Israeli settlers expand land encroachment of St. Gerasimos Monastery

Greek authorities have expressed deep concern over reports of expanded land encroachments by Israeli settlers on property belonging to the Greek Orthodox Church in the West Bank, particularly around the historic Monastery of Saint Gerasimos of the Jordan near Jericho.

According to an exclusive report by daily kathimerini, the settlers’ actions involve the extension of illegal settlement activity on land under the jurisdiction of the Jerusalem Patriarchate.

The monastery, founded in the 5th century by Saint Gerasimos and located north of the Dead Sea, includes sections dating back to the 9th and 12th centuries.

The modern Monastery of Saint Gerasimus is an oasis in the Judean desert and it stands 3.5 km west of the River Jordan and close to six km north of the Dead Sea, in a semiarid plain once known as the “Desert of the Jordan”.

Apart from the Jordan River, its only perennial water source are four springs, the largest and closest one being ‘Ein Hajla (‘Spring of the Partridge’). As of 1979, the date orchards belonging to the monastery were irrigated by the waters issuing from the ‘Ein Hajla’.

The monastery, founded in the 5th century by Saint Gerasimos and located north of the Dead Sea, includes sections dating back to the 9th and 12th centuries.

Daily kathimerini reported further of a high-level meeting that was held in Athens to assess the situation. While Athens cannot intervene broadly in Israeli settlement policy, diplomatic channels between Greece and Israel are activated when church property is affected. These issues are managed directly by the Greek Foreign Ministry due to their sensitive religious and historical significance.

Greek-Israeli tensions over Orthodox Church properties have reportedly surfaced multiple times in recent years. The pressure on the Jericho region has intensified in the past two years, particularly following the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack and the subsequent war in Gaza. At least five new settler outposts have reportedly been established near Jericho, often preceding further land seizures.