Israeli official bodies are scheduled to meet Tuesday with private developers who sell Chritians’ lands to discuss ways to solve the tenants crisis Haaretz paper revealed.
Representatives of Israeli Ministry of Finance Keren Kayemet and the Israeli Land Authority will participate in the meeting.
The meeting came after three major Holy Land churches implored Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday to prevent the advancement of a draft bill they said was aimed at expropriating their lands.
Heads of the Armenian Greek Orthodox and Catholic churches in Jerusalem also accused the Israeli authorities of failing to keep a committment made just a few months ago that brought an end to a major crisis between the sides.
In February the Jerusalem municipality began enforcing tax collection on church property while separately lawmakers in the parliament worked on advancing a law that would allow expropriation of church property.
The church leaders in protest closed the Church of the Holy Sepulchre the site in Jerusalem where Jesus is believed to have been crucified and buried following which Israeli authorities froze both the tax measures and the legislation committing to a dialogue with the Christians over the issues.
Large swathes of Jerusalem are owned by various churches which in many cases reached long-term leasing agreements with the state.
Residents living in homes on such lands fear the churches could sell the lands to private developers who would be free to do as they wish with their property including raising rents or razing existing structures.
