Holy Sepulchre closed in protest

Greek patriarch flanked by Franciscan
Custos and Armneian patriarch
addresses the media

The basilica of the Holy Sepulchre which contains Mt. Calvary and the Empty Tomb was closed to the public yesterday at noon for an indefinite period of time. This was decided the Greek and Armenian patriarchs with the Custos of the Holy Land and other christian leaders as a protest against the Israeli's onslaught on christian churches in the Holy Land. Extreme far right Minister has placed a bill to become law for the confiscation of church lands and property; another bill demands back-taxing all church properties not used for religious purposes, from 1948 onwards. The latter bill supports the former bill ... if you don't pay the back-taxes, your land will be confiscated.

The Nuseibeh family lock the doors
of the Basilica during Press conference

But the situation is much more complicated than that. In fact several factors, quite separate from each other, have converged to target the churches. The Church has always been an easy target for zionist and rightwing Israelis ... but this time this have gone too far. The Haaretz analysis of the situation is probably the best article so far. Read it carefully to understand the real reasons behind the persecution.  https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/.premium-church-of-holy-sepulchre-crisis-israel-burns-its-bridges-with-the-christian-world-1.5848160

Banner at the
Basilica door

In summary of the above article: the Jerusalem mayor and the Finance Ministry have been at odds regarding the budget such that the latter stopped paying the former's municipality workers ... a shortage of cash could be solved by taxing the churches. Then separately, the sale or rent of Church lands has been the only source of income for all the churches in the Holy Land ... and such sales were never governed by any state legislature as it's private property. When private developers stepped in to build luxurious apartments, prices shot up and things got out of hand. Also the 99 yr hold is soon ending and the lands revert back to the churches. But the Israeli residents of these apartments don't want to leave the premises and are pushing for State confiscation of the land so they can continue to live in Church land.

The question of back-taxing involves land tax, water tax, electricity tax which amounts to hundreds of millions of dollars ... which no Church is able to pay. All Churches in the Holy Land have been exempted from taxes since the Ottoman dynasty and respected by all the countries involved. Now Israel recapitulates and demands taxes. The strange thing is they're not taxing mosques. They know a world war would start if they did. But christians are always an easy target because the wider Church is not the least interested in the Mother Church, and their meek pacifist stance makes them perfect targets.

By closing the Basilica, and eventually all churches in the Holy Land, tourism will be affected ... and the economy will fall. It's the only means the Churches have in protecting themselves.

Read the following articles and be informed. AND BE INVOLVED. YOUR MOTHER CHURCH IS BEING TARGETED. YOUR SILENCE WILL CONDEMN YOU.

http://www.custodia.org/default.asp?id=779&id_n=46135
https://www.timesofisrael.com/after-holy-sepulchre-shuttered-bill-allowing-seizure-of-church-lands-shelved/
http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Church-of-the-Holy-Sepulcher-closes-in-protest-of-new-policies-543558