TOP SECRET: EIRINAIOS RED LINE, IT IS FORBIDDEN TO ALLOW HIS ELECTION

 

Office of the Prime Minister of Israel
Office of the Director of Private Office

Top Secret
Summary of the conversation concerning the procedure for the election of the New Patriarch of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem.
19th April, 2001
Participants

1. Rafi Peled General Director of Prime Minister’s Office
2. Moshe Sinou General Director of Ministry of Religion
3. General David Tzur Chief of the Operations Staff of the Ministry of Internal Security
4. Collonel Nisso Saham Commander of the Police in the Old city of Jerusalem
5. Ariel Keneth Director of the department of religions and communities in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
6. Ehud Keinan Subdirector of the law department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
7. Kobi Shapira Assistant of the General Public Prosecutor Mr. Elyakim Rubinstein
8. Shmuel Eviatar Counselor of Christian issues of the Mayor of Jerusalem
9. Reuven Levy Counselor of religion issues of the Chief of the Police
10. Ami Glushka Counselor in the Ministry of Internal Security
11. Itamar (no surname) Department 490 of the General Service of Security, Sabak
12. Uri Mohr Counselor in the Ministry of Religion
13. Uval Tzelmer Assistant of the General Director of the Prime Minister’s Office, who will keep notes. 
    

I. Procedure of the election of the Patriarch of Jerusalem (by Uri Mohr)

1. There are 3 laws in effect: The Ottoman, the English and the Jordan one, concerning the issue of the method of the Patriarch’s election. Current election is due to the law of 1958 of Jordan and has got 3 stages. Stage A: selection of 15 candidates from a corps of 29 electors (17 synodic Bishops and 12 priests representatives of the communities). Stage B: selection of 3 candidates from 50 electors (21 Greek outside Jerusalem and the 29 electors of the previous stage). Stage C: Election of the Patriarch from the 17 electors – members of the synod.
2. The Jordan Law specifies that the candidates should have the Jordan citizenship and gives the right to the government to expel any of the candidates without any explanation. The church decided some years ago to present the list to be approved in Israel as well as the Palestinian Authority even if it is not obliged to do so. In the current election procedure the Palestinian Authority gave its approval for all the candidates, while Jordan and Israel have not decided yet.
3. After the election of the Patriarch a government decision is needed, which is going to be given to the church from the Minister of Religion and concerns the issue of official recognition.

Ehud Keinan is going to speak: 

1. Ministry of Justice claims that the current law is the Ottoman one, which is almost the same with the law of 1958, but does not restrict the holding of Jordan citizenship for the candidates.
2. The elections of 1981 were held due to the Jordan Law and Israel approved the procedure, so it may be considered that it agrees with the enforcement of the Jordan Law.

Ehud Keinan is going to speak:

1. Until now the state has chosen not to decide for the law that has to be enforced.
2. Besides that, Supreme Court of law considers that this is an internal issue of the church. But when Supreme Court of law (Justice Or) said that the election of Patriarch should have law substance, meant due to Israeli law. Ministry of Justice considers the Ottoman as binding law.
3. There is a tendency for an attempt of achievement of an agreement concerning the candidates with Jordan via the diplomacy.

II. Most important candidates

Collonel Nisso Saham is going to speak:

1. Kornilios is the vicar, a compromise character who will not hurt or help Israel.
2. Timotheos is the predominant with good contacts with Israel and probably not friendly with Palestinians.
3. Eirinaios, according to rumors he acts as a man of the Palestinian Authority, with which he has financial interests and transactions. He is accepted by Wouakf.

Reuven Levy is going to speak:

1. Kornilios, not friendly towards the Palestinians, but weak character without experience, honest and inexpensive.
2. Timotheos, good contacts with Israel and the Palestinian Authority with great experience and may be in charge of the Patriarchate successfully.
3. EIRINAIOS. RED LINE. IT IS FORBIDDEN TO ALLOW HIS ELECTION.

