Hariri Condemns Israeli Tax Bid on Worship Sites in Jerusalem
Prime Minister Saad Hariri on Tuesday tweeted in solidarity with Jerusalem and the Christian presence, lashing out at Israel's recent taxation measures on churches and places of worship.
“Church of the Holy Sepulchre challenges Israeli measures. We stand in solidarity with Jerusalem, the capital of Palestine, and with its people in protecting the presence of Christians in the holy city,” said Hariri via Twitter.
Israeli authorities aim to enforce tax collection on church property they consider commercial, saying exemptions only apply to places of worship or religious teaching.
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem built at the traditional site of Jesus's burial remained closed for a third day Tuesday as Christian leaders protested against Israeli tax measures and a controversial proposed law.
President Michel Aoun on Monday condemned Israel's measures accusing it of “ethnic cleansing.”
Christian leaders closed the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on Sunday at noon in a rare move, leaving thousands of pilgrims and tourists seeking to visit what many see as the holiest site in Christianity locked outside.
Church officials say the church will be closed until further notice as they seek to pressure Israeli authorities to reverse their measures.
6 years
So you want rockets to land on Tel Aviv, OK but please remember three things -
1. there is a lot of Church property also in Tel Aviv
2. the distance that a rocket has to fly from Beirut to Tel Aviv, is EXACTLY the same distance as one from Tel Aviv to Beirut.
3. the residents of Tel Aviv have shelters or fortified rooms, those in Beirut don't.
If Mr. Harari would have taken just 2 minutes to read the law, he would have understood (or am I asking too much) that the law only refers to church property not being used as churches, but rather as shops and hotels etc. which are purely income earning places which just happen to belong to the church.