"Not even during the pandemic was it this empty": an Easter without faithful in Jerusalem

The Old City of Jerusalem has an unusual soundtrack these days: it is not the bells or the murmur of pilgrims, but the sirens. Holy Week has arrived subdued, almost in silence, in a city crossed by the war against Iran and by restrictions that have profoundly altered the celebration of one of the most important festivals in the Christian calendar.Through the narrow streets of the Christian quarter, northwest of the city, usually full of groups following the stations of the cross and gathering to attend mass, today only a few neighbors pass by at a quick pace. The blinds of many shops with religious souvenirs like wooden crosses, rosaries, and icons are down. “Normally, we would have people from all over the world now,” explains Joseph, owner of a small ceramics shop. “Easter is when we have the most work. But this year... there's almost no one,” he laments.A few streets away, in the Armenian quarter, the silence is even denser. “It had been years since I saw anything like it,” says Mariam, a resident who is going out to shop. “Not even during the pandemic was it this empty. Now people are afraid and also tired of so much police presence.”Since March 6, in the context of the war conflict, Israeli authorities have imposed harsh restrictions and closed the main holy sites, such as the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex, the Western Wall, and the Holy Sepulchre. Holy Week is thus experienced without groups of pilgrims or processions and with an image that went around the world on Sunday, that of the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, unable to access the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre.Faced with the avalanche of criticism, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu assured that it had ordered to allow the immediate entry of the patriarch to the temple and that the imposed measures are due to the need to “protect the faithful of all religions” in the face of the threat of Iranian missiles. According to the government and the police, the Old City is a “complex area” where access for emergency vehicles is limited, which could put lives at risk in case of an attack.Security as an excuse

Despite this justification, an important part of the Christian community interprets the Holy Week restrictions as another display of control over East Jerusalem, the part of the city occupied by Israel since 1967, an act considered illegal according to the International Court of Justice.“One must understand the context: Israel, especially in recent years, has done everything possible to isolate Jerusalem from the rest of the West Bank”, explains Palestinian analyst and political scientist Xavier Abu Eid to ARA. “The possibility of maintaining Christian traditions depends on Palestinians’ access to holy sites, meaning that Palestinians from the rest of the West Bank can enter East Jerusalem, and this access is increasingly restricted”, he adds.According to him, war is only the last justification: “We are again being held hostage under the excuse of security. Access permits are granted arbitrarily: perhaps they authorize the husband, but not the wife or all the children.” He also warns that the increase in settler attacks in the West Bank leads many people to prefer not to travel to Jerusalem to avoid risks.Along the same lines, Yusef Daher, the coordinator of the organization that brings together churches in the city, Jerusalem Liaison Office of the World Council of Churches, is blunt: “Security is always the excuse.” “But deep down we know it is a political issue, based on a logic that wants to make Jerusalem an exclusively Jewish city, with very little connection, freedom, or equality for others,” he adds.Low-key celebrations

After Sunday's incident, celebrations will continue, but at a minimum. “The liturgy of Holy Week will be held behind closed doors, without an audience, only with the local community and a few participants,” Pizzaballa explained on Tuesday at a press conference to the media. In a normal year, the city experiences these days with intensity: Holy Thursday at the Holy Sepulchre, with the ritual of the washing of the feet; Good Friday, with thousands of pilgrims walking the Stations of the Cross, and Easter Sunday, with churches packed to the brim. This year, however, the Holy Sepulchre remains closed to the public and each church is adapting its events, following the safety guidelines of the Israeli government, which imposes a limit of 50 people whenever there is a shelter nearby. Given this capacity limit, the most important celebrations are broadcast online. “The atmosphere is very depressing, there is no sense of celebration”, adds Daher. “With this war and after two years of offensive in Gaza, the economy is sunk and Palestinian Christians, who depend on tourism, suffer particularly. We feel crushed by an far-right government, with no real hope that this will stop”, he laments.In the street, the feeling is shared. "We wanted to experience Holy Week in Jerusalem, but the city is very different... sadder," explain Maria and Luca, an Italian couple in front of the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre. "We've entered it more times, it's impressive, but this year the feeling is bittersweet."