Israeli police arrested the guard of the Greek consul general
In occupied East Jerusalem, police stormed a cemetery church and arrested a bodyguard for the Greek consul general. The arrest took place during the Descent of the Holy Fire ceremony. According to witnesses, this may have been caused by a conflict between the security guard and the local police.
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Passover in occupied Jerusalem has been suspended due to Israeli restrictions and the ongoing war. Christian members of occupied East Jerusalem say attacks on Christians are on the rise amid Israel's aggression in Gaza.
Systematic restrictions on access to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, one of Christianity's largest pilgrimage sites, were imposed by the Israeli government long before the October 2023 fighting. A year ago, the Greek Orthodox Church condemned Israel's "authoritarian" restrictions.
The Israeli police announced that they will reduce the number of believers by 80%. Therefore, instead of the 10,000 Christian worshipers who would come on Easter, only 1,800 Christians were allowed to enter the temple and 1,000 people to celebrate outside.
It should be noted that in 2023, Israel banned Christians from traveling from the besieged Gaza Strip to Jerusalem on the occasion of Easter.
The ban was condemned by the Palestinian movement Hamas.
"Hamas strongly condemns the Israeli occupation's decision to deny Palestinian Christians access to their holy sites in Gaza to celebrate Passover. "In light of this fascist act, which has become a common practice in Israel, Hamas calls on the international community to assume its legal and moral responsibility to ensure free access to Palestinian holy sites," the statement said.
Every year, Israeli police limit the number of pilgrims who can attend Christian holidays, including the lighting of the Holy Fire.
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