Jerusalem Patriarchate’s Bank Account Seized by Israel

It is unclear why now the water bill has become so important. Perhaps this is quiet government leverage if a more pro-Zionist or anti-Palestinian policy is not pursued ahead of the U.S. elections.

(source) — The Israeli bank account of the Greek Orthodox Church of Jerusalem has been seized because of unpaid water bills, an Israeli newspaper has reported.

Hagihon, an independent corporation established by the municipality of Jerusalem, imposed the seizure 10 days ago over a $2.5 million debt accumulated at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which is under the church’s stewardship, according to Maariv’s report on the matter on Friday.

Theophilos III, the Greek church’s patriarch, is planning to write to U.S. President Barack Obama and other world leaders to protest the seizure, the report said.

The municipality of Jerusalem has traditionally waived payment on water by the church out of recognition of its immense significance to countless of Christians all over the world and the tourist traffic it brings, the report by investigative journalist Kalman Liebskind said.