Israeli authorities have imposed significant restrictions on Christian worshippers attending Holy Saturday celebrations in Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre, a sacred site in Christianity believed to be the location of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection.
The restrictions, which include strict permit requirements and military checkpoints, have barred thousands of Palestinian Christians from the occupied West Bank from entering Jerusalem for the occasion. Only 6,000 permits were issued to West Bank Christians, despite the community numbering around 50,000 across the Palestinian territories.
Israeli police erected military checkpoints on roads leading to the church, checking IDs and denying entry to many young people. Reports indicate that worshippers were physically assaulted, and senior clergy were blocked from entering the church.
“The Israeli occupation authorities-imposed restrictions on the arrival of Christians to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre…causing overcrowding at the doors and roads leading to the church,” according to reports.
The Higher Presidential Committee for Church Affairs in Palestine strongly condemned the Israeli restrictions, calling them a “clear violation of freedom of religion”. Dr. Ramzi Khouri, head of the committee, denounced the escalating violations of religious freedoms and international norms ¹ ² ³.
The restrictions have been criticized by churches, with many viewing them as an attempt to suppress Christian identity and practices in the city. For the second consecutive year, Easter celebrations have been limited to prayers and church services, with no public processions or festivities allowed, due to the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict ¹.
The conflict has resulted in heightened tensions in the occupied West Bank, where at least 952 Palestinians have been killed and over 7,000 others injured since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023, according to Palestinian figures.