Russia demand Israel hand over Church courtyard in East Jerusalem

Russia demanded on Saturday Israel to “respect its commitment” and transfer the ownership of the Alexander Courtyard in the Christian Quarter of East Jerusalem to Moscow, Israel’s Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper reported.

The paper said the Kremlin’s demand came after the Jerusalem District Court received a lawsuit filed on behalf of the Branch of the Orthodox Palestinian Society (OPS) in the Holy Land led by Nikolay Hoffman-Vorontsov against the State of Israel and the Russian Federation.

The plaintiff has asked the court to recognise his exclusive ownership rights to the property and suspend the process of transferring the property to the Russian Federation.

READ: Holy Land custodian urges Israel to let clerics celebrate Easter in Holy Sepulchre

The court ruled that the Israeli Ministry of Justice should freeze the ownership transfer process until further notice.

Last January, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised Russian President, Vladimir Putin to transfer the ownership of the Alexander Courtyard in Jerusalem to Russia in return for the release of an Israeli citizen, Naama Issachar, from a Moscow prison.

The courtyard which includes the Church of St Alexander Nevsky is located near the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.