The Israeli government has banned holiday services on Mount Tabor

Israeli government agencies have upheld a ban on religious services on Mount Tabor during the celebration of the Transfiguration of Jesus Christ. According to law enforcement agencies, which initiated the restriction, the organizers did not provide security guarantees for the celebrations. This was reported by RIA Novosti.

“The commander of the northern police district, Shimon Ben Shabo, issued an order banning the mass religious event ‘Feast of the Transfiguration’ scheduled for Saturday, August 20, at the top of Mount Tabor,”—  the Israeli police said in a statement.

The police said that the reason for the ban was “the failure of various authorities to fulfill the conditions necessary for its conduct and safety.” In addition, another reason was the resignation of the Interior Ministry representative who was previously responsible for holding the celebrations. The decision to cancel the holiday was also supported by the Jewish National Land Fund, the fire department, the ambulance service, and the country’s parks and reserves administration.

Earlier, we reported that the Jerusalem city authorities had 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 levy on religious institutions.