(CP) The Armenian Patriarchate in Jerusalem issued an urgent call for Israeli authorities to stop a government plan to seize and auction off properties which have been within the possession of the Armenian Christian Patriarchate for over 1,700 years.
The patriarchate is embroiled in a legal battle over an alleged municipal tax debt dating back to 1994. While the Municipality of Jerusalem has issued a foreclosure order for the property situated within the Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City, the church claims that the debt was imposed arbitrarily by a municipal official without due legal proceedings.
In a joint statement from the Patriarchs and Heads of the Churches in Jerusalem, church officials condemned what they said is an effort by the Israeli government to “implement a debt determination without judicial scrutiny, and in defiance of the governmental committee established to barter such matters in good faith.”
The property tax, known in Israel because the Arnona Tax, is an annual municipal property tax imposed on the residents of the locality. The tax, levied every year, covers the period from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31 of the identical yr.
But the patriarchate, which claims direct apostolic succession all the way in which back to James the brother of Jesus, says collecting on an unverified debt “undermines the liberty of faith” and will pose a threat to other Christian institutions in Israel.
“This motion undermines the liberty of faith, which is the inspiration of all other rights, since through a confiscation of assets, attempts to the correct of existence of the Orthodox Armenian Church, depriving it of the mandatory economic resources to live and operate and depriving the local Armenian people of the pastoral care of their Church,” the statement reads. “This reckless move jeopardizes the Orthodox Armenian Patriarchate and sets a dangerous precedent that would imperil Christian institutions throughout the Holy Land.”
Quoting from 1 Corinthians 12:26 — “If one member suffers, all suffer together” — the patriarchate called on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other officials to freeze all foreclosure proceedings and help restart talks with a purpose to reach “an amicable solution regarding this issue within the spirit of justice.”
In addition to the federal government’s foreclosure threat, the Armenian Patriarchate also saw a surge in attacks on Christians and church properties in Israel in 2023, in keeping with a report last June from the Jerusalem-based inter-religious organization Rossing Center for Education and Dialogue.
On Jan. 28, 2023, two young Jewish men attacked a automotive carrying two Armenians near an Armenian compound. And when the victims asked why, they were pepper-sprayed within the eyes, in keeping with the Armenian Patriarchate.
The victims received hospital treatment and reported the attack to police. An hour after police apprehended one among the assailants, a big group of young Jewish men tried to climb the patriarchate’s constructing with the intention of removing its flag and the Armenian flag.
Armenian men prevented them from doing so, causing the Jewish group to flee, but some members returned and commenced frightening the Armenian youth, in keeping with the report.
Christians make up about 1.9% of Israel’s population, of which 75.3% are Arab Christians — 6.9% of the overall Arab population in Israel, in keeping with data from the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics. Jews constitute 73% of Israel’s 9.8 million people, with Ultra-Orthodox members accounting for 13% of the overall population. Arabs represented 21.1% of the overall population.
