the status quo is violated

In a letter addressed to Prime Minister Netanyahu, patriarchs and church leaders protest the decision of several municipalities to impose Arnona. The dispute affects Tel Aviv, Ramle, Nazareth and Jerusalem. Leaders express their “deep concern”: as the world apprehensively follows the ongoing conflict, intolerance towards the Christian presence in the Holy Land is growing.

Jerusalem () – In the shadow of the conflict in Gaza, there are numerous fronts of tension and confrontation within Israel, from the escalation of attacks by Jewish settlers in the Palestinian Territories to the “war” over taxes on property (and not) with the Christian confessions of the Holy Land. An old problem that, these days, registers a new chapter: those responsible for the different Churches of Jerusalem have signed a document in which they express their firm opposition to the city council’s decision to impose municipal taxes (Arnona) on the property of the Churches. In the joint statement, made public yesterday on behalf of the Patriarchs and Christian leaders, the leaders express their “deep concern” about the decision, which ends up contradicting “centuries” of historical agreements between the Churches and civil authorities and represents an “attack coordinated” to the Christian presence in the Holy Land by initiating “fiscal procedures.

“We declare that such a measure,” the Christian leaders state in the document, “undermines the sacredness of Jerusalem and endangers the ability of the Church to carry out its ministry in this land on behalf of its communities and the Churches of everyone”. Furthermore, in the note the patriarchs and leaders highlight the “important contributions” of the various Christian organizations active in Jerusalem, including investments in “schools, hospitals, nursing homes and facilities for the disadvantaged.” A work that civil authorities “have historically recognized and respected” for its valuable contribution to the entire community, including Jews and Muslims.

Church leaders call on Jerusalem City Council to withdraw the decision and maintain the historically sanctioned status quo. The letter is signed by Card. Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Patriarch of Jerusalem of the Latins; Theophilos III, of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate; Nourhan Manougian, of the Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Patriarchate; Brother Francis Patton, ofm, Custos of the Holy Land; Bishop Ibrahim Sani Azar, of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land; Georges Dankaye’, of the Armenian Catholic Patriarchal Exarchate. Christian leaders stressed the importance of maintaining the “sacred character” of Jerusalem and “protecting” the ability of churches to carry out the ministries entrusted to them.

The old question of taxes on Christian property in the Holy Land, long the subject of difficult conversations between representatives of Israel and the Vatican, remains unresolved. In Israel, places of worship and monasteries are exempt from paying property taxes and fees; However, in recent years, the government and local administrations have equated some ecclesiastical realities that offer accommodation and food, especially to pilgrims, to true commercial activities such as hotels, bars and restaurants.

A confrontation that has known phases of deep tension and that culminated on February 25, 2018 with the decision of the Armenian Patriarch Manougian, the Greek Orthodox Theophilus III and the Custos of the Holy Land, Brother Francisco Patton, of temporarily close the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher in protest (in the photo: a moment of that protest). In the spotlight was a bill about the expropriation of land belonging to churches and the request of the then mayor to pay years of taxes, contravening the status quo agreements. In February of last year, the municipality had also locked the accounts of the Notre Dame of Jerusalem (pontifical) Institute, triggering a new front of confrontation between the parties.

Christians are a tiny minority, less than 2% of the population of Israel and the territories, made up mainly of Israeli Arabs and Palestinians. The letter sent this week to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu states that in recent months city councils in Tel Aviv, Ramle, Nazareth and Jerusalem have issued warning letters or initiated legal action over alleged tax debts. Although Israeli officials have attempted to dismiss the disagreement as a routine financial matter, churches say the move disrupts the secular status quo and is a reflection of growing intolerance toward the Christian presence in Israel and the West Bank. “At this time,” they write, “when the entire world, and the Christian world in particular, is constantly following the events in Israel, we find ourselves once again faced with an attempt by the authorities to expel the Christian presence from the Holy Land.” Interviewed by the Associated Press, the Jerusalem city council claims that the Church has not submitted the necessary tax exemption requests in recent years and that “a dialogue is underway to collect debts” related to “commercial properties” in its possession. There are no comments from the other municipalities.