OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)
The Israeli occupation police have prevented tens of thousands of Christian citizens from the West Bank from entering Jerusalem to participate in the Palm Sunday celebrations.
The Eastern and Western Christian churches commemorated the occasion at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem’s Old City, while thousands of Christians from the West Bank were unable to attend the religious event due to Israeli restrictions.
According to local sources, the Israeli police intensified security measures at the entrances of Jerusalem and at the checkpoints in and around the Old City, restricting access to the holy city without the required special permits.
Father Ibrahim Faltas, the Vicar of the Custody of the Holy Land in Jerusalem, said that the Israeli police had issued permits for only 6,000 Christians out of about 50,000 citizens living in the West Bank.
