(RNS) — The city of Jerusalem earlier this month froze the bank accounts of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, the church body that represents around half of all Palestinian Christians and is a major landholder in Israel.
According to an email from the Jerusalem municipality, “administrative enforcement proceedings were initiated against the Greek Patriarchate for failing to settle their property tax obligations on assets that are not used as houses of worship.
“This action was taken despite efforts to engage in dialogue with them and their disregard of the municipality’s formal notices demanding payment,” the city of Jerusalem stated.
During the freeze, the church cannot access funds, leaving it unable to pay employees and operate the schools, monasteries and charitable institutions it maintains.
The move represents the latest development in a long battle between the church and municipality over the church’s extensive landholdings. The Greek Orthodox Church is one of the largest landholders in Israel, controlling large swaths of land far beyond historic churches and religious institutions. The Knesset, Israel’s parliament, is built on land leased from the Orthodox Church.
According to the patriarchate, the church has always paid taxes on its commercial properties, but in 2018, the municipality demanded back taxes on charitable and rel …