For generations, the tens of thousands of Palestinian Christians living in Israeli-occupied areas have travelled to Jerusalem’s Old City at Easter to take part in the prayers and processions. They had to because the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is located in East Jerusalem, which was captured by Israel from Jordan in the six-day war of 1967 and unilaterally annexed in 1980.
According to the Guardian, “centuries of tradition have been ruptured by Israel’s increasingly draconian control over Palestinian movement – which means any Palestinian in the West Bank living outside Jerusalem, must obtain a military permit if they want to enter the city….. These permits are valid for just one week and do not allow the Palestinian pilgrims to stay in Jerusalem overnight, meaning they have to make the gruelling journey back to the West Bank by bus or taxi – crossing a multitude of army checkpoints – every evening, limiting the festivities they can take part in.”
Once in the Old City they are facing increased police brutality in recent years. In April 2023, Palestinian Christian worshipers and international pilgrims were beaten up by Israeli police and armed forces as they attempted to reach the Church.
“People are very afraid and many will not risk attending the Easter processions any more”, said Omar Haramy, who runs Sabeel, a Christian organisation based in Jerusalem. He said several staff were beaten last year as they tried to attend Easter festivities in the Old City, and Christians in the Old City regularly faced hostility outside churches or as they went about their daily lives.
“I will go to the celebrations on Holy Saturday because my family has been part of this tradition for thousands of years, but I’m not going to bring my kids, it’s too dangerous now, with the police violence,” Haramy said.
Read the full story in The Guardian here.