IV
106TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. CON. RES. 286
Expressing the sense of Congress concerning the situation in Jericho.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MARCH 16, 2000
Mrs. MALONEY of New York (for herself, Mr. BOEHLERT, Mr. LANTOS, Mrs.
MINK of Hawaii, Mr. RAHALL) submitted the following concurrent resolu-
tion; which was referred to the Committee on International Relations
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of Congress concerning the situation
in Jericho.
Whereas on January 15, 2000, the Palestinian Authority
seized the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia’s
Jericho Gardens Monastery in Jericho and forcibly evict-
ed the Monastery’s resident monks;
Whereas the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia
was established by exiled Russians in Europe and the
United States after the Communist government con-
fiscated all church property in 1918;
Whereas the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia was
incorporated in the State of New York on April 30, 1952;
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Whereas since 1920 the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of
Russia has administered all the Russian Orthodox prop-
erties in areas controlled by the Palestinian Authority;
Whereas since 1882 the property in Jericho has been in con-
tinuous and uninterrupted possession of the Russian Ec-
clesiastical Mission (REM) in Jerusalem;
Whereas the REM has been under the jurisdiction of the
Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia since 1920;
Whereas two United States citizen Russian Orthodox Church
Outside of Russia nuns, Sister Maria and Sister Xenia,
have been forced to live under harsh and onerous condi-
tions on the Monestary property, and have been taunted
and assaulted by Palestinian and Russian representatives
occupying the Monastery;
Whereas Sister Maria and Sister Xenia have also been denied
visitors, a change of clothes, the ability to meet with their
confessors or to receive communion except through iron
bars, to bathe, to cook a hot meal, and unrestricted ac-
cess to the press;
Whereas this is the third illegal seizure of religious property
of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, and its
affiliate the Orthodox Palestine Society, in Jericho and
Hebron by the Palestinian Authority;
Whereas the Palestinian Authority signed the Oslo Accord
stating that it will respect and protect holy sites, provide
free access to the holy sites, and respect and protect free-
dom of worship and practice on holy sites, but it has fla-
grantly failed to allow free access to the Jericho property
to the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia and
visitors to the Jericho holy site and has locked out Sis-
ters Maria and Xenia and any other member of the Rus-
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sian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia from worship-
ping in the Jericho property;
Whereas the Palestinian Authority committed to a Congres-
sional staff delegation, the United States Consul General,
and a representative from the Russian Orthodox Church
Outside of Russia during a fact-finding trip to the Jeri-
cho Gardens Monastery on February 26, 2000, to treat
the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia equally
and fairly by allowing free access to the Jericho Gardens
Monastery and by providing equal access to the Chapel
on the property until a permanent resolution of this dis-
pute could be resolved in accordance with the rule of law,
but has blatantly violated this agreement; and
Whereas the Palestinian Authority has further violated their
commitment to fair and equal treatment by forcefully re-
fusing Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia mem-
bers access to the Chapel on the property, by locking the
gate to the compound, imprisoning Sister Maria on the
property and not allowing her access to other members
of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia or
free access to the property, and by further restricting the
area in which Sister Maria can venture on the property:
Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That it is the sense of Congress that—
(1) the United States should ensure the safety
and well-being of the United States citizen Russian
Orthodox Church Outside of Russia nun, Sister
Maria, who has been living under harsh and onerous
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conditions on the property of the Jericho Gardens
Monastery in Jericho;
(2) the United States should express to the Pal-
estinian Authority its grave concerns that property
disputes in Jericho and Hebron are being settled ar-
bitrarily by military fiat rather than in courts of
law;
(3) the resolution of this dispute must be re-
solved in accordance with the rule of law;
(4) the Palestinian Authority must act in a re-
sponsible manner in ensuring the rights of the
United States citizen nun, Sister Maria, and the
rights of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of
Russia, so that the dispute can be resolved in a fair
manner and in accordance with due process;
(5) the Jericho Gardens Monastery in Jericho,
as well as the other Russian Orthodox Church Out-
side of Russia property in Jericho and Hebron,
should be returned to the conditions before the ille-
gal seizures by the Palestinian Authority forthwith,
pending a resolution of this dispute in a court of law
following international standards of due process; and
(6) the United States consulate in Jerusalem is
to be commended for its immediate response and on-