(LifeSiteNews) — Once again, prominent prelates of Christian churches in the Holy Land have decried an increased intensification of Israeli police forces obstructing their worship in the Old City of Jerusalem on the solemnity of Easter utilizing barricades, checkpoints, along with regular verbal and physical harassment.

For centuries Orthodox Christians have gone on pilgrimage to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem for the Holy Fire Saturday event where a supposed miraculous fire proceeds from within the empty tomb of the Resurrected Lord Jesus Christ and is spread on candles throughout the shrine, to those outside and throughout Jerusalem, Palestine and even to locations around the world.

In recent years, particularly since religious Zionist Jewish ultranationalism took power in the government in 2022, tighter restrictions on Christians have been exacted by Israeli authorities discouraging and curtailing the event.

On Saturday, thousands of Christians lined up in hopes of participating but discovered access to the church was heavily restricted due to barricades and multiple checkpoints, limiting entry to a single Old City gate.

According to a report from the World Council of Churches (WCC), hundreds of these Christians were held for an extensive period of time at multiple checkpoints. During these intervals they were “pushed, beaten, and subjected to derogatory remarks. At least three individuals were arrested.” Witnesses reported hearing police officers shout, “Why are you here? Go home,” and “We will not allow you in.”

Videos shared on social media revealed police officers violently pushing Christians aside in the city’s narrow alleyways. In one egregious incident, an Israeli officer pointed his gun at the head of a Christian scout before colleagues intervened and pulled him back. This marked “the first time a firearm was visibly used” to threaten the crowd during the Easter event. Furthermore, the “traditional scouts’ parade was cancelled this year, as scout groups were denied entry” (video of scouts).

Orthodox Patriarchate condemns Israeli police for turning Jerusalem into a ‘military zone’

In a Sunday press release, the Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem stated it “emphatically condemns the egregious violations that desecrated the sanctity of Jerusalem” on Saturday, “particularly in the Old City and around the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, during the celebration of the blessed Holy Fire.”

“Israeli police forces transformed the sacred city into a militarized zone, erecting barriers, obstructing the faithful from reaching their churches, and perpetrating assaults against scouts and worshippers, both locals and pilgrims from around the world,” the statement continued.

“These reprehensible actions, which deprived thousands of believers of their divine right to prayer and worship, stand in direct contradiction to Jerusalem’s eternal vocation as a city of peace for all the children of God,” the ancient church condemned.

World Council of Churches: the ‘most severe restrictions imposed since 1967’

According to the WCC, local Christians characterized these as the “most severe restrictions imposed since 1967, despite prior assurances from Israeli authorities that access would be eased.”

Hanna Kirreh, of the WCC in Jerusalem described the treatment of Christians by the Israeli police as “deliberate and provocative,” adding, “We ask for freedom of worship and access to our holy sites, but each year it becomes worse. Our presence is under threat.”

Mayadah Tarazi, also a member of the WCC advisory committee, lamented: “What should have been a moment of spiritual joy turned into a painful reminder of the daily oppression and restrictions we face under occupation.”

READ: How do Christians in the Holy Land understand the Israeli occupation of Palestine?

Christians experience ‘harassment, pushing, and shoving’ by the Israeli police

Also in attendance was Mae Elise Cannon, executive director of Churches for Middle East Peace, a coalition of dozens of churches including Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant and Evangelical which focus on promoting peace in the Middle East, particularly in the Israel-Palestine conflict.

“The glory of participating in the sacred Holy Fire service could not be dimmed by the realities of occupation and oppression,” she explained, having been “one of the privileged” who was actually able to attend the event.

Yet, Cannon traced her journey through the Old City to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, passing through “at least four checkpoints, each manned by Israeli soldiers or police, many of whom yelled and pushed as if our presence and attempts to worship were a violation of law and not a sacred right.”

“I experienced harassment, pushing, and shoving by the police firsthand. But what I experienced was mild in comparison to some of the things I witnessed, such as elderly women being shoved without any respect or regard for their humanity,” she testified, also quoting the host of her group who said, “I’ve never seen the soldiers be so cruel.”

Apostolic Nuncio impeded at barricade, permitted to pass following ‘several phone calls’

Pictures of Apostolic Nuncio to Israel Archbishop Adolfo Tito Yllana being held back at a barricade made the rounds on Twitter/X with initial charges he was prevented from attending Easter Mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and counter charges that these photos with their interpretation were “nothing but lies” as the Nuncio was actually allowed to attend the Easter celebrations.

Fr. Ibrahim Nino, media director for the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, told LifeSiteNews that with a sizable Catholic contingent, he himself “passed through three checkpoints within the Old City. At the final one—closest to the Basilica—the faithful were initially not allowed to enter, as the gate was closed. However, after several phone calls, we were able to have the checkpoint reopened and allow everyone through.”

With regards to the Apostolic Nuncio being held back at the barricade, “It also took several phone calls before he was allowed to pass,” he wrote in an email correspondence.

With video reports revealing the plaza of the Basilica hosting pilgrims far below its actual capacity, Bishop William Shomali, Latin Patriarchal vicar, confirmed: “There was discontent among many local Christians and some pilgrims due to the closures and the lack of dialogue at some barriers. The numbers allowed to reach the Holy Sepulchre Plaza were less than the capacity of the plaza itself which seemed, during the Orthodox Holy fire ceremony, half filled.”

