Israel holy site stays shut in tax protest

JERUSALEM — Leaders of the two largest Christian denominations in Jerusalem said Monday that the Church of the Holy Sepulchre will remain closed indefinitely to protest an Israeli attempt to tax their properties in the holy city.

Both Greek Orthodox and Roman Catholic representatives said they were blindsided by the Jerusalem municipality’s recent decision to begin taxing them, and they accused Mayor Nir Barkat of disrupting a long-standing and fragile status quo.

Anna Koulouris, an official in the chief secretariat’s office of the Greek Patriarchate, said that all major Christian denominations were united in their opposition to the Israeli move.

The church, situated in Jerusalem’s Old City, is one of Christianity’s holiest sites, revered as the spot where Jesus was crucified and where he resurrected.

Barkat has said the order does not affect houses of worship, including the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and only applies to what he calls “commercial properties” owned by the churches, including hotels and office space. He said the churches have debts of roughly $185 million.

Both Koulouris and Farid Jubran, a legal adviser to the Roman Catholic Church’s custodian of holy sites, said the churches were never formally notified of Barkat’s decision and learned of it through the media.

Both officials said they do not know how the city even calculated their debts or decided which buildings to tax.