Demanding the removal of Patriarch Theophilos III over his involvement in selling church land, hundreds of Palestinians rallied on Saturday in occupied East Jerusalem. They were protested selling of church property to Jewish settlers and called for an end to Greek dominance over their church.
Al Jazeera has quoted Alif al-Sabbagh, a member of the Arab Central Orthodox Council in Palestine and Jordan as saying “The Patriarch will continue to use bribes. We will not allow these bribes to continue. This church is an Arab church and its administration should be Arab. The Patriarch must be an Arab – whether Palestinian or Jordanian. We will not accept anything else.”
Palestinian Christian community fears that Israel is attempting to “weaken the Christian presence” in the country.