Russia seeks to restore its prestige in the Holy Land

0 Comments | AFP, August, 2008

JERUSALEM (AFP) — Eager to revive its prestige in the Holy Land, Russia is pressing a claim to ownership of an historic Jerusalem building formerly owned by a tsarist prince and which once housed aristocratic pilgrims.

The 19th century Sergei Building is in the centre of Jerusalem and at the heart of complex negotiations in which even British royal consort Prince Philip has been mentioned as a potential, though unlikely, heir.

The Russian state had initially hoped to take possession in June of the impressive property that once belonged to Prince Sergei, a brother of Tsar Alexander III.

Since 1948, the building, topped by a crenellated tower, has housed the Israeli agriculture ministry and other agencies and been administered by the government's custodian...