News by email Donate

Suggestions

Church-of-the-Holy-Sepulchre-main-2_article_image.jpg
Wikimedia Commons
World News

Jerusalem church to reopen following tax row

by Press Association

Major denominations, including the Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox churches, said in a statement that the church would reopen early on Wednesday after being closed for three days to protest the Israeli tax plan.

The Israeli move had enraged religious leaders, who closed one of Christianity's most important holy sites ahead of the busy Easter season. The church is revered as the site where Jesus was crucified and resurrected.

Jerusalem's mayor had backed down on the tax plan earlier on Tuesday. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said a professional team was being established to negotiate with church officials to "formulate a solution".

"As a result, the Jerusalem Municipality is suspending the collection actions it has taken in recent weeks," it said.

The statement from major Christian denominations said "the churches look forward to engage" with the team to ensure Jerusalem "remains a place where the three monotheistic faiths may live and thrive together".

Christian leaders closed the famed church on Sunday to protest an order by Jerusalem mayor Nir Barkat to begin taxing their properties.

Mr Barkat stressed that his decision affected only commercial properties, such as hotels, restaurants and offices, and not houses of worship. He said other cities followed similar practices worldwide.

"As the mayor of the city of Jerusalem, my goal and role is to make sure people pay their taxes," he said in an interview earlier on Tuesday. "We have no negative or bad intentions here."

Wikimedia Commons

The churches accused Mr Barkat of acting in bad faith and undermining a long-standing status quo. They say their non-church properties still serve religious purposes by providing services to pilgrims and local flocks.

In Tuesday's announcement, Mr Netanyahu said cabinet minister Tzachi Hanegbi would head the new negotiating committee, which will include representatives from the city as well as the finance, foreign and interior ministries.

"The team will negotiate with the representatives of the churches to resolve the issue," it said.

In addition to suspending tax collection, Mr Netanyahu's office said that proposed legislation governing the sale of church lands in Jerusalem was also being suspended.

Stay up to date with the latest news stories from a Christian perspective. Sign up to our daily newsletter and receive more stories like this straight to your inbox every morning.

A Monthly Gift Of $11 Makes A World Of Difference

In a world of fake news there’s never been a greater need for quality Christian journalism. Premier’s mission is to provide the Church with the most up to date and relevant news, told from a Christian perspective. But we can’t do it without you.

Unlike many websites we haven't put up a paywall — we want to keep our journalism free at the point of need and as open as we can. Premier’s news output takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. No one in the USA is sharing news like we are across radio, magazines and online so please help us to continue that today.

For a monthly gift of $11 or more we’d also be able to send you a free copy of the brand new Premier Bible, a wonderful Anglicised version of the NLT packed with exclusive bonus content, reading plan and resources to help you get the most out of scripture.

Your monthly support will make a world of difference. Thank you.

Support Us
Continue the conversation on our Facebook page

Related Articles

Sign up to our newsletter to stay informed with news from a Christian perspective.

News by email

Connect

Donate

Donate