Beirut, August 22, 2025
Middle East Council of Churches
The Middle East Council of Churches has issued a strong condemnation of Israeli authorities’ decision to freeze the bank accounts of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, along with imposing heavy taxes on church properties.
In a statement titled “Regarding the occupation authorities’ freezing of the bank accounts of the Orthodox Patriarchate in Jerusalem, imposing heavy taxes on its properties, and assaulting some of its properties,” the Council describes the action as “an assault on its parishioners and on the people of Palestine as a whole.”
The Council states that the freezing of accounts “paralyzes the ability of church institutions to function normally and serve the people and prevents aid from reaching them at a time when they are most in need of it.”
The statement notes that “this phase of financial pressure comes after decades of direct attacks on and confiscation of Patriarchal property in more than one location in Palestine,” with “the target being the Christian presence, and the Palestinian presence in general, on the land of Palestine, the land of the incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection, and the launching of the message of salvation.”
The Council, which has been “preaching and working for justice and peace since its founding half a century ago,” calls on the international community and ecumenical bodies to “demand the implementation of international agreements and respect for international humanitarian law, and to exert the necessary pressure to dissuade the occupying forces from carrying out these aggressive and destructive actions.”
Watch a video of the statement:
The Middle East Council of Churches includes the Orthodox Churches of Jerusalem, Antioch, Alexandria, and Cyprus, as well as Oriental, Catholic, and Protestant churches.
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