Shmuel Eviatar is going to speak:

1. Election must be restricted between Timotheos and Kornilios.
2. Kornilios: honest, careful and smart, he represents a team of supporters, but without him being sure that he is going to represent it also in the final election (i.e. that he is going to be its final candidate). Members of Kornilios’s team: a. THEOFILOS – Diplomat related to the C.I.A. and supported by the Americans. B. Aristarchos – well educated, intellectual, speaks Jewish. c. Theofanis – honest and beloved by the Arabs as well.
3. Timotheos: weak character and subjected to pressures. He created an occasional team of supporters and he will not withdraw his candidature. He grew up in Russia and he collected money there, but the Russian Church will not support him open.
4. We ought to take into account that the community of the Greek Orthodox in Israel counts about 300,000 members, many of whom are Russians.

The representative of branch 490 of the Secret Security, Shabak, is going to speak:

Our proposition is not to support anyone but to act distinctively for the failure of the candidature or Eirinaios.

General Director of Ministry of Religions is going to speak:

1. Greek Government for two years is in contact with the State of Israel concerning the issue of the position of Patriarch.
2. Greeks will not mingle in the open with the election, but they support Kornilios and are opposed to Eirinaios due to his relationships with the Palestinian Authority and towards Timotheos due to his moral profile concerning his sexual preferences – misbehaviors.
3. Most Orthodox forces in the world, Bulgaria, Russia, Serbia, are opposed to Eirinaios because they would prefer to avoid the fall of church of Jerusalem in the hands of the Palestinians.
4. Israel must use its forces around the world to support the candidature of Kornilios and, at the same time, to be presented as a defender of the Orthodox World.

Advisor of Minister of Religions, Mr. Uri Mohr, is going to speak:

1. Greeks are conducting secret negotiations with Timotheos to withdraw his candidature, to support Kornilios and, in exchange, to remain Chief Secretary.
2. An excellent candidate, who could be supported by the one side of Kornilios’s team could be Archimandrite Innokentios, who is now in Jordan and is responsible for the education. I know him personally and I presume that he would be a good choice for the position of Patriarch given that he is friendly disposed to Israel.
3. Prime Minister of Jordan met all of 3 candidates.

IV. NECESSARY STEPS – ACTIONS

General Director of Private Office of Prime Minister, Mr. Rafi Peled, is going to speak:

1. The choice of Patriarch is of huge significance for the state of Israel, so we have a large interest to influence the process of election.
2. The one who will be elected must not be related to the Palestinian Authority, so we have to hinder the election of Eirinaios.
3. The support of Israel to a candidate should be tactical. It should not be visible that whoever will be elected, is not approved by us. Moreover, whoever is elected, he should know that he was elected with our support.
4. Ministry of Foreign Affairs will act towards the foreign countries, Russia, Greece, the USA, in order to press for hindering of the election of Eirinaios.
5. Mr. Leuven Levy and others will consider whom among the candidates, and especially among the Israeli Arabs, we can influence.
6. General Director of the Office of Prime Minister will speak to the Chief of MOASSAD for the coordination with the C.I.A. and Jordan and may be helped by the General Public Prosecutor Mr. Elyakim Rubinstein, who has got excellent relationships with palace.
7. A secret task force will be created by members of the current team and more particularly: Shmuel Eviatar, Reuven Levy, Ariel Keneth, Uval Tzelmer, 490 of Shabak, Uri Mohr, Kobi Shapira. The force will come together once a week and its leader, Shmuel Eviatar, will report continually to the General Director of the Office of Prime Minister.
8. Only this force will manage the actions for the issue. The Ministries which are involved will not do anything except from the decisions of the force in order to ensure unanimity of the conveyors towards outside and third parties and the coordination of action for the success of the aim.
9. Another meeting of the current force will be held only if needed.

In succession of the conversation between the General Director of the Office of Prime Minister and the Chief of MOSSAD, he will meet 1–4 members of task force, who are going to analyze him the issue in order him to act toward the King of Jordan and the C.I.A.

(End of secret report)

 

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