Ugg
May 4, 2004, 10:46 AM
CS Monitor article (http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0504/p01s04-wome.html)
JERUSALEM – Christian churches in the Holy Land are facing an unprecedented crisis that some say is jeopardizing their future, including their capacity to maintain the faith's holy sites and charitable institutions and to educate clergy.
The churches' difficulties have been building over the past three years as the Israeli government has failed to renew visas or residence permits for hundreds of religious workers, and has begun sending tax bills to charitable groups that have long had tax-exempt status, some since the Ottoman Empire. At the same time, the separation wall being built in Jerusalem and on the West Bank is slicing through religious facilities, in some cases taking land and blocking pilgrimage routes.
"It's hard to accept the argument that it's a purely bureaucratic problem," says the Rev. Robert Fortin, a Catholic official here. "Renewing a visa used to take only half a day. They even are threatening to expel a sister who is 92 years old and has lived here for more than 50 years, and another who is 82," he adds.
Meanwhile, some charitable institutions have received huge tax bills, despite long-standing tax-exemption agreements. A few Catholic institutions have ignored the bills. The Lutheran World Federation (LWF), however, which operates a hospital on the Mount of Olives providing healthcare and vocational training in Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza, went to court over the issue. The Israeli district court in Jerusalem said the government could abrogate such agreements unilaterally.
The LWF was told it was liable for back taxes up to $4 million. "Without continuation of the agreement, the LWF will be forced to substantially reduce its activities," says Dennis Frado, LWF representative at UN headquarters. The Lutherans are appealing the decision to the high court.
Sounds like a concerted effort to create a Jewish state to the exclusion of ALL others. I wanna hear how gw defends Israel on this one.
JERUSALEM – Christian churches in the Holy Land are facing an unprecedented crisis that some say is jeopardizing their future, including their capacity to maintain the faith's holy sites and charitable institutions and to educate clergy.
The churches' difficulties have been building over the past three years as the Israeli government has failed to renew visas or residence permits for hundreds of religious workers, and has begun sending tax bills to charitable groups that have long had tax-exempt status, some since the Ottoman Empire. At the same time, the separation wall being built in Jerusalem and on the West Bank is slicing through religious facilities, in some cases taking land and blocking pilgrimage routes.
"It's hard to accept the argument that it's a purely bureaucratic problem," says the Rev. Robert Fortin, a Catholic official here. "Renewing a visa used to take only half a day. They even are threatening to expel a sister who is 92 years old and has lived here for more than 50 years, and another who is 82," he adds.
Meanwhile, some charitable institutions have received huge tax bills, despite long-standing tax-exemption agreements. A few Catholic institutions have ignored the bills. The Lutheran World Federation (LWF), however, which operates a hospital on the Mount of Olives providing healthcare and vocational training in Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza, went to court over the issue. The Israeli district court in Jerusalem said the government could abrogate such agreements unilaterally.
The LWF was told it was liable for back taxes up to $4 million. "Without continuation of the agreement, the LWF will be forced to substantially reduce its activities," says Dennis Frado, LWF representative at UN headquarters. The Lutherans are appealing the decision to the high court.
Sounds like a concerted effort to create a Jewish state to the exclusion of ALL others. I wanna hear how gw defends Israel on this one.
