30 mar 2018
Palestinian Christians living in the Gaza Strip are being denied access to Jerusalem, by Israel, during Holy Week and the Easter weekend.
Worship at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, in Jerusalem’s Old City, and held to be the most sacred ground in Christianity, carries special significance during the Easter period.
Christian pilgrims from across the globe visit the Church of the Holy Sepulcher at Easter. However, Palestinian Christians from Gaza are yet to receive any travel permits from Israel, church leaders have complained.
Christianity Today reported that the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said church authorities had applied for around 600 travel permits for Gaza Palestinian worshipers, but had not received any.
On previous occasions, Israel issued permits to Palestinian Christians over the age of 55, but even this does not seem to be the case, this year.
The report raises further concerns about the severity of the Israeli-led siege imposed on Gaza, which is now entering its eleventh year.
Church leaders denounced the permit system enforced by Israel that prevents Palestinians moving freely. Father Ibrahim Shomali, chancellor of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, said that worshippers should not be required to gain permits from Israel.
“We have to have free access to the Holy Land, free access to our holy places,” he insisted. “Of course, we apply, but in reality there must be no applying for permits to come to visit your own places.”
According to Days of Palestine, church leaders are said to be fearing more restrictions than usual, this year, as Easter falls on the same weekend as the start of the Jewish festival of Passover.
Some also fear that Israel has been emboldened by the recent unilateral and controversial decision by Donald Trump to recognize Jerusalem as the state’s capital.
“[Israel] will close every single checkpoint, and this will be stricter than any other year because of the proclamation of Trump and the effects we got from it, and that we will get from it,” Shomali explained.
In the same vein, Youssef Daher, of the Jerusalem Inter-Church Centre, said that there could be further Israeli pressure on the Christian authorities because “they think that they have a free hand.”
While Christians in Gaza say that they will not lose hope, it’s not certain that the permits will be issued in time. Critics will see this as another example of the intense pressure placed upon Christians living under Israeli occupation.
Worship at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, in Jerusalem’s Old City, and held to be the most sacred ground in Christianity, carries special significance during the Easter period.
Christian pilgrims from across the globe visit the Church of the Holy Sepulcher at Easter. However, Palestinian Christians from Gaza are yet to receive any travel permits from Israel, church leaders have complained.
Christianity Today reported that the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said church authorities had applied for around 600 travel permits for Gaza Palestinian worshipers, but had not received any.
On previous occasions, Israel issued permits to Palestinian Christians over the age of 55, but even this does not seem to be the case, this year.
The report raises further concerns about the severity of the Israeli-led siege imposed on Gaza, which is now entering its eleventh year.
Church leaders denounced the permit system enforced by Israel that prevents Palestinians moving freely. Father Ibrahim Shomali, chancellor of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, said that worshippers should not be required to gain permits from Israel.
“We have to have free access to the Holy Land, free access to our holy places,” he insisted. “Of course, we apply, but in reality there must be no applying for permits to come to visit your own places.”
According to Days of Palestine, church leaders are said to be fearing more restrictions than usual, this year, as Easter falls on the same weekend as the start of the Jewish festival of Passover.
Some also fear that Israel has been emboldened by the recent unilateral and controversial decision by Donald Trump to recognize Jerusalem as the state’s capital.
“[Israel] will close every single checkpoint, and this will be stricter than any other year because of the proclamation of Trump and the effects we got from it, and that we will get from it,” Shomali explained.
In the same vein, Youssef Daher, of the Jerusalem Inter-Church Centre, said that there could be further Israeli pressure on the Christian authorities because “they think that they have a free hand.”
While Christians in Gaza say that they will not lose hope, it’s not certain that the permits will be issued in time. Critics will see this as another example of the intense pressure placed upon Christians living under Israeli occupation.
25 mar 2018
Israeli police on Sunday rounded up two youths and assaulted a group of participants in the march of Christian Sunday Palm near al-Salahia Church in Bab al-Asbat area in the Old City of Occupied Jerusalem.
