WASHINGTON, DC – The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) welcomed U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen’s (D-MD) strong advocacy for the Christian presence in Jerusalem, praising his recent letter to U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee calling for urgent American engagement to protect at-risk Christian communities—including the Armenian Apostolic, Greek Orthodox, and Latin Patriarchates.
In a detailed and documented letter, Senator Van Hollen highlighted escalating threats facing these historic institutions, including settler violence, unjust foreclosure actions, and legislative efforts to strip churches of their property rights. Referring specifically to the Armenian Patriarchate, he wrote: “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 expressed deep concern that these developments “remain unresolved” despite public and diplomatic pressure, noting that local church leaders have described “growing challenges” to their safety, autonomy, and survival.
“Senator Van Hollen’s strong leadership comes at a pivotal moment for Jerusalem’s Armenian Quarter,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “His call for urgent U.S. engagement speaks to the existential threats facing this ancient Christian community – threats that include dispossession, discrimination, and the erosion of religious and cultural rights. The Armenian presence in Jerusalem has endured for over 1,700 years. Preserving the Armenian Christian Quarter is not only a matter of religious freedom, but of protecting a central pillar of Christendom and the very spiritual identity of the Holy Land.”
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Senator Van Hollen’s appeal also underscored the devastating consequences of inaction. He referenced repeated settler attacks—including those on the Christian town of Taybeh—and warned 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.” He criticized recent Israeli legislation, such as the so-called “Fair Leasing Bill,” that would enable long-term control over church lands without consent, effectively stripping religious institutions of their autonomy. He also condemned a surge of aggressive taxation targeting Christian schools, churches, and charitable institutions—policies that violate long-standing legal exemptions.
The full text of the Senator’s Letter to Ambassador Huckabee is provided below and available here: https://anca.org/assets/pdf/080725_VanHollen_ChristianChurchesIsrael.pdf
The Senator’s concerns mirror those raised by legal experts and Armenian community advocates and supporters who warn that the current pressure campaign against the Jerusalem Armenian Patriarchate is part of a broader effort to dismantle the Christian presence in the Holy Land. Among the most alarming cases is a secretive, controversial and contested 98-year lease allegedly signed in 2021 with a private developer tied to Israeli settler organizations. The deal, which includes roughly 25% of the Armenian Quarter’s land, has triggered widespread outrage and legal action from within the Armenian community.
Leading opposition to this deal is Save the ArQ, a grassroots movement founded by Jerusalem Armenians to defend the Armenian Quarter’s religious, legal, and cultural integrity. The group has played a central role in documenting settler aggression, mobilizing legal challenges, and rallying international support for the community’s right to remain on its ancestral lands.
“This is more than a bad financial deal,” Save the ArQ co-founder Hagop Djernazian told Congressional staff during an ANCA-sponsored Capitol Hill briefing held in January. “It is an attempt to sever our historic and cultural ties to Jerusalem, a place we’ve called home for centuries.” His colleague, Setrag Balian, emphasized the spiritual and geopolitical stakes of the moment, stating, “We are fighting not just for land, but for the soul of Jerusalem. The Armenian Quarter embodies the coexistence and cultural harmony that has defined this city for millennia. Losing it would disrupt the fragile balance of the Old City and forever alter its historic identity.”
The Armenian Quarter, established in the early centuries of Christianity, stands as one of the oldest and most resilient Christian communities in the Holy Land. Since Armenia’s adoption of Christianity as a state religion in 301 AD, Armenian pilgrims and monks have maintained a continuous presence in Jerusalem. The Quarter’s institutions – centered around the 7th-century Patriarchate of St. James – have served as a refuge for pilgrims, a center of learning and culture, and a sanctuary for survivors of the Armenian Genocide. Today, its churches, schools, libraries, and homes remain under siege by legal and physical threats that risk erasing this ancient legacy.
The ANCA continues to call on the U.S. Administration to take immediate and meaningful action to protect Jerusalem’s Armenian Christian Quarter from mounting legal, political, and physical threats. Specifically, the ANCA urges U.S. officials to press the Israeli government to uphold fair and transparent legal proceedings concerning the Armenian Patriarchate’s property rights; to publicly condemn violent attacks and intimidation targeting Armenian institutions and individuals; to oppose unilateral actions—legal or territorial—that disrupt the delicate cultural and religious balance of the Old City; and to engage in sustained diplomacy with Israeli authorities to ensure the long-term security, autonomy, and continuity of this sacred and historic Christian community.
For more information or to join ANCA’s advocacy campaign, visit:
https://anca.org/ArmenianChristianQuarter.
