Russia demands ownership of 3 churches in Jerusalem

Sergei Stepashin who is in charge of reclaiming Russian assets in Israel announces Russia will submit a claim to Israeli court for the Church of Mary Magdalene, Chapel of the Ascension, and the Viri Galilaei Church
Itamar Eichner|
The Kremlin demanded on Sunday that Israel hand over ownership to Russia, of three churches located on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem.
  • Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter

  • Russia's former prime minister, Sergei Stepashin who is in charge of reclaiming Russian assets in Israel announced he will submit a claim to the Israeli courts for the Church of Mary Magdalene, which is the final resting place of Princes Elizabeth Feodorovna of Russia and Princess Alice of Battenberg, Queen Victoria's great-grand daughter and a virtuous among nations, The Chapel of the Ascension, and the Viri Galilaei Church, used as a summer retreat by the Greek Orthodox patriarch.
    2 View gallery
    יד אבשלום בנחל קדרון וברקע כנסיית מריה מגדלנה
    יד אבשלום בנחל קדרון וברקע כנסיית מריה מגדלנה
    Church of Mary Magdalene
    (Photo: Arnon Busani)
    Russian President Vladimir Putin has also demanded an end to the litigation preventing the transfer of the Alexander Nevsky Church, in the Old City, after commitments made by Benjamin Netanyahu during a previous term as prime minister.
    A former Russian activist Alex Tenzer claimed the Russian demands are part of internal Russian politics after the president's popularity plummeted as a result of his military failures in Ukraine.
    "The Russians are sensing Netanyahu's weakness and believes this is a good time to exert pressure," he said.
    "There is also an international aspect as these three churches are also considered sacred in the entire Christian world and especially important to King Charles III, whose mother is buried at the Church of Mary Magdalene," Tenzer said.
    2 View gallery
    תמונה של בנימין נתניהו וולדימיר פוטין לוחצים ידיים
    תמונה של בנימין נתניהו וולדימיר פוטין לוחצים ידיים
    Benjamin Netanyahu and Vladimir Putin
    (Photo: AP)
    Stepashin criticized Israel, accusing it of dragging its feet on the matter.
    "We worked for five years to obtain all historical documents for our claim, but since everything that happened in Ukraine, Israel is avoiding the matter. Russia will pressure Jerusalem to gain control of the property," he said.
    Comments
    The commenter agrees to the privacy policy of Ynet News and agrees not to submit comments that violate the terms of use, including incitement, libel and expressions that exceed the accepted norms of freedom of speech.
    ""