The Latin Church in Jerusalem celebrated Sunday Palm at the Holy Sepulcher in the Old City of Jerusalem.
In a similar context, Israeli police arrested the Jerusalemite wrestler Ibrahim al-Thouli at the military barrier near the entrance to Shufat refugee camp in the city.
The Latin Church in Jerusalem celebrated Sunday Palm at the Holy Sepulcher in the Old City of Jerusalem.
In a similar context, Israeli police arrested the Jerusalemite wrestler Ibrahim al-Thouli at the military barrier near the entrance to Shufat refugee camp in the city.
1 mar 2018
The Council of Churches and Parish of Beit Sahour in Bethlehem organized on Wednesday night a vigil in protest at arbitrary Israeli tax measures against the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Occupied Jerusalem.
According to a reporter for the Palestinian Information Center (PIC), dozens of Christians and activists participated in the protest, which was held to confirm the Arab identity of Jerusalem and to reject the US capital recognition and Israel’s recent attempt to levy taxes on Churches and their mortmain properties.
“We have come here to tell the world’s free people that we have rights we inherited from our fathers and grandfathers and will not relinquish them,” Father Issa Mosleh, a spokesman for the Greek Orthodox Church of Jerusalem, said in a speech during the sit-in.
“We call upon Trump to revoke his recent recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital because such decision has emboldened the occupation to persist in its arrogance towards the Palestinian people. This decision is completely unacceptable and we will strongly confront it,” Father Mosleh added.
Following three days of closure, the heads of Churches in Jerusalem decided to reopen the Church of the Holy Sepulcher after the Israeli occupation authority froze its intent to impose taxes on Palestinian Churches and their property in the holy city and other occupied areas.
According to a reporter for the Palestinian Information Center (PIC), dozens of Christians and activists participated in the protest, which was held to confirm the Arab identity of Jerusalem and to reject the US capital recognition and Israel’s recent attempt to levy taxes on Churches and their mortmain properties.
“We have come here to tell the world’s free people that we have rights we inherited from our fathers and grandfathers and will not relinquish them,” Father Issa Mosleh, a spokesman for the Greek Orthodox Church of Jerusalem, said in a speech during the sit-in.
“We call upon Trump to revoke his recent recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital because such decision has emboldened the occupation to persist in its arrogance towards the Palestinian people. This decision is completely unacceptable and we will strongly confront it,” Father Mosleh added.
Following three days of closure, the heads of Churches in Jerusalem decided to reopen the Church of the Holy Sepulcher after the Israeli occupation authority froze its intent to impose taxes on Palestinian Churches and their property in the holy city and other occupied areas.
25 feb 2018
Church of the Holy Sepulcher was closed on Sunday in protest at the Israeli-controlled Jerusalem Municipality's plan to impose taxes on churches in the city.
The decision was announced during a press conference held by the heads of Jerusalem's Christian churches in the courtyard of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.
The move also came to protest an Israeli bill that would allow Israel to expropriate church property in Occupied Jerusalem.
The number of Christians in Jerusalem currently is 10,000-12,000, while the total population is 300,000. Heads of Christian churches in Jerusalem say that Israel seeks to weaken the Cristian presence in the holy city.
Isa Qissisia, the Palestinian ambassador to the Vatican, said on Sunday that it is obvious that the right-wing Israeli government is attempting to undermine, if not to end, the Christian presence in Jerusalem by seizing church property or imposing exorbitant taxes on them.
He added that Israel has crossed all red lines by freezing the bank accounts of Jerusalem churches, warning of the repercussions of the new bill which would allow the Israeli government to confiscate and seize church property.
The decision was announced during a press conference held by the heads of Jerusalem's Christian churches in the courtyard of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.
The move also came to protest an Israeli bill that would allow Israel to expropriate church property in Occupied Jerusalem.
The number of Christians in Jerusalem currently is 10,000-12,000, while the total population is 300,000. Heads of Christian churches in Jerusalem say that Israel seeks to weaken the Cristian presence in the holy city.