Antichristian Jewish supremacists take power in 2022, heavy worship restrictions begin in 2023

In December 2022, Israel’s most radical Jewish supremacist government in history was sworn in, with hard-right religious Zionists ministers taking office under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

This coalition included Itamar Ben-Gvir and his Jewish Power party, who during his election victory speech praised his fellow party member Bentzi Gopstein who has referred to Christians as “blood sucking vampires” and “the Christian church” as “our deadly centuries-old enemy.” He has also demanded the expulsion of Christians from the Holy Land and advocated for the burning of their churches.

READ: Latin Patriarch says new Israeli gov’t has emboldened Jewish extremists to attack Christians

Ben-Gvir himself infamously defended spitting on Christians as a “Jewish tradition” last year and was also convicted of supporting terrorism against Palestinians in 2007.

Having ironically been sworn in as Minister of National Security in late 2022, Ben-Gvir now exercises unprecedented authority over police and border paramilitary units that operate among the 2.9 million Palestinians under military occupation in the West Bank.

Thus, it should likely have not been surprising for Christian leaders when in April 2023, these same law enforcement authorities moved to restrict access to the Holy Fire Ceremony at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher due to a supposed “necessary safety requirement,” and demanded church authorities issue invitations limiting attendance to around 30% of what turnout had been in previous years.

Christian leaders called such demanded restrictions “unreasonable,” “unprecedented,” “heavy-handed,” and unnecessary for an annual ceremony which has been held in the same way for centuries. As a result, these bishops and priests invited all who wished to attend as usual, “leaving the authorities to act as they will.”

They also charged statements the police had made regarding its interaction with the churches to be “incorrect… a complete misrepresentation of the facts,” “categorically misguided and false.”

Ironically, Israel’s police barricades set up in the Old City at the time, preventing Christians from accessing the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, caused a far more dangerous situation, with breakdowns and police at least at times using violence to impede the faithful from exercising their right to freely worship at the empty tomb of Jesus Christ.

‘Hardcore settler Zionists’ attempting ‘to Judaise the Old City of Jerusalem’ by making life ‘unbearable for Christians’

Last year a report from the Rossing Center for Education and Dialogue documented the alarming rise in the scale and severity of attacks toward Christians in Israel and East Jerusalem in 2023. These ranged from spitting on priests, verbal and physical harassment, and the desecration of graves, arson attacks and the vandalizing of churches.

READ: Israeli investigative reporter spat on, harassed in Jerusalem while dressed as a Catholic priest

“It’s usually young Israeli Jewish men who are conducting these attacks with impunity,” said John Munayer, the director of international engagement at the Rossing Center. “They face very little punishment, if the police get involved at all.”

“It’s a clear attempt by hardcore settler Zionists to Judaise the Old City of Jerusalem and trying to make it unbearable for Christians who have been there for centuries,” he said.

Such Jewish settlers, who live in illegal Israeli colonies on internationally recognized Palestinian territory in the West Bank, are most often associated with the influential international heresy of religious Zionism which embraces an ideology of radical Jewish supremacy and thus a justification for the horrendous violent crimes of ethnic cleansing and genocide against the Palestinian people as a means of taking over the Holy Land and building an exclusive Jewish ethno-state.

READ: Israeli extremist rabbis instruct soldiers heading to Gaza: ‘Kill all their children’

With the takeover of the land complete they aim to build a third temple for animal sacrifice in Jerusalem and welcome their Moshiach (Messiah) of whom their expectations share a close alignment with what Catholic authorities expect from the Antichrist. And from Jerusalem, these religious Zionists anticipate this figure to subject all other peoples under Noahide Laws, vanquishing Christianity as “idolatry,” and even executing the death penalty against Christians for this supposed crime.

‘May the light of the Resurrection shine once more upon all the peoples of our region’

While the Israeli military has also heavily restricted Palestinians in the West Bank from being able to obtain permits to travel to the Old City for the Holy Fire event, the few who do gain such permits have had to consider the risk of increased police brutality.

On the Holy Saturday, lsraeli occupation forces assault Christians in Jerusalem city. pic.twitter.com/mflGZJRBQc

— TIMES OF GAZA (@Timesofgaza) April 15, 2023

“People are very afraid and many will not risk attending the Easter processions any more,” said Omar Haramy, of Sabeel, a Jerusalem-based Christian organization. With several of his staff being beaten by police in previous years, he told The Guardian last week that while he himself was planning to attend the Holy Fire celebration on Holy Saturday, “because my family has been part of this tradition for thousands of years,” he would not be bringing his kids due to the dangers of police violence.

Assessing this situation, the Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem looked to the joy of Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead as a hopeful pledge to these most ancient of Christian communities while they consider with concern their own future in the region.

“In the midst of this affliction, we lift our hearts to the Risen Lord, imploring His just peace to reign over His Holy Land, for the shadow of injustice to be lifted from His city, and for the machinery of war to fall silent in the afflicted land of Gaza,” the Patriarchate’s statement read. “May the light of the Resurrection shine once more upon all the peoples of our region, bearing witness to the triumph of justice, hope, and freedom.”

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