PLO official against sale of church lands in Jerusalem to Jews: Part of Israeli policy to “change the demographic character of the holy city and impose a Jewish character on it through a policy of imposed expulsion”
Headline: "Abu Yusuf: The fair resolution of the Palestinian issue is the key to resolving the international crises"
"PLO Executive Committee member [and Secretary-General of the Palestinian Liberation Front] Wasel Abu Yusuf called on the [Greek] Orthodox church to stop the acts of transferring lands to Israel, and to oppose these acts and the sale of the Orthodox church's lands to Israeli companies in all ways. In a press statement today, Thursday [June 29, 2017], Abu Yusuf condemned these transactions that do not serve the interests of the Palestinian people’s legal rights. He called on the popular activists that are protective of the Palestinian people’s interests to stand together and come out against these plots that contribute to the completion of the homeland’s elimination. This is in light of the systematic Israeli policy whose goal is to change the demographic character of the holy city [of Jerusalem] and impose a Jewish character on it through a policy of imposed expulsion… Abu Yusuf emphasized that the whole world understands that no attempt to resolve the regional and international crises will succeed unless a fair and comprehensive solution is found for the Palestinian issue and the basic rights are realized, including the refugees’ right of return and the right to self-determination and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state whose capital is Jerusalem."
The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate sold 500 dunams (124 acres) to Israeli investor groups in 2017. This transaction was made public in June 2017.
"PLO Executive Committee member [and Secretary-General of the Palestinian Liberation Front] Wasel Abu Yusuf called on the [Greek] Orthodox church to stop the acts of transferring lands to Israel, and to oppose these acts and the sale of the Orthodox church's lands to Israeli companies in all ways. In a press statement today, Thursday [June 29, 2017], Abu Yusuf condemned these transactions that do not serve the interests of the Palestinian people’s legal rights. He called on the popular activists that are protective of the Palestinian people’s interests to stand together and come out against these plots that contribute to the completion of the homeland’s elimination. This is in light of the systematic Israeli policy whose goal is to change the demographic character of the holy city [of Jerusalem] and impose a Jewish character on it through a policy of imposed expulsion… Abu Yusuf emphasized that the whole world understands that no attempt to resolve the regional and international crises will succeed unless a fair and comprehensive solution is found for the Palestinian issue and the basic rights are realized, including the refugees’ right of return and the right to self-determination and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state whose capital is Jerusalem."
The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate sold 500 dunams (124 acres) to Israeli investor groups in 2017. This transaction was made public in June 2017.