Ethiopian f lag illegally f lown at Coptic monastery

agHG o ssa y aG GHl o ni i haHl i gis

The Coptic monastery on the rooftop of the Church of the oly Sepulchre in -erusalem, eir as-Sultan, is again notoriously in the limelight.

The monastery has for centuries been the subject of conflict between its rightful, historical owners the Copts, and Ethiopian monks who entered it as guests in the th century but have ever since tried to sei e it, attempting to pose as its owners.

Flying Ethiopia’s flag

2n the Wednesday before 2rthodo Easter this year, April, in -erusalem, the Ethiopian monks set up a tent in the courtyard of eir as-Sultan, a tradition they do every year. 2n the Wednesday following Easter, they pull down the tent.

This year, however, and for the first time, they flew the Ethiopian flag on the tent. The act was rejected by the Coptic 2rthodo 0etropolitan of -erusalem, Anba Antonios, who viewed it as a flagrant violation and an attempt to declare their control of eir as-Sultan. When no persuasion would work to take down the flag, Anba Antonios, together with Coptic monks, attempted to bring it down. ut this brought on insults and assault by the Ethiopian monks the Israeli police intervened and ordered the Copts away. )inally, on 0ay, the Wednesday following Easter, the Ethiopians took the flag down and pulled down the tent.

Photographs of the tent, Ethiopian flag, and clashes went viral on social media, with bloggers demanding of the Egyptian authorities to take action.

Two Egyptian 0embers of Parliament Amr arwish and Emad .halil wrote an urgent statement on 0ay addressed to Egypt’s )oreign 0inister Sameh Shukry in regard to what they described as “ongoing provocations by the Ethiopian monks toward the Egyptian monks in -erusalem”, reTuiring intervention with the Israeli authorities.

isto y oI PonastH y

The monastery goes back to the 5oman Emperor Constantine the reat who built it in . It lies within the walls of the 2ld City of -erusalem, on the rooftop of the church of the oly Sepulchre. In the th century, it was granted to the Coptic Church by the 8mmayad Sultan Abdel-0alek in 0arwan hence its name of eir as-Sultan. In the th century, Salah al- in al-Ayyubi, famous as Saladdin, confirmed its ownership by the Coptic Church, a fact that remained uncontested till modern times.

The monastery stretches some sTuare metres over the roof of the church of the oly Sepulchre, is part of the Coptic 2rthodo patriarchate in -erusalem, and includes a passageway that leads directly down into the church of the oly Sepulchre below. The centre of the monastery’s courtyard is dominated by the dome of the church of St elena on the southeast corner are two old churches one consecrated in the name of the Archangel 0ichael and the other in the name of the )our Incorporeal Creatures. The eastern side hosts monk cells and a room for the director of the monastery, a resident Coptic monk.

ongtiPH g Hsts

In , a group of Ethiopian monks sought temporary refuge with the Coptic Church in -erusalem, since their premises had been moved to the custody of the reek and Armenian Churches because the Ethiopian Church had not been able to pay its due ta es. The Copts accepted the Ethiopians and gave them lodgings at eir as-Sultan from where they were never driven away but remained as guests. Even when the Coptic

Church had to renovate the monastery in and thus evicted its inhabitants, the Ethiopians were again allowed in when the place was rendered habitable in . At the time, the Ethiopian Church was part of the Coptic Church.

ntH Pina lH attlH

The year witnessed the start of what was to become an interminable battle by the Ethiopian monks to sei e the monastery. In every one of these numerous attempts, however, the Copts proved beyond doubt their claim to the monastery, and were thus empowered to it by -erusalem authorities. That is, until April .

In April , the Ethiopian guest monks took advantage of the fact that the Copts were away celebrating 0ass on the )east of the 5esurrection, changed the locks to the stairs connecting the monastery to the church below, and practically sei ed the monastery. This was done by approval of the Israeli government, and under protection of the Israeli military. At the time, Egypt and Israel were at war.

The Coptic 0etropolitan of -erusalem directly took the case to court. 2n 0arch the Supreme Court in Israel ruled in favour of the Coptic Church, unanimously deciding that the keys of the passageway and the two monastery churches should be handed to the Copts. To date, however, and despite numerous official complaints and reports by the Copts, the Israeli government has refrained from e ecuting the court order.

.amel 0ichel, Coordinator- eneral of the Coptic Church for the case of eir-as-Sultan 0onastery, e plained that the Israeli government had legally Tuestioned the e ecution of the supreme court’s decision which ruled that the monastery is owned by the Coptic Church and should be handed to it. It said the supreme court’s decision was not relevant because it concerned a religious dispute between the Copts and the Ethiopians. The court had indeed ruled that the Copts had uneTuivocal ownership of the monastery, but translating it on the ground reTuired the Israeli Cabinet to form a committee to decide and take action on the matter. ut this never took place.

antHG y th Hnt y opti ishop

5egarding the tent, Anba Antonios said, “The practice of putting it up is not new. The Ethiopians were granted the right to do so by a Coptic bishop in the th century, as a boon to the Ethiopian Church which had lost its property in the Church of the oly Sepulchre.

“They used to set up a tent, but without a flag,” Anba Antonios said. “The Israeli police admitted that flying an Ethiopian flag over the tent was illegal, but they couldn’t solve the problem.”

is Eminence thanked the Egyptian )oreign 0inistry for their concern and endeavours to resolve the crisis. e especially e pressed his gratitude to the Egyptian Embassy in -erusalem for being in constant contact with the Israeli 0inistry of 5eligions, the police, and the relevant Israeli authorities.

Anba Antonios e pects that these clashes, and the Ethiopians’ attempt to gain full control of the Coptic monastery, would not end at that. “ ut again, we will stand against them,” he stressed, “but without violation or aggression. We always take in our consideration the fact that the Coptic 2rthodo Church is the 0other’ and the root’ we must preserve its dignity and spiritual stature, even in the most difficult times.”

tat s o’ la

According to Adeeb ouda al- usseini, the Palestinian 0uslim who is custodian of the keys of the Church of the oly Sepulchre, this is the first time the Ethiopians fly Ethiopia’s flag since their attempts to sei e eir as-Sultan. “This incident,” 0r usseini noted, “is a blatant assault on the status Tuo’ law that has been issued since , concerned with regulating matters between the various sects. It is also a provocation to Coptic sentiments the Copts are the possessors of the right to eir as-Sultan.”

“2ur dear Copts, 0ay the /ord help you,” 0r usseini said.