Patriarch accused in land deal, Qureia bite

(19 Mar 2005) Ramallah, West Bank 1. Arab representatives of the church entering press conference 2. SOUNDBITE: (English) Marwan Tubasi, Arab Greek Orthodox leader: "Leasing the land to the Israelis - in terms of serving the Israeli aspirations behind our aspirations as Palestinians people suffering from occupation in Palestine - is a very serious matter. The Patriarchate, this one and all the people behind leasing the land or giving the land or our property of our church to Israeli organisations, should leave the Patriarchate, (should resign) and should leave Jerusalem." 3. Press conference Ramallah, West Bank 4. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Ahmed Qureia, Palestinian Prime Minister: "It is dangerous and it is a clear indication of the Israeli plan that targets the holy city. This plan has many aspects: one of them is the building of settlements and settling inside and outside Jerusalem." 5. Security 6. Qureia walking Jerusalem 7. Jaffa gate entrance to the old city 8. Hotel building 9. Various of people walking in the street 10. Another building reportedly sold to Israelis STORYLINE: The Greek Orthodox church has called for the resignation of the Patriarch of the Greek Orthodox Church in the Holy Land because of his alleged involvement in a controversial land deal. Patriarch Eireneos I is reportedly implicated in a scheme that involved selling valuable land inhabited by Palestinians in Jerusalem's old city to Jewish buyers. The Israeli daily newspaper Maariv reported that the Greek Orthodox church allegedly sold land in the walled old city of Jerusalem to Jewish organisations working to bolster the Jewish presence in the Arab sector of the city. APTN could not independently verify the report. Church officials could not be reached for comment. At a press conference in the West Bank town of Ramallah, Arab church representatives could not confirm the report of the land sale, but called for the Patriarch's resignation. "The Patriarchate, this one and all the people behind leasing the land or giving the land or our property of our church to Israeli organisations, should leave the Patriarchate," said Marwan Tubasi, a leader of the Greek Orthodox community. Meanwhile, Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia said the alleged purchase was a "clear indication" that Israel "targets" Jerusalem for settlement by Israelis. A land sale to Jews in Arab east Jerusalem, while legal under Israeli law, is seen as a betrayal by Palestinians who consider East Jerusalem to be the capital of their future state. There has been long-running tension between Greek Orthodox monks and local Palestinian leaders. The Greek Orthodox Church is one of the biggest landlords in Jerusalem and owns valuable property in some of the most contentious areas of Jerusalem, including the walled old city, home to Jewish, Christian, and Muslim holy sites. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...