On August 22, 2002, Israeli police arrested Archimandrite Dr. Theodosios Hanna, Spokesman of the Greek Orthodox Church in Jerusalem and the Holy Land. At around 10 o’clock in the morning, he was detained by Israeli Border Police at his home in the old city of Jerusalem after which he was transferred to the Israeli detention and interrogation center at the Russian Compound (‘Moscowbiya’).
On August 22, 2002, Israeli police arrested Archimandrite Dr. Theodosios Hanna, Spokesman of the Greek Orthodox Church in Jerusalem and the Holy Land. At around 10 o’clock in the morning, he was detained by Israeli Border Police at his home in the old city of Jerusalem after which he was transferred to the Israeli detention and interrogation center at the Russian Compound (‘Moscowbiya’).
Early in the morning, Israeli police at Yaffa Gate, one of the entrances of the old city of Jerusalem, called him and asked him to come to the Israeli police station to testify concerning an events that happened before a few days. He told them that he would come after attending a meeting. After he left his home in the old city of Jerusalem, a number of Israeli policemen were standing outside his home. Also present there were a number of Israeli journalists, who took pictures of his arrest. Israeli police took Archimandrite Dr. Theodosios Hanna to the Russian Compound (‘Moscowbiya’) in an Israeli police car.
At the Russian Compound the Israeli police charged him with: (1) ‘suspicion of relations with terrorist organisations’; (2) ‘illegally entering an enemy country’, which means in Israeli official lexicon Syria and Lebanon; and (3) ‘incitement’. Israeli Attorney General Elyakim Rubinstein ordered Archimandrite Hanna’s arrest and interrogation. Archimandrite Dr. Theodosios Hanna was interrogated for five hours, in which he was shown interviews he gave to the media, in which he expressed his support for non-violent resistance against the foreign military occupation. During his interrogation, some journalists were present and he was filmed inside the Russian Compound.
Archimandrite Hanna said that he always visited Syria and Lebanon to attend religious and inter-religious conferences and dialogues. He traveled to these countries on his passport issued by the Vatican. Moreover, it should be emphasized that it is well-known that churches work across borders. Israeli police confiscated Hanna’s two passports, his Israeli passport and his passport issued by the Vatican. This is the first time, Israeli police arrested a religious leader or priest. The Israeli police interferes with divisions inside the Church. It is apparent that Israel wants to impose a different kind of Christian priests, those who are isolated from the rest of the Arab world, Arab Christians and Muslims. Archimandrite Hana said: ‘We are opposed to harm any human beings, because all human beings are the creation of God. This is an Israeli campaign to prevent an Arab priest to obtain a higher position within the Patriarchate’, adding ‘Israel is using these punitive measures to put pressure on the Church, violating its independence and that of other religious institutions’. Hanna also said that the Israeli government wants to pressure the Church on certain specific issues, including opposition to resistance against occupation, the lands owned by the Church in the Holy Land, in particular in Jerusalem.
Archimandrite Hanna was intimidated and pressured by the Israeli policy to refrain from any political activitiy. He said: ‘Israel claims that the Church should not interfere in politics, but this is a false claim, because the Palestinian cause has both a moral, political and religious dimension, and the Christians in the Holy Land are part of the Palestinian people and are subject to the same oppression as their Muslim brothers and sisters, who both are prevented from praying in Jerusalem’. Moreover, it is an established fact that Israeli Rabbi’s intervene heavily in politics in all possible forms, which is even encouraged by Israel’s state ideology.
We call on all local and international institutions, those religious, political, and human rights organisations to intervene and to protect and defend Archimandrite Dr. Theodosios (Atallah) Hanna.
The Arab Greek Orthodox Chuch councils, committees and institutions in Jerusalem, the Holy Land and Jordan
Contact:
Archimandrite Theodosios (Atallah) Hanna: 050-668778; Adi Bajale: 056-379312; Attorney Ilias Khoury: 02-6283502 (office); Marwan Toubasi: 059-803097
