Israeli authorities freeze accounts of Jerusalem Patriarchate

The Jerusalem city government has frozen bank accounts belonging to the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem. The situation arose due to a long-standing dispute between the municipality and several Christian churches in Jerusalem over land tax, which the authorities want to collect from religious institutions. This was reported by timesofisrael.com.

The dispute between the municipality and several churches that own real estate in Jerusalem has been going on for many years. For decades, an agreement between the churches and the State of Israel did not allow the city to levy property tax on Christian institutions.

However, in 2018, the municipality ruled that tax exemptions only apply to real estate used “for prayer, religious education, or related purposes.” This excluded income-generating activities related to serving pilgrims, such as hotels and cafes, and opened up the possibility for the city to demand payment of tens of millions of shekels.

That same year, then-Mayor Nir Barkat froze the bank accounts of several churches, sparking a rare protest in which Christian leaders closed the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for three days. The accounts were unfrozen only after the intervention of then-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

However, tensions have arisen several times since then, focusing on specific properties and activities.

“As religious organizations, churches play a vital role in supporting educational, social, and charitable institutions that serve the local population, whether Christian or not,” – said a statement from the organization Defense of Christians in the Holy Land. “Because of this, churches have historically never paid municipal or state taxes on church property, whether under Ottoman, British, Jordanian, or Israeli rule,” – the organization added.

According to the group, as a result of the freeze, the Jerusalem Patriarchate is unable to pay salaries to its priests, teachers, and employees. Other churches in Jerusalem are also facing legal problems related to property taxes. The case brought by the municipality against the Armenian Patriarchate is scheduled to be heard in September.

On August 3, 2025, Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and a group of Knesset members stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem and staged a provocation on the premises. Palestinian representatives claim that Israeli officials performed Talmudic rituals in the mosque.