Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre to reopen after Israeli tax spat

Palestinian Christian leaders in Jerusalem said that they would reopen the ancient Church of the Holy Sepulchre on Wednesday, closed since the weekend in protest at Israeli tax measures.

Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox and leaders of other Christian denominations closed the famed church on Sunday to protest an order by Israeli-run Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat to begin taxing their properties. 

The churches accused Barkat of acting in bad faith and undermining a longstanding status quo. They say their non-church properties still serve religious purposes by providing services to pilgrims and local flocks.

The closure - which seemed to be the longest since at least 1990 - has left thousands of pilgrims and tourists seeking to visit the site locked outside.

"We hereby announce that the Church of the Holy Sepulchre... will be reopened to the pilgrims tomorrow, February 28th, 2018 at 4:00 AM (0200 GMT)," said a joint statement issued on Tuesday night.

The announcement came hours after Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's office said a "professional team" would be appointed to resolve the financial dispute.

Tuesday's statement was signed by the heads of all three faiths in the Holy Land.

"We... give thanks to God for the statement released earlier today by Prime Minister Netanyahu and offer our gratitude to all those who have worked tirelessly to uphold the Christian presence in Jerusalem," it said.

The church is revered as the site where Jesus was crucified and resurrected, and the decision closed one of Jerusalem's most visited holy sites just ahead of the busy Easter season. 

The tax move was seen as a major blow to Palestinian Christians in the contested city.