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Text of Senator Chris Van Hollen’s Letter to U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee
I write in the wake of yet another disturbing wave of settler violence to express my appreciation for your recent efforts to defend and elevate the concerns of Christian communities in the Holy Land. In July 2024, I met with church leaders and representatives of Christian communities in Jerusalem, including the Greek Orthodox, Latin, and Armenian Patriarchates; the Custody of the Holy Land; and the Anglican and Lutheran Churches. They described growing challenges facing their churches and local Christian communities, many of which are reflected in the examples below. It is deeply disappointing that these issues remain unresolved.
Your public condemnation of the attacks in Taybeh earlier in July and your visit to the village were important demonstrations of moral leadership and solidarity—and a strong statement of our country’s determination to protect the religious rights and liberties of all faith communities, including vulnerable minority groups. As you stated on July 19 in response to an arson attack that targeted the Christian church there, “I work for ALL American citizens who live in Israel-Jewish, Muslim or Christian. When they are terrorized or victims of crime I will demand those responsible be held accountable w/ real consequences. Was in Taybeh today to meet with people of that village to listen & learn.”
As you know, the attacks on Taybeh have continued since your visit. The Times of Israel reported on July 28 that another violent attack struck the Christian town of Taybeh in the West Bank. Settlers stormed the town, driving livestock through its center, torching multiple vehicles, and scrawling hateful graffiti. Just days earlier, masked figures—some carrying weapons, others riding horseback—patrolled the streets, intimidating villagers and disrupting the community’s everyday life. In recent days, violent settlers also raided the Palestinian towns of Silwad, Rammun, and Abu Falah, east of Ramallah, in the West Bank, burning cars and leading to the death of one person. The heads of Jerusalem’s churches issued a joint statement on July 29 expressing deep concerns regarding “an alarming pattern of settler violence” and noting 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.” Just as Secretary of State Rubio recently condemned attacks against religious minorities in Syria, I urge you to speak out about these attacks and press the Israeli government to hold the perpetrators to account.
I am also grateful for your intervention on behalf of American Christians facing unjust entry restrictions into Israel, and for your Administration’s strong response and demand for accountability following the Israeli military strike on the Catholic church compound in Gaza. These actions are important to defending religious freedom and minority rights in the Holy Land and around the world. When we fail to take serious actions to defend religious and minority rights when they are threatened in countries with whom we have close bilateral relations, it undermines our credibility to raise these issues when they are under attack elsewhere.
I now ask for your continued engagement on a related urgent matter: the ongoing dispute concerning the interpretation and application of longstanding tax exemptions granted to religious institutions in Israel and escalating legal and financial pressures facing Christian churches across Israel. These actions pose an existential threat to Christian institutions that have been present in the Holy Land for centuries.
Local municipalities across Israel have intensified pressure in recent months for churches to pay what are astronomical tax levies. In Jerusalem, the Franciscans received final collection notices demanding over 17 million shekels without transparency, while Christian schools were denied education funds under the pretext of unpaid taxes. In Nazareth, institutions like the St. Francis Elderly Home face asset seizure threats despite legal exemptions. Tel Aviv and Haifa have frozen or threatened to freeze church bank accounts. These actions form a pattern of pressure that undermines the viability of Christian institutions across the country.
The Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem is among those targeted. 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. The foreclosure actions deviate from longstanding legal and tax agreements that have historically recognized the unique status of Christian churches in the Holy Land. These actions are contrary to historical and contemporary agreements that provide the Christian churches with a special legal and tax status.
The so-called Fair Leasing Bill remains a looming threat. Although the next Knesset discussion has not yet been scheduled, the bill’s provisions are deeply troubling. It would allow lessees to unilaterally renew leases for 49 or 99 years at existing terms with minimal rent adjustments, stripping churches of control over key properties. At a time when churches are facing severe financial strain due to municipal enforcement and dwindling pilgrim revenue, this measure would deny them the ability to responsibly manage or lease land, effectively forcing property sales and reducing the Christian presence in the Holy Land.
I am grateful for your engagement with Christian leaders in the region and hope that you and other senior U.S. officials will continue to press for a mutually acceptable settlement to these issues outside of the courts and punitive legislation. The precedent for this exists. In 2018, intervention by the U.S. government and other stakeholders successfully led Prime Minister Netanyahu to suspend both adverse legislation and the imposition of municipal taxes on churches. The establishment of a special committee under Minister of Regional Cooperation Tzachi Hanegbi was meant to develop a sustainable resolution, though it ultimately failed to progress. I believe this framework can be reactivated and adapted to address the current crisis with similar urgency and coordination.
The treatment of Christian institutions is an important indicator of the health of democracy and pluralism in Israel – as well as an important marker for religious freedom and safety for Christians and other threatened minorities elsewhere in the region. Ensuring their protection is not only a matter of religious freedom, but also of preserving the broader principles of tolerance and the rule of law.
I look forward to your response.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen
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The Armenian National Committee of America