Armenian Apostolic Patriarchate of Jerusalem accusing Israeli  authorities of diminishing its presence in Holy Land

ArmInfo. The Armenian Apostolic Patriarchate of Jerusalem has issued an urgent communique,  saying:

The hearing for the administrative petition (ATM 1470-02-24) filed by  the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem is set for Monday, February  24, 2025. This petition was filed as an attempt to stop the  foreclosure process against real estate properties that the  Patriarchate has owned for centuries, so as to collect Arnona  (Municipal Tax) debts that have allegedly accrued since 1994.

If, God forbidding, the Patriarchate's petition is denied, the  Jerusalem Municipality will seize real estate properties belonging to  the Patriarchate and put them up for auction in order to collect  allegedly disputed debts that have never been proven in judicial  proceedings, and through customary practices heretofore, have never  been enforced.

The petition is aimed at the actions of the collection officer-an  employee of the Jerusalem Municipality- who has 'determined' that the  Patriarchate owes an astronomical debt, without regard for the  statute of limitations, and without providing clear identification of  the basis for the alleged debt. Furthermore, a significant portion of  the alleged debt relates to a property that is actually leased to the  Jerusalem Municipality itself.

The same municipal employee refuses to review the validity of the  debt he himself determined, citing formal-procedural grounds that the  deadline for objection has passed. However, we have shown that the  demands were never properly delivered to the Patriarchate within the  required time frame. Despite this, the employee has issued a  foreclosure order for the Patriarchate's properties to collect the  debt he has determined, and the enforcement authority is required to  comply with this order as though it were a court ruling.

In other words, the municipal employee acts as the plaintiff, the  judge, and the executor, all in one, serving the interests of his  employer-the Municipality.

Therefore, the Patriarchate has filed an administrative petition  against both the Jerusalem Municipality and its collection officer,  with a hearing scheduled for February 24, 2025.

Upon filing the petition, enforcement proceedings were temporarily  suspended. However, should the petition be denied, not only will the  Municipality be permitted to immediately resume foreclosure on  specific properties, but it will also establish a dangerous legal  precedent that could legitimize the expropriation of property rights  and the involuntary liquidation of assets belonging to Christian  religious institutions and communities in Israel. This would result  in far greater harm to the property owners than the amount of the  alleged disputed debts.

To the best of our knowledge, the Armenian Patriarchate is the only  Christian community selected-and possibly targeted-to face such  unprecedented and irreversible measures for the alleged Arnona debt.

The conduct of the Jerusalem Municipality in this matter is  especially inappropriate, as it initiated this aggressive process  despite the Municipality itself owing the Patriarchate millions of  shekels in overdue rental fees. However, the Patriarchate has  refrained from taking legal action to enforce payment and, instead,  has been engaged in prolonged negotiations with the Municipality in  an effort to resolve the debt amicably.

The conduct of the Jerusalem Municipality in this matter is also  particularly inappropriate, as this aggressive process was initiated  despite the establishment of a governmental committee in 2018 by  Israeli Prime Minister Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu, and chaired by  then-Minister Tzachi Hanegbi. The committee was tasked with finding  solutions to the Arnona issue through negotiation and cooperation  with the Heads of Christian Communities in the Holy Land. This  committee remains active and has held several productive meetings,  yielding positive outcomes.

Filing against the Armenian Patriarchate in the execution office,  forcing it to pay the alleged Arnona debt, and, even more so,  proceeding with the foreclosure of its properties, could jeopardize  the Armenian Patriarchate's long-standing mission in the Holy Land,  which has been active since the 7th century.  Furthermore, it could  threaten the continued presence of the Armenian community in the Holy  Land, which dates back to the 4th century.

This is a clear attempt by the Municipality to undermine the Armenian  Patriarchate through singling it out with economic pressure, with the  aim of diminishing its presence in the Holy Land. Any court judgment  regarding the alleged Arnona debt would set a dangerous precedent,  extending its applicability to other Christian communities. This  could have a profoundly negative impact on the overall Christian  presence in the Holy Land, as well as on the religious, cultural,  educational and ministerial activities of all Christian institutions  currently operating in the region.

We call upon the Prime Minister of Israel, Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu,  the Interior Minister, Mr. Moshe Arbel, and the head of the  governmental committee, Mr. Tzachi Hanegbi, to intervene decisively  and immediately freeze all actions taken by the Municipality against  the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem.  We also urge them to resume  the meetings of this governmental committee in order to find an  amicable resolution to this issue, solely through negotiation within  the framework established by the committee.