (Danny) Rothman, an Australian businessman.

The protest movement picked up when the company sent workers and machines that started destroying the parking. Moreover, they prohibited the inhabitants of the Armenian neighbourhood from using the parking, which created additional pressure for them, and for those who sent their children to the Tarkmachats school, situated within the Armenian monastery of St. James. 

Armenians live in Jerusalem continuously since the 4th century and has always been part of the Holy City. They survived pressures, conquests and empires, yet their presence has been continuous under the Orthodoxy of Byzantium, Muslim conquests, the Crusaders, Salah ad-Din, the Mamluks and the Ottomans. As the first Christian Nation, where Christianity was accepted as the state religion in 301 according to tradition, Armenian priests and pilgrims continuously poured into Jerusalem. Lands were purchased and churches and monasteries were constructed, and in spite of repression, taxes and debts, there was enough support, generosity and faith to preserve this small corner of Armenianness in this symbolically charged corner of our planet. 

Those forces within Israel that defended the minorities are very weakened, if not disappearing form the political scene. In 2022 Israel elected the most extremist government in its history, with far-right politicians Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, occupy influential positions. 

When the Armenian community started to mobilize against the deal, Xana Gardens company started behaving like a mafia, by sending people to physically attack protestors, or send intimidating text messages to protestors. There are suspicions that Xana Gardens has connections with settlers, aiming at changing the multi-confessional nature of Jerusalem. 

"Save the Armenian Quarter” movement started in May 2023, when a group of Armenian community members surrounded the dwelling of defrocked Fr. Baret Yeretsian, head of the real estate management of the Patriarchate, and the chief responsible for the deal signed, demanding information about rumours concerning a deal. The movement was initiated by two young activists Hagop Djernazian and Setrak Balian, who were demanding transparency from the Patriarchate. In this, they had the support of the majority of the Supreme Council of the Patriarchate. 

Harassment against Armenians by Jewish extremists has increased in recent years. “Those extremists are not our neighbours of the Jewish Quarter” said Setrak Balian, “but a new population that can be called the ‘hilltop youth’” referring to settlements from around Jerusalem. Recently a statement by influential Israeli-Jewish figures was published demanding the immediate cancelation of the deal which threatens the existence of the Armenian presence in Jerusalem, a positive step towards protecting the rights of minorities from those who wish to threaten. 

There was also broad mobilization within Armenian diaspora communities to defend the Armenian quarter of Jerusalem. Notably, a group of Armenian-American lawyers took the defence of the cause, pro bono. 

When I asked about Varsen Aghabekian, the current minister of foreign affairs and expatriates of the Palestinian Authorities, they said that she is and always been a great support to the Armenian community of Jerusalem. 

Hagop Djernazian and Setrak Balian underline the structural problem whereby the patriarchate in Jerusalem, because of historic reasons, not only represents the Armenian community, but does so by excluding lay participation in those decisions. Referring to the Cow Garden controversy, Hagop Djernazian  said: “Patriarchate took a decision as a result of which generations might suffer.”

(1) Elise Aghazarian, « The Case of the Cows’ Garden: Land Disputes and Community Mobilization in the Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem”, Institute of Palestinian Studies, Issue 137, May 5, 2025, page 2.