Christian leaders: ban on Anglican bishop and new taxes are unjust

Bishop Suheil Dawani, of Nablus, is considered a "foreigner" by Israel and he is forbidden to travel to the cathedral and curia in East Jerusalem. Another prelate threatened with expulsion. The new taxes are an outrage against the tradition of the Ottoman Empire, British rule, that of Jordan and ...
 Friday, April 08, 2011
By Asia News

Jerusalem - The heads of Christian churches in Jerusalem have come out against the Israel’ government’s denial of a residency permit in the city to the Anglican (Episcopalian) bishop Suheil Dawani. At the same time, they have renewed their protest against government attempts to impose new taxes on churches, something which was excluded by the UN, and in centuries of their presence had never occurred before not even at the founding of the State of Israel.

In a statement released in recent days, the church leaders (which includes patriarchs, bishops, the head of the Custody of the Holy Land) defend Bishop Dawani’s " right to religious freedom," to “reside with his family in the holy city."

Bishop Dawani was born in Nablus in the West Bank and is considered a "foreigner" in East Jerusalem, a territory occupied by Israel and where the Cathedral and Anglican curia are located. He may reside there only with special permission which has been denied him by the Israeli Ministry of the Interior. the rest

Church leaders are "deeply concerned" by the ministerial decision because it constitutes “a precedent in attempts by the Israeli authorities to deny his residence in Jerusalem at the head of one of the Churches of the Holy City (see Holy Land Churches support Anglican Bishop in Jerusalem ).

According to information gathered by AsiaNews there is already another Christian bishop, threatened with expulsion from Jerusalem for "crimes of opinion".