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JERUSALEM
(Reuters) - Israel and the Vatican are in talks to end a long-running
dispute over the ownership and tax status of religious sites in the Holy
Land, including a place revered as the location of Jesus's last supper.
Churches acquired large amounts of land
around Jerusalem as the Ottoman empire went into decline from the early
19th century, long before Israel was founded in 1948.
Today,
many official Israeli buildings sit on leased church land. But
agreement on the legal status of these ancient properties has evaded
governments and popes for decades.
"The new
state naturally inherited the obligation to respect and observe those
rights created before it came into being," said a Catholic expert on
church relations with Israel, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The
Vatican was looking to safeguard its rights under international
treaties and customs that date back before the establishment of the
modern Jewish state, the jurist said.
One
Jerusalem building in dispute stands in a narrow alley outside the Old
City walls. Its second storey is the Cenacle where Christians believe
Jesus held the last supper. Jewish tradition says the floor below is the
burial site of King David.
Deputy Foreign
Minister Danny Ayalon, head of the Israeli negotiating team, says the
Vatican would like control of the Crusader-era building, which was a
stop on Pope Benedict's whirlwind tour of the Holy Land last year.
Israel
wants to keep the "status quo" on ownership, ensuring its sovereignty,
while reaching a settlement over debts accrued over years of taxes owed
to the state by the church.
"We are more than willing to assure the church that we will keep all the properties intact and protected," said Ayalon.
"It's really a matter of trust and relationship ... and I believe this is the main issue," he told Reuters in an interview.
The
Vatican seeks recognition of its "historic rights" to tax exemption,
and to set rules for protection of religious sites and the return of
what it calls lost church property.
The negotiators met this month but failed to reach a deal and agreed to meet again.
Though
only a handful of sites are being discussed, the outcome may have an
impact on future transactions, particularly in Jerusalem, where
religious institutions are huge land owners.
An Israeli official familiar with the talks said Israel was worried that any broad concessions would set a precedent.
Improving Relations?
Relations
between Jews and the Catholic church are uneasy. A visit last May by
Pope Benedict caused some controversy and his decision last month to
move wartime pope Pius XII a step closer to sainthood angered Jews who
believe Pius did not do enough to help Jews during the Nazi Holocaust.
In
a gesture of reconciliation, Benedict paid his first visit to Rome's
synagogue on Sunday. But ties are coloured by the Church's past
anti-semitism and both sides remain cautious.
Israel
has guaranteed the Church open worship in the Cenacle and would
consider offering it more involvement, but Ayalon said ownership was not
up for discussion.
Israel reserved the right
to appropriate property especially to build infrastructure for public
safety, while guaranteeing it won't harm the holy sites. The Vatican
wants to prevent this.
"The Church wishes for
safeguards against future 'taking' by the state of her property," the
Catholic expert said, as well as "the restitution of certain properties
'taken' in the past."
The reference, he said, was to a church that had been razed in the northern Israeli city of Caesaria in the 1950s.
Neither side would give details of the negotiations -- such as the amount of tax involved or when a deal might be concluded.
"The sooner the better," said Ayalon, who travels to the Vatican in May for the next round of talks.
Editing by Paul Taylor
Psalm 83[a]
A song. A psalm of Asaph.
1 O God, do not remain silent;
do not turn a deaf ear,
do not stand aloof, O God.
2 See how your enemies growl,
how your foes rear their heads.
3 With cunning they conspire against your people;
they plot against those you cherish.
4 “Come,” they say, “let us destroy them as a nation,
so that Israel’s name is remembered no more.”
do not turn a deaf ear,
do not stand aloof, O God.
2 See how your enemies growl,
how your foes rear their heads.
3 With cunning they conspire against your people;
they plot against those you cherish.
4 “Come,” they say, “let us destroy them as a nation,
so that Israel’s name is remembered no more.”
5 With one mind they plot together;
they form an alliance against you—
6 the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites,
of Moab and the Hagrites,
7 Byblos, Ammon and Amalek,
Philistia, with the people of Tyre.
8 Even Assyria has joined them
to reinforce Lot’s descendants.[b]
they form an alliance against you—
6 the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites,
of Moab and the Hagrites,
7 Byblos, Ammon and Amalek,
Philistia, with the people of Tyre.
8 Even Assyria has joined them
to reinforce Lot’s descendants.[b]
9 Do to them as you did to Midian,
as you did to Sisera and Jabin at the river Kishon,
10 who perished at Endor
and became like dung on the ground.
11 Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb,
all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,
12 who said, “Let us take possession
of the pasturelands of God.”
as you did to Sisera and Jabin at the river Kishon,
10 who perished at Endor
and became like dung on the ground.
11 Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb,
all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,
12 who said, “Let us take possession
of the pasturelands of God.”
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