Jerusalem’s church leaders condemned on Wednesday Israel’s “heavy-handed” decision to restrict the number of people allowed to visit the Holy Sepulcher Church in Occupied Jerusalem for Easter celebrations this weekend.
Israeli police said the new restrictions would slash the number of worshipers by 80 percent in order to maintain “safety”.
However church leaders branded the decision an affront to the rights and freedoms of the local Christian community vowing not to comply with it.
“We shall continue to uphold the status quo customs and the ceremony will be held as customary for two millennia and all who wish to worship with us are invited to attend” the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate the Custody of the Holy Land and the Armenian Patriarchate said in a joint statement.
The new restrictions mean that only 1800 people will be allowed inside the Church of the Holy Sepulcher with another 1200 outside instead of the 10000 worshipers that typically come during Easter.
The annual holy fire ceremony the most important Easter celebration for the Eastern Orthodox Church is set to take place in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher on Saturday.
Israel’s restrictions on worshipers coming to the Holy Sepulcher comes after Israel cancelled hundreds of permits for Palestinian Christians in Gaza hoping to visit Occupied Jerusalem for Easter Saint Porphyrins Orthodox Church said.
More than 700 permits were reportedly granted for the Easter holiday before the cancellation.
The Islamic-Christian Commission in support of Jerusalem condemned the sudden cancellation of permits for Palestinian Christians from Gaza and dubbed it as an affront to their freedom of worship.
