(Marinella Bandini/CNA) — Tensions have continued to escalate between the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the Jerusalem municipality with the latest skirmish over a demand for significant property tax payments called the “Arnona tax” — a levy imposed on property owners in the municipality.
The dispute began two years ago and reignited in February, when a hearing session was scheduled before a district court about an alleged debt of 21 millions shekels (about $5.7 million) and with the threat of foreclosure on patriarchate properties.
CNA spoke with Bishop Koryoun Baghdasaryan, the director of the real estate department of the Armenian Patriarchate who, since Jan. 11, 2023, has been in charge of all the real estate properties in the Holy Land — Israel, the Palestinian Authority, and Jordan.
