In the usually bustling streets of the Old City of Jerusalem, silence reigns on this Easter Sunday morning, a major celebration for Christians, darkened this year by the war and strict access restrictions to the Holy Sepulchre.
Near the basilica, built according to tradition on the site where Christians place the episode of the crucifixion of Jesus, his burial, and resurrection, Israeli police checkpoints filter the few faithful allowed to approach. All shops are closed, and only a few figures cross the wet cobblestones.
“In Italian, Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, greets ‘Happy Easter’ as he enters the Holy Sepulchre, surrounded by a small group of religious figures.
Security has been reinforced in the narrow alleys of the ancient fortified city, sacred to Jews, Christians, and Muslims and located in East Jerusalem, the Palestinian part occupied by Israel since 1967 and then annexed, as observed by AFP journalists.
“Sorry, but it’s closed,” a policeman says to a few faithful attempting to approach. “How can you tell me that I cannot go to church? This is unacceptable,” complains Otmar Wassermann, a Catholic from Tel Aviv, accustomed to this annual gathering.
Israeli authorities argue the security imperatives due to the ongoing Middle East war sparked by an Israeli-American offensive against Iran since late February. But for many believers, these measures detract from the celebration’s essence.
“It is very difficult for all of us because it is our festival … It is really tough to want to pray, to come here and find nothing. Everything is closed,” laments 44-year-old Christina Toderas from Romania, who will reluctantly watch the mass on television.
“I expected to be able to enter, and I must say I was a little frustrated,” says Mr. Wassermann.
He explains he goes “almost every year” to the basilica to celebrate Easter. “The atmosphere is incredible. The people who go there have a deep faith. And the Franciscan chants, the Latin chants, create a truly unique atmosphere.”
Despite his disappointment, the 65-year-old man admits that if the authorities “say there is a danger, then there may indeed be a danger.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on X Sunday he would “continue to protect with determination the freedom of worship for all religions, especially during this sacred period.”
“We understand (the security measures),” says Father Bernard Poggi, preparing to celebrate a mass in a church near the holy site. “But we increasingly see that they are not applied uniformly,” he laments.
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa was prevented by Israeli police from accessing the Holy Sepulchre for Palm Sunday mass last Sunday, prompting indignant reactions abroad before Benjamin Netanyahu ordered his entry.
For 80-year-old Georgina Kassisieh, not being able to attend Easter mass at this holy site is “a first.” “We need peace on earth,” she pleads, in a supplicatory tone, as a Palestinian.
Since the start of the war on February 28, debris from Iranian missiles or interceptors has fallen in the Old City, especially near the Holy Sepulchre, the Al-Aqsa Mosque – also closed – and in the Jewish quarter.
“My Muslim friends could not go to Al-Aqsa during Ramadan,” the Muslim fasting month, notes Julio Makhalfeh, a 25-year-old restaurant manager.
For the Orthodox, the majority among Palestinian Christians, Easter will be celebrated on April 12.
