The Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, the holiest site in Christianity, reopened this morning at four o'clock local time (three o'clock CET), after being closed for three days in protest at Israel's decision to tax its property and restrict land sales.
The government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a few hours earlier that it will suspend the collection of taxes and the consideration of a bill that angered the leaders of the Greek Orthodox, Armenian Apostolic and Roman Catholic Churches, France Press reported.
Israeli media reported that two Muslims guarding the keys to the Church opened the large wooden doors early this morning, ending the protest that began at noon on Sunday. Soon after, a group of pilgrims arrived to visit the shrine.
The Church of the Holy Sepulcher was built on the place where, according to religious teachings, Jesus Christ was crucified, buried and resurrected.
In a statement by church leaders that the place of worship would reopen, they said they wanted to resolve the dispute with Israeli authorities to ensure that "the Holy City, where the presence of Christians continues to face challenges, remains a place where the three monotheistic faiths can live and progress together".
In addition to suspending the decision to tax church property, excluding places of prayer, the Government of Israel has also suspended all bills related to the confiscation of church land sold to private individuals after 2010, until a newly established committee agrees on it with church leaders.
"Israel is proud to be the only country in the Middle East where Christians and believers of all faiths have full freedom of religion and belief," Netanyahu's cabinet said in a statement.
Israeli media also state that Netanyahu decided to intervene in the resulting dispute, after strong pressure from the Vatican, Orthodox countries such as Russia and Greece, and groups of evangelicals who support Israel.
There was a long-standing agreement between the church and the state that prevented the Jerusalem municipality from collecting taxes from Christian institutions. However, the city recently decided, citing the opinion of legal experts, that only places "for prayer, religious study and needs" can be exempted from taxes. which derive from it".
Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat said the churches owe more than $185 million for their commercial operations. The representatives of the church stated that they were caught off guard by the decisions on taxation, which they described as scandalous, and that they learned about them from the media.
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