From the Liveblog of
Monday, June 24, 2024
Heads of churches say Israeli government demanding they pay property tax, upsetting status quo
Leaders of major churches are accusing Israeli authorities of launching a “coordinated attack” on the Christian presence in the Holy Land by initiating tax proceedings against them.
The churches say the move upsets a centuries-old status quo and reflects mounting intolerance for the tiny Christian presence in the Holy Land, although Israeli officials have dismissed the disagreement as a routine financial matter,
In a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week, the heads of the major Christian denominations allege that four municipalities across Israel have recently submitted warning letters to church officials cautioning them of legal action if they did not pay taxes.
“We believe these efforts represent a coordinated attack on the Christian presence in the Holy Land,” write the heads of the Catholic, Greek Orthodox and Armenian Orthodox churches. “In this time, when the whole world, and the Christian world in particular, are constantly following the events in Israel, we find ourselves, once again, dealing with an attempt by authorities to drive the Christian presence out of the Holy Land.”
The churches, who are major landowners in the Holy Land, say they do not pay property taxes under longstanding tradition. They say their funds go to services that benefit the state, like schools, hospitals and homes for the elderly.
The letter says the municipalities of Tel Aviv, Ramla, Nazareth and Jerusalem in recent months have all either issued warning letters or commenced legal action for alleged tax debts.
The Jerusalem municipality tells The Associated Press that the church had not submitted the necessary requests for tax exemptions over the last few years. It says that “a dialogue is taking place with the churches to collect debts for the commercial properties they own.”
The other municipalities did not immediately comment, and it is unclear if the municipalities acted in a coordinated effort or whether the tax moves are coincidental.
