Editing Church of the Holy Sepulchre (section)

== Issues with Israeli authorities ==

=== Tax and land disputes ===
In February 2018, the church was closed following a tax dispute over 152 million euros of uncollected taxes on church properties. The city hall stressed that the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and all other churches are exempt from the taxes, with the changes only affecting establishments like "hotels, halls and businesses" owned by the churches.<ref name="i24">{{cite news| title=Church at Jesus's burial site closed for second day after tax dispute| url=https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel/168589-180226-church-at-jesus-s-burial-site-closed-for-second-day-after-tax-dispute| date=26 February 2018| work=i24NEWS| access-date=27 February 2018| archive-date=3 July 2018| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180703075324/https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel/168589-180226-church-at-jesus-s-burial-site-closed-for-second-day-after-tax-dispute| url-status=live}}</ref> 

There was a lock-in protest against an Israeli legislative proposal which would expropriate church lands that had been sold to private companies since 2010, a measure which church leaders assert constitutes a serious violation of their property rights and the Status Quo. In a joint official statement the church authorities protested what they considered to be the peak of a systematic campaign in:
{{Blockquote|a discriminatory and racist bill that targets solely the properties of the Christian community in the Holy Land ... This reminds us all of laws of a similar nature which were enacted against the Jews during dark periods in Europe.<ref>Jonathan Lis and Nir Hasson, [https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/jerusalem-s-church-of-holy-sepulchre-closed-indefinitely-in-protest-of-israeli-bill-city-tax-policy-1.5847184 Jerusalem churches warn of Israel's 'systematic' erosion of Christian presence in Holy Land] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180225133105/https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/jerusalem-s-church-of-holy-sepulchre-closed-indefinitely-in-protest-of-israeli-bill-city-tax-policy-1.5847184 |date=25 February 2018 }}, [[Haaretz]], 25 February 2018</ref>}}

The 2018 taxation affair does not cover any church buildings or religious related facilities (because they are exempt by law),<ref name="Notredame">{{cite news| script-title=he:בעיריית ירושלים לא מתרגשים מהכנסייה| url=https://www.inn.co.il/News/News.aspx/367223| trans-title=The Jerusalem Municipality is not moved by the church| last=Token| first=Benny| date=27 February 2018| work=Arutz Sheva| language=he| access-date=2 July 2018| archive-date=3 July 2018| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180703050828/https://www.inn.co.il/News/News.aspx/367223| url-status=live}}</ref> but commercial facilities such as the Notre Dame Hotel which was not paying the [[Rates (tax)#Israel|municipal property tax]], and any land which is owned and used as a commercial land.<ref name="Notredame"/> The church holds the rights to land where private homes have been constructed, and some of the disagreement had been raised after the [[Knesset]] had proposed a bill that will make it harder for a private company not to extend a lease for land used by homeowners.<ref name="jpost2">{{cite news| title=WATCH: Pilgrims Face Closed Doors at Church of the Holy Sepulchre| url=http://www.jpost.com/Christian-News/Pilgrims-upset-after-not-being-able-to-enter-Church-of-the-Holy-Sepulchre-543659| date=26 February 2018| agency=Reuters| access-date=2 July 2018| newspaper=The Jerusalem Post| archive-date=20 April 2018| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180420212359/http://www.jpost.com/Christian-News/Pilgrims-upset-after-not-being-able-to-enter-Church-of-the-Holy-Sepulchre-543659| url-status=live}}</ref> The church leaders have said that such a bill will make it harder for them to sell church-owned lands. According to ''[[The Jerusalem Post]]'':
{{Blockquote|The stated aim of the bill is to protect homeowners against the possibility that private companies will not extend their leases of land on which their houses or apartments stand.<ref name="jpost2"/>}}

=== Land sale to Israeli settlers ===
In 2017, [[NPR]] reported that the Greek Orthodox Church owns many properties across Jerusalem, Israel and the West Bank. It owns some 30% of the land in the [[Old City of Jerusalem|Old City]]. But, due to property sales, these properties are diminishing every year. The decision to sell is made by Greek leaders, even though most local followers of the church are Arab Palestinians. The Palestinian Christians have raised concerns about selling these properties to Israeli settler-affiliated organizations.<ref>{{cite news |last=Estrin |first=Daniel |date=2 December 2017 |title=Greek Orthodox Church Sells Land in Israel, Worrying Both Israelis And Palestinians |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2017/12/02/565464499/greek-orthodox-church-sells-land-in-israel-worrying-both-israelis-and-palestinia |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180227213755/https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2017/12/02/565464499/greek-orthodox-church-sells-land-in-israel-worrying-both-israelis-and-palestinia |archive-date=27 February 2018 |access-date=27 February 2018 |work=[[Weekend Edition]] |publisher=NPR}}</ref>

In June 2019, a number of Christian denominations in Jerusalem raised their voice against the Supreme Court's decision to uphold the sale of three properties by the [[Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem|Greek Orthodox Patriarchate]] to [[Ateret Cohanim]] – an organization that seeks to increase the number of Jews living in the Old City and East Jerusalem. The church leaders warned that if the organization gets to control the sites, Christians could lose access to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-christian-leaders-blast-decision-to-sell-jerusalem-properties-to-settler-group-1.7366340 |url-access=subscription |first1=Nir |last1=Hasson |title=Jerusalem's Christian Leaders Blast Decision to Sell Old City Properties to Settler Group|access-date=13 June 2019|newspaper=Haaretz|date=13 June 2019|archive-date=13 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190613190149/https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-christian-leaders-blast-decision-to-sell-jerusalem-properties-to-settler-group-1.7366340|url-status=live}}</ref> In June 2022, the Supreme Court upheld the sale and ended the legal battle.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/supreme-court-upholds-greek-church-sales-to-far-right-group-ending-legal-battle |first1= Sue |last1=Surkes |title=Supreme Court upholds Greek church sales to far-right group, ending legal battle |newspaper=Times of Israel|date=9 June 2022|access-date=27 December 2023 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231227142956/https://www.timesofisrael.com/supreme-court-upholds-greek-church-sales-to-far-right-group-ending-legal-battle |archive-date=27 December 2023 }}</ref>