Closure of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre Following Dispute Between Christian Churches and Jerusalem Municipality

Disputes between the Jerusalem municipality and Christian churches in the Holy Land have led to the closure of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre of Jesus Christ in East Jerusalem. The church custodians, who have emphasized that they will not pay the heavy taxes imposed by the Jerusalem municipality, closed the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in a protest action starting Monday, March 7. This type of protest has not been seen before. As a result, hundreds of Christian pilgrims from around the world who travel to the Holy Land have been left behind the heavy, ancient doors of the church. This church, also known as the Church of the Resurrection, is the site where the body of the crucified Christ was laid for three days after passing through 10 stations on the ancient Via Dolorosa before ascending to heaven; the church was built three centuries after Christ's crucifixion at the order of Constantine, the then Roman Emperor, at the site of Christ's ascension. According to international media reports, custodians of the Greek Orthodox, Armenian, and Catholic churches protested together on Sunday in front of the closed doors of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre; they accused Nir Barkat, the Israeli mayor of Jerusalem, of wanting to change the current status of Jerusalem. Nowadays, large banners have been hung over the stone walls of Christian holy sites, addressing Israel and stating, 'Stop pursuing the churches.' One of these banners is hung over a building facing the office of the mayor of Jerusalem. The Jerusalem municipality had previously announced that it was revoking the tax exemptions for churches and their properties and was demanding that they pay income taxes and property fees. The mayor of Jerusalem tweeted that the churches' debts have reached 650 million shekels (about 185 million dollars). The municipality argues that churches and their various properties are a significant source of income from hundreds of thousands to millions of tourists and pilgrims each year and should pay taxes in return for the services they receive from the municipality. However, church custodians say that the issue is not only about heavy taxes and fees but also that Israel wants to gain control over 30 percent of the lands in East Jerusalem that have been owned by churches for centuries. Additionally, churches have been prohibited from engaging with investors for future projects on lands they had mortgaged to Israel over the past seventy years. At the request of the property confiscation office affiliated with the Jerusalem municipality, bank accounts of several important Christian sites have been frozen to force them to pay 'overdue tax debts.' The Notre Dame complex, whose vast and beautiful buildings have hosted several Catholic popes during their visits to the Holy Land in recent decades, is among the places whose bank accounts have been frozen. The Notre Dame buildings, located exactly at the former border between East and West Jerusalem and adjacent to the Jerusalem municipality building, are a profitable complex for Christian tourists and pilgrims due to their historical significance, suitable location, and pleasant views overlooking large areas of Jerusalem, along with having stylish hotels and restaurants. Church custodians accuse Israel of wanting to diminish the Christian presence in this ancient city. Jerusalem is a holy city for Jews, Christians, and Muslims. However, while the number of Jews and Muslims living in the west and east of the city is rapidly increasing, the number of Christians in Jerusalem has significantly decreased as many have chosen to emigrate in recent years. The Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization have defended the protest action of closing the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and have called on Israel to reverse its recent decisions. Ayman Safadi, the Jordanian foreign minister, also raised the issue of financial disputes between Christian churches and the Jerusalem municipality during a meeting with Federica Mogherini, the EU foreign policy chief, in Brussels on Monday. The Jordanian foreign minister, whose country holds the custodianship of Islamic holy sites in Jerusalem, called for the European Union to exert influence to change Israel's decision. The extensive financial and legal disputes between Israel and the churches are not limited to taxes from Christian holy sites or other buildings owned by the churches. The long period of mortgaging vast lands in Jerusalem from the churches is also coming to an end, which may result in tens of thousands of Jerusalem residents losing their homes. This mortgaging has been for 99 years and started 29 years before the establishment of Israel, which is soon to end. Several members of the Israeli parliament, including members of the ruling Likud party, have drafted a law to support the homes of Israelis in these neighborhoods. This concerns several important neighborhoods in western Jerusalem. Homeowners were apparently aware when purchasing or building their homes that the land on which their house stands belongs to Christian churches. Israel had deep disputes with the Russian Orthodox Church, which also owns vast lands in Jerusalem, but since the time of Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the Soviet Union, efforts have been made to resolve these disputes; the close relations in recent years between Israel and Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, have led to the resolution of much of these disputes. However, the extensive legal and territorial disputes between the Ethiopian Christian Church, which also has significant properties in Jerusalem and owns magnificent, ancient, and valuable buildings, have remained unresolved since the establishment of the State of Israel seventy years ago. Recently, Christians and Muslims have claimed that recent U.S. statements regarding Jerusalem disrupt the sensitive religious balance of Jerusalem and encourage Israel in its actions to solidify the city's belonging to Jews. Donald Trump, the U.S. President, recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel three months ago but praised Israel as a country where Jews, Muslims, and Christians enjoy freedom of religion and belief, also emphasizing that the U.S. has not changed any realities. Last Friday, the U.S. State Department officially announced that it would move its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem in three months, coinciding with the seventieth anniversary of Israel's establishment. Israeli leaders, since the announcement of the U.S. decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, have insisted on their view that this city has been the capital of Jews from the beginning to the end, but they emphasize that the freedom of followers of religions continues and the current situation has not changed.