Jewish-Zionist Conspiracy To Steal From Orthodoxy

[Crvena zvezda]

Orthodox News


Corruption, Religious Freedom and Israeli Real Estate - The National Herald May 4, 2007

The persecution of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem at the hands of Israeli politicians continues unabated. Rather than let the Patriarchate have its day in court, the Israeli Government has sought bizarre delays. Most recently, it took a letter from the European Center for Law & Justice, a Pentecostal organization, to the Israeli Government, urging immediate affirmation of Patriarch Theofilos’ election, to cite it as an excuse to delay a court case which it has no chance of winning.
The Israeli Government continues to lose sympathy on this issue, even among its strongest supporters in the United States. Initially, Israeli politicians who tried to defraud the Patriarchate of hundreds of millions of dollars of properties in Jerusalem told their American constituency that deposed former Patriarch Eirineos was guilty only of the crime of “selling land to Jews” in Israel. When the Orthodox world unanimously agreed to the dethronement and defrocking of Eirineos and the election of Patriarch Theofilos, the Israelis circulated to their U.S. constituency a forged letter purporting to show that Theofilos was personally anti-Semitic.
The truth that Israeli politicians seek personal benefit from the land fraud has finally come home to roost. Prominent American Jews, Jewish American Congressmen and Jewish organizations such as the American Jewish Council have called on the Israeli Government to affirm the election of Patriarch Theofilos and spare Israel further humiliation. The letter from the AJC to Israel’s foreign minister illustrates the argument:
The AJC notes that Patriarch Theofilos has been recognized by his colleagues and governments around the world, and goes onto say “this recognition on the part of the State of Israel is inevitable.” The letter also notes that Israel’s continued refusal “impacts upon relations between Diaspora Jewish Communities and Orthodox Churches and communities wherever the two interact – not least of all in the United States of America.
Accordingly, the swift positive resolution of this matter and reestablishment of good relations between the State of Israel and the Jerusalem Orthodox Patriarchate is in the interests of World Jewry at-large, for whom your care and concern is well known.”
Pave-the-Way, another Jewish-led organization seeking amity between religions, wrote to the Israeli Government to affirm Theofilos’ election as the Patriarch of Jerusalem. The letter notes serious allegations which “discredit the judicial system in Israel, and which undermine Israeli credibility in guaranteeing religious freedom and rights for all under Israeli rule.”
The letter also notes that, after the last extension, someone telephoned the Patriarchate saying “you see we got another extension, and I tell you that in 60 days we will get another extension.” This call, the letter notes, “impugns the integrity of the court and simply says that justice can not be expected for the Greek Orthodox Church in the State of Israel.” The letter closes with strong criticism of the “disgraceful conduct of the Israeli Government providing a police escort for the defrocked Eirineos to conduct religious ceremonies while trying to physically bar the legitimately elected Patriarch, Theofilos III, from carrying out his obligations.”
In other words, Israeli politicians know the game is up. Theofilos is the legally elected Patriarch, and they can not undo this. Their conduct brings shame on Israel, and yet, why do they persist? The answer can be found in the most recent message the Patriarch’s lawyers received from an Israeli Minister: “Tell Theofilos that if he agrees to give Israelis all the properties involved in the case before the courts, and if he further agrees that any and all future real estate deals will be offered to Israelis first, then we will recognize him.”
One can almost imagine Tony Soprano making that call. But that, in fact, is the issue.
The Governments of so many States which have been propped up by American taxpayer dollars have, because of that assistance, become among the most corrupt. This is not an Israeli issue alone. Look at the list of our principal aid recipients on the State Department website, and then compare that list with the corruption index provided by Transparency International. In the case of both Israel and Turkey, American taxpayers have created the corrupt environment which leads to the persecution of the Patriarchate.
Most of our readers readily accept the accusation that Turkey is corrupt, but certainly democratic Israel could not be so? Rather than bore you with statistics, we should look at plain news stories from Israeli and respected international sources.
National Public Radio quoted a Professor Israhi of Hebrew University, who recounted that criminal investigations are now underway against Israel’s President, current Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, the Prime Minister’s personal secretary, the former Minister of Justice, the head of the foreign affairs committee in Knesset, the head of the tax authority (currently under house arrest) and a bunch of other former leading personalities.
Israeli media reports allege that Olmert gave favors to business associates in the privatization of a major Israeli bank in 2005. The state comptroller issued a report alleging Olmert’s involvement in procuring investment opportunities for an associate while he was trade and industry minister in 2003. The Israeli police fraud squad questioned billionaire Frank Lowy, a real estate developer and friend of Olmert’s in Australia. Israeli police have investigated allegations that Finance Minister Abraham Hirchson embezzled millions of dollars before he joined the government. In the past few weeks, Israel’s police chief resigned after a report on his mishandling of a criminal probe, and the son of comatose Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has been jailed for nine months for illegal campaign fundraising.
The most astounding news came last summer with the revelation that the Israeli Chief of Staff sold all his shares on the Tel Aviv stock exchange three hours after two Israeli soldiers were captured by Hezbollah, AFTER he persuaded the Government to attack Lebanon, and BEFORE he ordered his forces to begin combat. This seems to raise insider trading to new levels and loyalty to the forces under your command to new lows.
The BBC's Tim Franks in Jerusalem says that, across Israel, respect for and faith in senior politicians have collapsed, as scandals and claims of bad behavior have abounded. Ari Shavit, a columnist for the liberal daily, Ha’aretz, wrote last autumn that Israel now faces an “intra-Israeli threat.” No wonder that Professor Israhi believes that current corruption levels threaten democracy in Israel.
It is also no surprise to the Economist magazine that Israel has steadily been slipping to levels approaching its Arab neighbors in the annual index maintained by Transparency International, a Berlin-based anti-corruption watchdog.
Many people believe that Eirineos was elected Patriarch in 2000 because a Greek underworld figure, Apostolos Vavylis – who was involved with the sons of Sharon in a notorious scandal involving a Greek casino project – prevailed upon PASOK contacts to throw Greece’s diplomatic weight behind Eirineos’ election in 2000. In a frighteningly similar prologue to the current scandal, Israel refused affirmation to Eirineos for two years. As soon as he was affirmed, Eirineos set about orchestrating the current sale of land to Israeli interests. The Israeli press has long ago concluded that Israel’s refusal to accept Theofilos is nothing more nor less than attempts by politicians to enrich themselves at the expense of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate.
Fortunately for Israel, it has a freewheeling press prepared to undo its politicians. Turkey’s press enjoys far less freedom, and journalists regularly go to jail for criticizing Turkish politicians. Yet logic decrees that the persecution of the Ecumenical Patriarch is only a cover for the opportunity to loot the wealthy properties of the See of Saint Andrew. Seventy-five percent of the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s commercial properties have already been confiscated by the Turkish Government. Should we ask if there is a connection between the closing of the theological school at Halki and its location on prime island real estate? Given the cleptocratic nature of Turkey’s governing army and Kemalist elite, one can easily draw these conclusions.
Willy Sutton, when asked why he robbed banks, replied: “Because that’s where the money is.” Perhaps the politicians who persecute the Patriarchates are working from the same script.
The Hon. Ambassador Theros served in the U.S. Foreign Service for 36 years, mostly in the Middle East, and was American Ambassador to Qatar from 1995 to 1998. He also directed the State Department’s Counter-Terrorism Office, and holds numerous U.S. Government decorations.