Palestinians fear for their lives as real estate battle rages in Jerusalem

Facing the door of the tomb of Jesus, Adeeb Joudeh sipped his coffee silently. The weather was gloomy and so was the custodian of the keys. Prayers echoed against the stone walls.

"When I received the phone call, my heart skipped a beat," he told The National. The news came from his former neighbours: Israeli Jews had moved into his family home.

Impossible, Mr Joudeh swears. The old city property was sold in 2016 to a Palestinian businessman, not to "the enemy," he claims. Few believe him.

The news spread around Jerusalem in less time than it takes to shout "dishonour". The sale of Palestinian homes to Israelis is an absolute taboo. And the controversy is even bigger when the property belongs to a well-known family: the Joudeh are the custodians of the keys to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher from father to son since the Crusades.

"We are Palestinians living under Israeli occupation. To sell my house to Jews would be damaging not only to my family but to all Palestinians,” said Mr Joudeh, who has a reputation to defend. “I didn't do anything wrong. People must believe me!”

How the house was acquired by Israelis remains, for now, a mystery. “Who is the traitor?" people whisper in the streets of the old city.

A narrow lane winds from Herod's Gate to a dark iron door. Three knocks made a suspicious pair of eyes appear behind the first floor's window. It opened. A young man with a shaggy beard introduced himself as an Israeli guard in charge of the security of the Joudeh house's new tenants. He agreed to answer a few questions, but only through the steel bars of the window.