Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat today suspended a plan to tax church property, which led to the three-day closure of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, one of the holiest Christian sites.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office announced that the prime minister and the mayor of Jerusalem formed a team to "formulate solutions" to negotiate with church officials, AP reported.
Barkat previously said his tax plan only applies to "commercial property" owned by churches, not places of worship. The churches have assessed that this plan violates existing agreements.
Leaders of the Greek Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic Church and other church dignitaries closed the Church of the Holy Sepulcher on Sunday to protest the Jerusalem municipality's decision to impose a property tax on them.
The Church of the Holy Sepulcher was built on the place where, according to religious teachings, Jesus Christ was crucified, buried and resurrected. Announcing that they are closing the church doors on Sunday at noon, the church leaders said that they are also protesting the bill to confiscate church land sold to private individuals.
Based on an agreement that was in place for decades, the Jerusalem municipality could not collect property taxes from Christian institutions, but now a decision has been made to tax, except for property that is "used for prayer, religious study or the needs arising therefrom" based on the opinion a legal expert.
Bonus video:
