Senator Van Hollen Urges U.S. Action to Protect Christian Institutions in Jerusalem

The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) welcomed a recent letter from U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) to U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee. The letter calls for urgent American engagement to protect at-risk Christian communities in Jerusalem, including the Armenian Apostolic, Greek Orthodox, and Latin Patriarchates.

In the letter, Senator Van Hollen described escalating threats to these historic institutions, including settler violence, unjust foreclosure actions, and legislative efforts to strip churches of their property rights. Quoting the letter, he wrote that “In February, the Jerusalem municipality initiated foreclosure proceedings against the Patriarchate’s properties, a move that threatens not only the institution itself but also the broader Christian presence in Jerusalem.” He said he was concerned that these developments “remain unresolved” despite public and diplomatic pressure, and he noted that local church leaders had described “growing challenges” to their safety, autonomy, and survival.

ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian said the senator’s leadership “comes at a pivotal moment for Jerusalem’s Armenian Quarter.” ANCA states that the Armenian presence in Jerusalem has lasted more than 1,700 years. Hamparian said that preserving the Quarter is a matter of religious freedom as well as a question of protecting what he called “a central pillar of Christendom.”

The senator’s letter also referred to repeated settler attacks, including those on the Christian town of Taybeh in the West Bank. He cited a July 28 report by The Times of Israel describing an attack in which settlers stormed the town, drove livestock through its center, torched multiple vehicles, and scrawled hateful graffiti. The letter also described masked figures, some carrying weapons and others riding horseback, patrolling the streets days earlier. Van Hollen wrote that “the lack of accountability not only threatens Christian communities but also weakens the moral and legal foundations that uphold peace and justice for all.” Protecting the vulnerable matters when villagers are intimidated on their own streets (Psalm 82:3).

The letter criticized recent Israeli legislation, including what it called the so-called “Fair Leasing Bill,” which it said would enable long-term control over church lands without consent. The letter also condemned what it described as a surge of aggressive taxation targeting Christian schools, churches, and charitable institutions, saying these policies violate long-standing legal exemptions.

Separately, ANCA reported that a 98-year lease was allegedly signed in 2021 with a private developer tied to Israeli settler organizations. The deal reportedly includes roughly 25% of the Armenian Quarter’s land and has drawn objections and legal action from within the Armenian community. Save the ArQ, a grassroots movement founded by Jerusalem Armenians, is leading opposition to the deal. Co-founder Hagop Djernazian told Congressional staff at an ANCA-sponsored Capitol Hill briefing in January that “This is more than a bad financial deal.” Colleague Setrag Balian said, “We are fighting not just for land, but for the soul of Jerusalem.”

Van Hollen’s letter described a July 2024 meeting with church leaders and representatives of Christian communities in Jerusalem, including the Greek Orthodox, Latin, and Armenian Patriarchates. In the letter, he also described how municipalities across Israel have pressed churches over tax levies. He wrote that in Jerusalem, the Franciscans received final collection notices demanding over 17 million shekels without transparency, and that Christian schools were denied education funds under the pretext of unpaid taxes. He further wrote that in Nazareth, the St. Francis Elderly Home faces threats of asset seizure despite legal exemptions, and that Tel Aviv and Haifa have frozen or threatened to freeze church bank accounts.

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