Churches leaders in Jerusalem worried about imposing property tax on churches

JERUSALEM — Patriarchs and heads of churches in the Holy Land met with Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Leon to deliver a letter addressed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

They expressed their concern about the recent legal measures taken against churches in order to collect property tax.

They confirmed their firm position that such unilateral actions by municipalities do not correspond to the current situation and the rights of churches recognized and granted centuries ago for their enormous contribution to the Holy Land and Jerusalem.

The heads of the churches stressed that any resolution of outstanding issues between the churches and municipalities should be carried out through dialogue with the government, which has a comprehensive vision of the issue and complex relations.

The heads of the churches of the Holy Land reaffirmed their readiness for dialogue with the special committee established by the government for this purpose in 2018, with considering the municipalities as part of this comprehensive solution.