CMEP Bulletin: Jerusalem Quarrels with Churches as Lent Begins
Jerusalem Churches to Boycott Mayor’s Event in Protest of Tax Policy [Haaretz]
Haaretz reports, “The heads of the Christian churches in Jerusalem plan to boycott an event hosted by Mayor Nir Barkat to protest the city’s new policy on municipal tax payments for church property. … The church leaders, who say the new policy breaches the city’s status quo, have signed a statement harshly criticizing the municipality. … The churches say the municipal tax undermines Jerusalem’s sacred character and jeopardizes a church’s ability to conduct its ministry in the Holy Land on behalf of its communities and the worldwide church.”
Trump: Israel Has to Be ‘Very Careful’ with Settlements [The Jerusalem Post]
“Two months after shaking up the Mideast diplomatic process with his declaration recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, US President Donald Trump said the ‘Palestinians are not looking to make peace,’ and he was not so sure about the Israelis either. … ‘The settlements,’ he told Israel Hayom editor-in-chief Boaz Bismuth, ‘are something that very much complicate and always have complicated making peace, so I think Israel has to be very careful with the settlements.’ … Trump clarified a comment he made last month in Davos after meeting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, that his decision on Jerusalem had effectively taken the issue off the table. ‘By taking Jerusalem off the table, I wanted to make it clear that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, and as for specific boundaries, I would support what both sides agreed to,’ he said,” according to The Jerusalem Post.