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JERUSALEM ARMENIANS OUTRAGED AT JEWS-ONLY PARKING LOT
asbarez
Friday, April 27th, 2012
Armenian priests in Jerusalem's Old City (photo by Matthew Karanian)
JERUSALEM (Haaretz)-Armenian residents of Jerusalem's Old City are
protesting a municipal decision to designate a parking lot in the
area solely for Jews, although part of it stands on land belonging
to the Armenian Patriarchate.
Parking is a major problem in the Old City, and some residents of
the Jewish Quarter claim it is one reason secular families have been
moving out. One of the parking lots serving this quarter is adjacent
to the Armenian Quarter and is partially built on land owned by the
Patriarchate, though the land has been leased by the Jewish Quarter
Development Company since the 1970s.
For decades, the parking lot was open to all, though Jewish Quarter
residents paid far less for a parking sticker than their Armenian
neighbors. But around two years ago, Armenians were forbidden to
park there.
"One day I came home from work and the lot was closed," said Mussa
Marizian, an Armenian Quarter resident whose windows overlook the
parking lot. "The quarter's management decided we shouldn't park
there; they just got rid of us. Jews who live in the Muslim Quarter
are allowed to park there, but I, who live right on top of the parking
lot, am not allowed."
The development company subsequently asked the municipality for a
waiver to enable the lot to be permanently used for parking, even
though it is zoned as open public land under Jerusalem's master plan
of 1978.
On Thursday, the city's planning and building committee approved
the waiver, over the protests of both Armenian residents and the
Patriarchate's representative, attorney Mazen Qupty, who argued that
most of the land was owned by the church.
"It was hard to hear the very inconsiderate arguments made by the
people of the Jewish Quarter about the needs of their Armenian
neighbors," said Yosef "Pepe" Alalu, the Meretz deputy mayor, who
voted against the waiver. "How can it be that the parking lot used
to be open to all but now Armenians cannot enter?"
The Jerusalem Development Company said that less that 10 percent of
the parking lot's land was leased from the Patriarchate, and that
the lease was for 99 years.
"The Armenians have a roomy parking lot 150 meters from that spot,"
the company said. "The request for exceptional use was a procedural
issue to renew the parking lot's operating license and the objections
were legally rejected."
asbarez
Friday, April 27th, 2012
Armenian priests in Jerusalem's Old City (photo by Matthew Karanian)
JERUSALEM (Haaretz)-Armenian residents of Jerusalem's Old City are
protesting a municipal decision to designate a parking lot in the
area solely for Jews, although part of it stands on land belonging
to the Armenian Patriarchate.
Parking is a major problem in the Old City, and some residents of
the Jewish Quarter claim it is one reason secular families have been
moving out. One of the parking lots serving this quarter is adjacent
to the Armenian Quarter and is partially built on land owned by the
Patriarchate, though the land has been leased by the Jewish Quarter
Development Company since the 1970s.
For decades, the parking lot was open to all, though Jewish Quarter
residents paid far less for a parking sticker than their Armenian
neighbors. But around two years ago, Armenians were forbidden to
park there.
"One day I came home from work and the lot was closed," said Mussa
Marizian, an Armenian Quarter resident whose windows overlook the
parking lot. "The quarter's management decided we shouldn't park
there; they just got rid of us. Jews who live in the Muslim Quarter
are allowed to park there, but I, who live right on top of the parking
lot, am not allowed."
The development company subsequently asked the municipality for a
waiver to enable the lot to be permanently used for parking, even
though it is zoned as open public land under Jerusalem's master plan
of 1978.
On Thursday, the city's planning and building committee approved
the waiver, over the protests of both Armenian residents and the
Patriarchate's representative, attorney Mazen Qupty, who argued that
most of the land was owned by the church.
"It was hard to hear the very inconsiderate arguments made by the
people of the Jewish Quarter about the needs of their Armenian
neighbors," said Yosef "Pepe" Alalu, the Meretz deputy mayor, who
voted against the waiver. "How can it be that the parking lot used
to be open to all but now Armenians cannot enter?"
The Jerusalem Development Company said that less that 10 percent of
the parking lot's land was leased from the Patriarchate, and that
the lease was for 99 years.
"The Armenians have a roomy parking lot 150 meters from that spot,"
the company said. "The request for exceptional use was a procedural
issue to renew the parking lot's operating license and the objections
were legally rejected."