Three major Holy Land churches urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to prevent the adoption of a draft bill aimed at expropriating their lands, AFP reported. 

Heads of the Armenian, Greek Orthodox and Catholic churches in Jerusalem also accused the Israeli authorities of failing to keep a commitment to bring an end to a crisis between the sides.

In a letter to Netanyahu, they criticized the “scandalous bill” and accused its backers of an “unprecedented attack against the Christians of the Land”.

According to them, although, the government appointed a working group led by Minister Tzachi Hanegb to seek a compromise with the churches, “no dialogue whatsoever has taken place with us.”

As reported earlier, in February, the churches closed the doors of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for three days in protest against the plans of the mayor's office to impose a church tax on the church property. The protectors of this holy site have reopened its entrance to the pilgrims, after Israeli authorities have expressed willingness to start negotiations toward resolving the dispute over this taxation.