Isa Qissisia, the Palestinian ambassador to the Vatican, said on Sunday that it is obvious that the right-wing Israeli government is attempting to undermine, if not to end, the Christian presence in Jerusalem by seizing church property or imposing exorbitant taxes on them.
He added that Israel has crossed all red lines by freezing the bank accounts of Jerusalem churches, warning of the repercussions of the new bill which would allow the Israeli government to confiscate and seize church property.
16 feb 2018
The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) has seized assets and bank accounts belonging to the Patriarchate of the Greek Orthodox Church in Jerusalem, totaling over 30 million shekels.
The IOA claimed its measure was taken to collect property tax arrears unpaid by the Patriarchate.
In a statement, spokesman for the Patriarchate Issa Mosleh said “the Orthodox Church of Jerusalem refuses to deal with this Israeli measure as it violates the status quo retained for hundreds of years in the holy city, where its churches and mortmain real estate are exempt from property taxes.”
“The Israeli authorities, which have been targeting the Patriarchate of Jerusalem since His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III assumed his post in 2005, are not hiding its efforts to weaken the mother church,” Mosleh stated.
“Such unjust measure violates the freedom of worship and affects the services provided by the Patriarchate for the society through its institutions in the fields of education, health, culture and sports,” he underscored.
He appealed to King Abdullah II of Jordan, in his capacity as the guardian of the Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, to intervene to remove the injustice which the Patriarchate of the Greek Orthodox Church suffers from as a result of Israel’s arbitrary practices.
The IOA claimed its measure was taken to collect property tax arrears unpaid by the Patriarchate.
In a statement, spokesman for the Patriarchate Issa Mosleh said “the Orthodox Church of Jerusalem refuses to deal with this Israeli measure as it violates the status quo retained for hundreds of years in the holy city, where its churches and mortmain real estate are exempt from property taxes.”
“The Israeli authorities, which have been targeting the Patriarchate of Jerusalem since His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III assumed his post in 2005, are not hiding its efforts to weaken the mother church,” Mosleh stated.
“Such unjust measure violates the freedom of worship and affects the services provided by the Patriarchate for the society through its institutions in the fields of education, health, culture and sports,” he underscored.
He appealed to King Abdullah II of Jordan, in his capacity as the guardian of the Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, to intervene to remove the injustice which the Patriarchate of the Greek Orthodox Church suffers from as a result of Israel’s arbitrary practices.
3 feb 2018
Israel Hayom newspaper on Friday said that the Israeli Jerusalem municipality is planning to earn 650 million shekels ($189 million) by imposing additional taxes on properties owned by churches and the UN in Occupied Jerusalem.
The Hebrew newspaper explained that the new decision will not be applied to places of worship because they are excluded from the property tax under Israeli law. The target of the new taxes are properties used for purposes other than worship.
In an attempt to justify this move, the Israeli municipality said that the financial losses it has suffered over the past years due to the exemption of Jerusalem's church and UN properties from taxes amount to one billion shekels.
The municipality asked the state to compensate it financially for the uncollected funds or allow it to collect them according to the law.
The Israeli-controlled Jerusalem municipality last week froze bank accounts of several churches in the holy city allegedly due to accumulated debts.
The Hebrew newspaper explained that the new decision will not be applied to places of worship because they are excluded from the property tax under Israeli law. The target of the new taxes are properties used for purposes other than worship.
In an attempt to justify this move, the Israeli municipality said that the financial losses it has suffered over the past years due to the exemption of Jerusalem's church and UN properties from taxes amount to one billion shekels.
The municipality asked the state to compensate it financially for the uncollected funds or allow it to collect them according to the law.
The Israeli-controlled Jerusalem municipality last week froze bank accounts of several churches in the holy city allegedly due to accumulated debts.
15 jan 2018
The Central Council of the Orthodox Christians in Jordan and Palestine said, on Sunday, that it has documents proving that strategic properties of Patriarchate in Jerusalem had been sold to Israel.
