Christianity’s holiest site shut in tax protest

Church of Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem closed after Israeli authorities accused of ‘systematic campaign’

CHRISTIAN leaders are taking the rare step of closing the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, built at what is said to be the site of Jesus’s crucifixion, in protest at Israeli tax policies which they say unfairly target the Christian community.

Leaders of the Catholic, Greek, and Armenian denominations announced yesterday they were indefinitely closing the church, home to Christianity’s holiest site, because of a “systematic campaign” by Israeli authorities.

The move is the first time the church has been closed since 1990, when it was shut in protest at Israeli settlers taking over a nearby Christian building, and it was not clear yesterday when its 1,000-year-old doors will open again. “This reminds us all of laws of a similar nature which were enacted against the Jews during dark periods in Europe,” the churches said.

The Christian denominations said they were protesting against the decision by Jerusalem city government to start levying taxes on church properties and a proposed bill in the Israeli parliament that would make it harder for them to sell property.

The Christian churches are some of the largest landowners in the city and the mayor of Jerusalem has said it is unfair that they do not pay full taxes on their vast property holdings. Church bank accounts have been shut down as officials pursue what they say are unpaid debts. Israeli ministers are also considering a bill which would stop them selling land in Jerusalem to property developers, raising the prospect that people who live on the land would be forced out of their homes.

The Greek Orthodox church in particular has been making vast land sales in recent years. Several of the sales have been at low prices, prompting allegations that corrupt deals were taking part behind the scenes. The church has denied these accusations.

Control of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is shared between the Catholic, Greek and Armenian churches, as well as two smaller denominations.

In a joint statement yesterday, the leaders of the three largest denominations said the moves by Jerusalem city government and Israeli minsters were part of a “systematic and offensive campaign”. There was no immediate comment from Israeli authorities.