From the DW:
"Israel backtracks on plans that enraged Christian Churches in Jerusalem"
Israel has suspended a plan to tax Church property in Jerusalem following a backlash. A separate land bill has also been suspended pending negotiations with Church leaders. Israel on Tuesday said it would suspend a controversial tax and expropriation bill that Christian leaders in Jerusalem had earlier described as a "systematic and unprecedented attack against Christians in the Holy Land." The Greek Orthodox, Armenian and Roman Catholic churches closed the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on Sunday in protest against the Jerusalem municipality's tax and land right plans.
Suspension of tax collections
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said it would:
Jerusalem's original plans: Jerusalem's Municipality wants to tax church "commercial" properties, saying that churches have uncollected tax debts of roughly €151 million ($185 million). The tax plan would not affect places of worship. A separate piece of legislation in parliament seeks to allow the Israeli government to expropriate land the Church sold to private land developers. The land bill, according to its drafters, is designed to protect homeowners from not having their leases extended.
Church shutdown: In protest Church leaders of all denominations on Sunday closed the Church of the Holy Sepulchre indefinitely. Church leaders said Israel was trying to upset the status quo running back to the Ottoman Empire, and later the British Mandate in Palestine. The Churches are major landowners in Jerusalem. They said both the tax and land rights changes would make it more difficult to fund operations. What is the Church of the Holy Sepulchre? The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is one of the holiest places in Christianity. It is where Christians believe Jesus was crucified and resurrected. The Church is located in the Israeli-annexed East Jerusalem. Christians from around the world make pilgrimages to the Church, which is run by several denominations.
^ Hopefully the Church will remain open and the Israeli Government and the Christian Churches can come to an agreement that both sides will like. ^
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