Safdie Architects suspended our work on the project after becoming aware of the controversy surrounding the land lease agreement this summer. We initially moved forward with the project after meeting in 2022 with the Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem, Nourhan Manougian, who endorsed our involvement, approved the design, and authorized its submission to the city’s planning department. So we were startled when we learned of the objections by members of the Armenian community, which arose after many months of working on it. We were brought into the project by the hospitality company One&Only, which introduced us to Danny Rothman.