Non-government Palestinian Christian Organization demanded on Monday the international community to act in order to stop the Israeli attacks and violations to the rights of Palestinian worshipers and the holy places in Jerusalem.!– @page { size: 21.59cm 27.94cm; margin: 2cm } P { margin-bottom: 0.21cm } –>In their statement, the organizations said that as Easter celebrations commenced, Israel started barring Palestinian Christians from entering Jerusalem to pray at the Church of Holy Sepulcher in the Old City.
“Here we are, welcoming Easter, the big feast the represents the suffering of Jesus Christ, and his sacrifice, but Israel is attempting to bar us from reaching Jerusalem to conduct our prayers and religious ceremonies”, the statement reads, “This feast, as well all all previous feasts, is mixed with feelings of injustice due to the illegal Israeli practices and attacks.
The statement slammed the Israeli policy of isolating the Palestinian people, and barring the worshipers, Muslims and Christians, from reaching the holy sites in Jerusalem.
Only a limited number of Palestinian Christians were granted entry permits to Jerusalem and thousands remained deprived from their rights to perform their prayers in Jerusalem and perform the traditional Easter march from the city to Bethlehem, a city which also became isolated by the Annexation Wall.
The organizations also stated that Israeli soldiers and policemen always place iron barriers in every part of the Old City, especially on the entrances leading to the Christian Quarter in the City, and all passages that lead to the Church of Holy Sepulcher, and repeatedly attacked the worshipers.