In a letter sent to the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), the Orthodox Christian body said that the documents also prove that property linked to Al-Aqsa Mosque has been sold as well.
The letter reiterated the importance of countering Israel’s Judaisation plans for Jerusalem and the displacement of citizens through selling property belonging to the Orthodox Church.
The letter also noted that these sales were carried out by a “Greek group monopolising the Arab Orthodox Church;” Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem is said to be at the top of the list of these “conspirators.”
Such sales, the group said, support Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
“Our issue is not religious or sectarian, but Palestinian and Arab,” the Church’s Central Council said. “Our church is the only one in the world which is not headed by a patriarch from its own people.”
The PLO was requested to adopt the recommendations of the first National Orthodox Conference held on 1 October of last year, which was the first of its kind in about 100 years.
In a letter sent to the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), the Orthodox Christian body said that the documents also prove that property linked to Al-Aqsa Mosque has been sold as well.
The letter reiterated the importance of countering Israel’s Judaisation plans for Jerusalem and the displacement of citizens through selling property belonging to the Orthodox Church.
The letter also noted that these sales were carried out by a “Greek group monopolising the Arab Orthodox Church;” Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem is said to be at the top of the list of these “conspirators.”
Such sales, the group said, support Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
“Our issue is not religious or sectarian, but Palestinian and Arab,” the Church’s Central Council said. “Our church is the only one in the world which is not headed by a patriarch from its own people.”
The PLO was requested to adopt the recommendations of the first National Orthodox Conference held on 1 October of last year, which was the first of its kind in about 100 years.
7 jan 2018
Hamas movement praised the Palestinian Christian community's "honorable" stand against the Patriarch of the Orthodox Church of Jerusalem, Theophilos III, on Saturday during his visit to Bethlehem to participate in Christmas celebrations.
Hamas stressed that the protests launched against the Patriarch, who has been recently known for being involved in church property sales to Israel, send a message that Christians and Muslims are united in the face of the Israeli occupation and traitors like him.
The Movement called in a statement on Sunday on the Palestinian judiciary to speed up legal proceedings against Patriarch Theophilos and asked the Orthodox Church to remove him from office.
Dozens of Palestinians on Saturday blocked Patriarch Theophilos III's visit to the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem to mark the Eastern Orthodox Christmas Eve.
The angry demonstrators threw eggs and shoes at the Patriarch's convoy in protest his approval of suspicious sales of church property to Israel.
Hamas stressed that the protests launched against the Patriarch, who has been recently known for being involved in church property sales to Israel, send a message that Christians and Muslims are united in the face of the Israeli occupation and traitors like him.
The Movement called in a statement on Sunday on the Palestinian judiciary to speed up legal proceedings against Patriarch Theophilos and asked the Orthodox Church to remove him from office.
Dozens of Palestinians on Saturday blocked Patriarch Theophilos III's visit to the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem to mark the Eastern Orthodox Christmas Eve.
The angry demonstrators threw eggs and shoes at the Patriarch's convoy in protest his approval of suspicious sales of church property to Israel.
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) accused Greek Orthodox Church Patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophilos III, of selling land to Israel, protesting his visit to occupied Palestinian territories (oPt).
In a statement issued Sunday, PFLP hailed the Palestinian people’s strong opposition to Theophilos III’s visit to the southern occupied West Bank city of Bethlehem.
Theophilos III, along with several other religious and political figures, were visiting Bethlehem as part of celebrations for Greek Orthodox Christmas Eve.
However, angry citizens swarmed around the procession, holding signs, Palestinian flags, and chanting slogans against Theophilus III.
The statement called for escalating protests against his visit, warning the Palestinian Authority of receiving him.
In a statement issued Sunday, PFLP hailed the Palestinian people’s strong opposition to Theophilos III’s visit to the southern occupied West Bank city of Bethlehem.
Theophilos III, along with several other religious and political figures, were visiting Bethlehem as part of celebrations for Greek Orthodox Christmas Eve.
However, angry citizens swarmed around the procession, holding signs, Palestinian flags, and chanting slogans against Theophilus III.
