* Any views expressed in this opinion piece are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters Foundation.
Author: Lisa Abu Shanab
The candles clutched in the hands of Palestinian Christian families, that used to flicker by the thousands during the Easter Festival of Lights, have now dwindled down to a few hundred. The number of candles, along with the local Christians, is becoming smaller each year.
For hundreds of years, the holy week of Easter has been celebrated and is one of the most significant for Palestinian Christians in the Holy Land. During this celebration Christians commemorate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Palm Sunday, Good Friday, Holy Fire Saturday, and Easter Sunday are events that local Christians used to look forward to all year long. It is a time for families to gather in the historical sites and walk in the footsteps of Jesus, celebrating the holiday processions. Christians from all over the world, as well as the local community, come together to celebrate in the Old City of Jerusalem and the Holy Sepulchre Church, revered as the site of the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ.
Now, many Palestinian Christians from neighbouring Arab countries have stopped coming to celebrate Easter in the Holy Land, due to tense external political relations between their countries and Israel. Christian pilgrims from other parts of the world are still flying in, many of whom are not affected by the Israeli restrictions; however, the number of local Christians celebrating in the Old City of Jerusalem is falling. Restrictions imposed by the Israeli authorities, including permits, checkpoints, and the decline of access and movement to the Christian holy sites are all contributing to the dwindling numbers.
Israeli authorities closed the West Bank from March 29th until April 6th during the Passover holiday, fearing attacks by militants to disrupt the festivities. The Israeli police also enforced a permit card system, whereby Christians living in the West Bank and Gaza need their local church to apply and be granted permits for the community to allow them access into Jerusalem for the Easter festivities. The local Christian community views this as a denial of their right to freely exercise their religion.
This year, against my initial compulsions, I decided to attend the Holy Fire Saturday celebrations in the Old City, something I had not done for several years, due to the ongoing restrictions. During the past five or so years, I had felt as if the spirit of Easter had been stripped away piece by piece. I remember as a child being so excited about holding the lit candles, 33 of them, one for each year of Jesus' life. Or the intricate tall flower-holders made of braided palm leaves, which my parents would sometimes let me hold, if I was careful, on Palm Sunday. For me, so many different traditions are intertwined with the joy of Easter. This year, I resolutely went to New Gate, in an attempt to enter the Old City to celebrate this Holy Fire Saturday, as I was not permitted the last time. The ceremony of the Holy Fire is the day when Christians gather in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to witness the emergence of candles lit by a miracle in (where many believe is) the tomb of Jesus.
For the past five years, the Israeli police forces have implemented a closure system on the Old City during the Easter celebrations. This closure includes checkpoints at the main gates of the Old City, where people are screened and the majority refused entrance. The Israeli police have claimed that the restrictions on the movement of Christians, stating that the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the site where the local community waits for the Holy Fire on the Saturday preceding Easter, can only accommodate 500 people. According to Palestine-Israel Ecumenical Forum, this claim has been countered by the Orthodox Patriarchate's Civil Engineer, who has testified that the rooftop usually accommodates up to 2,000 people. Local Christians agree, as Easter celebrations in the Old City, with populations in the thousands, have been ongoing for centuries, prior to the restrictions on movement and access.
With a heavy heart, I walked towards the crowd of struggling Christians, all trying to gain entrance as the Israeli police block the way. Some people are angry and yelling, demanding to be allowed to pass, others are pleading with the policeman in front of them, saying that their families are waiting for them on the other side of the barrier. Others are holding flags with the words "Why in Jerusalem? Campaign for the Right of Worship". Generally, the permeating feeling is one of outrage, sadness, disappointment, and resignation. I hear one local, middle-aged Christian man in the crowd say sadly, "Is this what is done during the Jewish religious holidays, when they try to enter the synagogue?" I do not want to become complacent, but the realities on the ground seem to become more and more discouraging, and the reality of having your movements restricted or dictated during Easter, when you are on your way to Church, is deflating.
I am eventually allowed in, although a bit panicked when some of my other family members are not being admitted. Eventually, after a very long wait, we are all allowed into the Old City and head towards the entrance to the roof of the Holy Sepulchre Church. Already I am feeling guilty for being one of the "elite" who have been admitted. One man is arguing with a policeman at yet another checkpoint before the entrance to the roof, asking him if the police force was really required to monitor the number of Christians allowed in, when celebrations with thousands had been a regular occurrence for so many years, without incident. The policeman replied, "If it were up to me, I would allow every single one of you in." Did even the police see the senselessness of what was happening? Eventually, with the other small group of Christians allowed in, we celebrated the Holy Fire and tried to keep the spirit of Easter alive, even though, as one older lady told me, it felt as if we were in "an open prison." The crowd, striving to stay joyful, could still feel the change of what Easter had now become and the dark cloud of checkpoints, police forces, and denial of entry that had obscured the joy of this holiday. Standing on the Holy Sepulchre roof, with several Israeli policemen and women standing a few yards away, one man said in exasperation, "A person now has to fight for his right in the world to enter his church."
According to Haaretz, an Israeli spokesperson was quoted as saying that the Israeli police are carrying out standard security procedures, which are implemented at this time of year. Israel has said that it has issued 10,000 permits to residents of the West Bank as an Easter "goodwill gesture", although Christian organisations in the West Bank claim that only 3,000 were granted, of which many struggled to reach the ceremonies due to the closure on the West Bank. According to the Israeli news agency Ynet, 500 permits were also issued to Christian residents in Gaza, who number several thousand. However, difficulties gaining access remains a concern for many, even with the necessary permit.
Christian organisations and public figures from the Palestinian Authority have criticised the limited entry to Jerusalem's holy sites, describing them as violations of their freedom to worship, according to Haaretz.
East Jerusalem Palestinian Christian organisations have begun a legal process against the Israeli police and the Israeli Jerusalem Municipality, against what they view as a discriminatory process and to preserve their right to freely access their churches and holy shrines. Palestinian Christians are calling on the international community and the Christian world to advocate for freedom for Palestinian Christians to exercise their religion peacefully and an end to the occupation and a just peace for both sides.
Sources:
"Jerusalem Police Step Up Safety Measures Ahead of Easter" April 04, 2010, by Haaretz, http://haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1160507.html
"Jerusalem Christians say Easter Traditions at Risk" April 01, 2010, by YNet News, http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3870864,00.html
"IDF to Seal Off West Bank for the Duration of Passover" March 28, 2010, by Haaretz, http://haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1159676.html
"Holy Land Christians respond to Israeli Police Restrictions during Easter Celebrations" March 27, 2010, by Palestine-Israel Ecumenical Forum (PIEF), http://www.eappi.org/en/news/eappi-news/se/article/4566/holy-land-christians-resp.html
