Israeli Police Escort Settlers into Jerusalem's Armenian Quarter, Violation of Legal Process

ARMENIAN QUARTER, OLD CITY, JERUSALEM - A group of Israelis invaded the Armenian Gardens, known as the “Cows' Garden,” in the Old City, Jerusalem Wednesday, with police assistance. The "Save the Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem" initiative announced this today on X. This move, ostensibly carried out under the pretext of removing temporary structures belonging to guards within the garden, has sparked outrage and condemnation from the Armenian community and beyond.

The "Save the Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem" initiative broke the news, highlighting the intrusion on the "Cows' Garden" via X. According to reports, the police dismantled barricades without a court order or prior warning, leading to a heated altercation between Armenian community members, including clergy, and the intruding parties.

Jerusalem's Armenian representative, Setrak Balian, took to social media to share a video documenting the distressing events.

This incursion into the Cows' Garden, occurring during ongoing legal battles in the Jerusalem District Court concerning contested land transactions, is seen as a clear violation of legal procedures and an affront to the established status quo. The Armenian community's rights and property are being blatantly disregarded, signaling a worrying trend of law enforcement overreach.

Expressing strong condemnation, stakeholders call upon the international community, religious leaders, local missions, and relevant authorities to intervene. The focus is on pressuring Israeli authorities to respect legal processes and refrain from actions that undermine the peace and stability of the Armenian Quarter.

Former Human Rights Defender of Armenia and attorney, Arman Tatoyan has released the following statement: “We, the attorneys representing the Armenian community of Jerusalem, strongly condemn the behavior of the Israeli police by which they help Israeli settlers to illegally and forcibly enter the Cows’ Garden in the #Armenian quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem, in an attempt to illegally expel the Armenians and try to change the situation [status quo ] in place: #SavetheArQ #ARMENIA The international legal team continues to protect the interests of the Armenian neighborhood of Jerusalem and the Armenian community with all legally possible means. We consider what occurred to be a gross violation of the rights and interests of the Armenian neighborhood of Jerusalem and the Armenian community, which has an ontological significance.”