The Israeli authorities decided to seize a vast tract of mortmain green land belonging to the Armenian Church in al-Walaja village northwest of Bethlehem and use it as a national park for Jewish settlers.
Members of the Armenian community in the village affirmed that the Israeli nature and parks authority started to take over this area which is estimated to be 50 dunums of land.
They also said that clashes broke out between them and Israeli soldiers last Saturday in the area following a prayer day held at the Church.
They expressed their fears that the place where Christian rituals take place could turn into a Jewish site calling for fencing the area in order to protect it.
