Israel bars Palestinian Christians from entering Jerusalem for Palm Sunday celebrations

By Qais Abu Samra

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) – Palestinian Christians from the West Bank were barred by the Israeli authorities from entering the occupied city of Jerusalem to participate in the Palm Sunday religious event.

Christian churches in Palestine, which follow the Western calendar, celebrated the day before Palm Sunday, which falls on the Sunday before Easter.

Palm Sunday is a Christian moveable feast that commemorates Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, which is mentioned in all four canonical Gospels.

The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement condemned Israel's action and called for "binding international measures to ensure the freedom of access for Palestinians to their holy capital."

"The occupation deprives Christian citizens of access to Jerusalem, is a commitment to its separation from its Palestinian surroundings, annexation, and Judaization," the statement added.

Israeli authorities require Palestinians, both Muslims and Christians, to obtain special permits to cross their military checkpoints surrounding the holy city and access places of worship, especially the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem, where Al-Aqsa is located, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. It annexed the entire city in 1980 in a move never recognized by the international community.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio in Istanbul