The statement called for escalating protests against his visit, warning the Palestinian Authority of receiving him.
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Palestinian Christians from around the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem and Israel came out in harsh opposition, Saturday, to a visit by Greek Orthodox Church Patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophilos III, to the southern occupied West Bank city of Bethlehem.
Despite an intense presence of Palestinian security forces who attempted to open roads near Bethlehem’s Manger Square, for the patriarch’s car, angry citizens swarmed around the procession, holding signs, Palestinian flags, and chanting slogans against Theophilus III. According to Ma’an News Agency, people threw stones and smashed windows of the car that the patriarch was riding in as they demanded he be stripped of his titles and removed from the church. Theophilos III is accused of orchestrating the sale of more than 500 dunams (123.5 acres) of Palestinian land belonging to the Arab Orthodox Church in Jerusalem to Israeli entrepreneurs belonging to Zionist and settler groups. The protest was not the first of its kind in Bethlehem — visits by Theophilus III to the biblical town have been boycotted in the past. On Saturday, heads of the municipalities of Bethlehem, Beit Jala and Beit Sahour boycotted the reception, along with several religious organizations affiliated with the Greek Orthodox Church. The church has been accused numerous times, over the years, of selling its leasing rights over land in Jerusalem to Jewish Israeli investors, with Israeli financial newspaper Calcalist revealing late last month that the Orthodox Patriarchate had sold the rights to 500 dunams, in August 2016, for 114 million shekels ($32 million), a move to be effective in 2050, when the Jewish National Fund’s lease of the land is set to expire. Detractors have accused the patriarchate of contributing to Israeli plans to “Judaize” Jerusalem by selling or leasing off large amounts of land to Israeli authorities and business people, betraying the church’s responsibility to protect Palestinian lands that were handed under its care during the Ottoman period. |
Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III arriving in Bethlehem for Christmas celebrations.
Orthodox churches celebrating Christmas according to the Eastern calendar completed, on Saturday, their arrival at the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem, marking the start of Christmas celebrations.
The Syrian Orthodox Patriarchal Vicar of the Holy Land and Jordan, Archbishop Mar Swerios Malki Murad, was the first to arrive, followed by the Coptic Orthodox Archbishop Anba Antonius, then the Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III and last the procession of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.
Theophilos, head of the largest orthodox community in Palestine, headed a procession that started from the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate in Jerusalem’s Old City and arrived at Bethlehem’s Manger Square where he was received by Palestinian officials, including the governor of Bethlehem Jibrin Bakri and Minister of Tourism Rola Mayaya among others.
Theophilos will lead the Midnight Mass at the Church of Nativity, which will be attended by PA President Mahmoud Abbas, according to WAFA.
The orthodox churches mark Christmas Day on January 7, and the Armenian Orthodox Church is the last to celebrate Christmas in the Holy Land, with the Christmas Eve procession from Jerusalem to Bethlehem on January 18, and Christmas Day on January 19.
Orthodox churches celebrating Christmas according to the Eastern calendar completed, on Saturday, their arrival at the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem, marking the start of Christmas celebrations.
The Syrian Orthodox Patriarchal Vicar of the Holy Land and Jordan, Archbishop Mar Swerios Malki Murad, was the first to arrive, followed by the Coptic Orthodox Archbishop Anba Antonius, then the Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III and last the procession of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.
Theophilos, head of the largest orthodox community in Palestine, headed a procession that started from the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate in Jerusalem’s Old City and arrived at Bethlehem’s Manger Square where he was received by Palestinian officials, including the governor of Bethlehem Jibrin Bakri and Minister of Tourism Rola Mayaya among others.
Theophilos will lead the Midnight Mass at the Church of Nativity, which will be attended by PA President Mahmoud Abbas, according to WAFA.
The orthodox churches mark Christmas Day on January 7, and the Armenian Orthodox Church is the last to celebrate Christmas in the Holy Land, with the Christmas Eve procession from Jerusalem to Bethlehem on January 18, and Christmas Day on January 19.
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