WCC Executive Committee releases statement on Jerusalem and Status Quo

During its meeting in Amman, Jordan from 17-23 November, the World Council of Churches Executive Committee issued a statement expressing concern over the ways in which church institutions and properties in Jerusalem are threatened as a result of contracts of disputed legality, the efforts of radical settler groups, and policies of the government of Israel.

“The Executive Committee expresses its solidarity and support for efforts to retain church ownership and control of properties in Jerusalem, including properties currently under dispute in the Jaffa Gate area, for the future survival of the Christian presence in the region,” the statement reads.

The Executive Committee also expressed its grave concern over legislative initiatives under discussion in the Knesset that would give Israel the authority to override historic ecclesiastical landlord/ownership rights.

“Initiatives that threaten the delicate historic set of relationships, rights and obligations encompassed in the ‘Status Quo’ arrangements risk further destabilization of the situation in Jerusalem and the Holy Land,” reads the statement.

The Executive Committee called for such initiatives to be withdrawn.

Read full statement on Jerusalem and Status Quo

See also: WCC joins Jerusalem church leaders’ plea for continuous free access to worship at Holy Sites