In the Old City of Jerusalem, 80 kilometres from the war in Gaza, another religious conflict is taking place. An Australian property developer, aided by a group of armed Jewish settlers, has attempted to occupy a prized piece of land in the Armenian Christian quarter. Even though a deal to build a hotel was overturned, Armenian families are threatened with eviction from homes their community has held for centuries.
Bedross Der Matossian grew up in the Old City. He’s now a professor and expert in genocide studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
We attempted to reach out to developer Danny Rothman of the Xana group, with no response.
Listen to the program at https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/religionandethicsreport/property-deal-could-threaten-armenian-presence-in-holy-land/103126920