Over the last year, land developers and settlers have launched armed attacks to violently seize the Armenian Quarter from its local residents in order to construct luxury hotels and other buildings that would result in the eviction and displacement of Armenian Christian families that have lived in the Old City for centuries.

The Armenian Quarter is an integral part of the Old City of Jerusalem – with the Armenian presence in the city dating back to the 4th century AD, when Armenia became the first nation to adopt Christianity as a national religion. Since then, the Armenian Quarter has been a place of pilgrimage – as well as a place of refuge, particularly in the aftermath of the Armenian Genocide.

The briefing will feature testimony from Hagop Djernazian and Setrag Balian, residents of the Armenian Quarter and founders of SavetheArQ – a coalition movement dedicated to the preservation of Jerusalem's at-risk Armenian community, defending religious freedom, and protecting the diverse cultural fabric of Jerusalem. Hagop and Setrag work closely in conjunction with both Israeli and U.S.-based lawyers in the ongoing land dispute.

To quote Daniel Seidemann, one of the foremost legal experts on Jerusalem and staunch advocate for the rights of the Old City's ancient Armenian population: "The Armenian community has been an integral part of Jerusalem since the 4th century CE. Jerusalem would not be Jerusalem without the Armenian Quarter."

The Armenian National Committee of America, along with many other Armenian community and faith-based organizations, have raised the alarm over the attempted takeover of the Armenian Quarter, which represents an existential threat to Jerusalem's ancient Armenian community.