The viscous deal between the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate and ‘Jewish investors’ in which major property in Omar Ben Al-Khatab square in Jerusalem was presumably sold, was reportedly made by settler organizations operating through off-shore entities, according to Danny Rubinstein (Haaretz).
According to Rubinstein, the central figure in the deal is reportedly Mattityahu Dan, an activist in the Ateret Cohanim organization.
The identity of the property’s purchasers has apparently been kept secret, reportedly to conceal the money trail.
Most of the budget of Ateret Cohanim and other settlers’ organizations come from public and government money.
For example, it became later known that the purchase of the St. John’s Hostel was done with money provided by then-housing minister David Levy.
