JERUSALEM (AA) - The Israeli prime minister’s office on Tuesday announced that Israeli’s Jerusalem municipality had suspended plans to levy taxes on property owned by churches in Jerusalem.
"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat have agreed to establish a professional team to formulate a solution to the issue of municipal taxes on properties owned by churches that are not houses of worship," the statement read.
According to the statement, the committee -- to be led by Regional Cooperation Minister Tzachi Hanegbi -- will include representatives of the finance, foreign affairs and the interior ministries, along with the Jerusalem Municipality, who “will negotiate with church representatives to resolve the issue”.
As a result of these discussions, it added, the Jerusalem Municipality had decided to suspend plans to collect property taxes from Jerusalem’s churches.