JERUSALEM (AP) – Crowds have thinned significantly as the Israel-Hamas war continues, as hundreds of Christians march through the limestone walls of Jerusalem’s Old City to mark one of the faith’s holiest days. Participated in the procession on Friday.
The queue on this day, which normally attracts thousands of foreign tourists, was unusually made up of locals. Most of the observers were Palestinian Christians, joined by a few foreigners living in Jerusalem and a few undaunted tourists.
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The traditional Good Friday procession follows the Way of the Cross, or Via Dolorosa, where Jesus is believed to have walked leading up to his crucifixion. Israeli police squads set up barricades along paths and rerouted shoppers through the Old City’s busy Muslim quarter to make way for hundreds of pilgrims.
Christians walk the Station of the Cross commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ in the Old City of Jerusalem on Good Friday, Friday, March 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
A group of young Palestinian Arab scouts led the day’s procession, passing through 14 stations along the route, each commemorating an event that befell Jesus on his final journey. Hundreds of Palestinian Christians followed them. Behind them followed a small parade of Franciscan friars, mainly made up of foreigners living in Jerusalem.
“We wait for this every year,” said Munira Kamal, a Palestinian Christian from the Old City who watched the parade pass. People crossing the street stopped to kiss the little girl on the cheek. “Of course, we are in an unfortunate situation this year because of the ongoing war situation.”
Thousands of Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s continued offensive in the Gaza Strip, which began in the wake of the October 7 Hamas killings and hostage crisis in Israel.
The final stop of the procession is inside the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, where Jesus is believed to have been crucified and buried before being resurrected on Easter Sunday. The effects of the war were evident there. Instead of the crowds that usually line the church courtyard for hours, entry to the grounds was easy.
The city’s streets were conspicuously empty of Palestinian Christians from the West Bank, who usually gather in the holy city for Easter festivities. Since October 7, Palestinian worshipers have needed special permission to cross checkpoints into Jerusalem.
Despite the sparse crowds, shopkeepers opened their heavy metal doors, usually closed on Fridays, to tourists seeking Catholic memorabilia. But few shoppers were interested.
“If you compare last year’s Easter festival with this year’s Easter festival, it’s like the sun is setting. There’s no one here. Most of them are locals,” said the family, whose family first opened the store in 1942. said Fayaz Daqqaq, a Palestinian shopkeeper. His shop was deserted. “Normally today people are happy and children are excited. But how can you be happy if you compare the children here who have water and food and families with what is happening in Gaza?”
According to the U.S. State Department’s 2022 International Religious Freedom Report, an estimated 50,000 Christian Palestinians live in the West Bank and Jerusalem, and about 1,300 Christians live in Gaza. Some Christians are also citizens of Israel. Many Palestinian Christians live in diaspora communities.
Several tourists bravely participated that day as well. Carmen Ross, a Jerusalem-based lawyer, managed to corral a group of Spanish pilgrims coming to the country for a religious trip. The group rested in the shade outside the church.
“At first they were afraid of the situation,” she said. “But I told them we are safe here in Jerusalem, there is no violence. We are close to Gaza, but Christians are not targets of terrorism.”
The celebrations coincided with the third Friday of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, with worshipers once again gathering at the venerated Al-Aqsa Mosque for prayers. Despite concerns that the ongoing war could spark clashes at the revered Al-Aqsa Mosque, the month has so far passed peacefully under heavy Israeli security.
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Sister Harriet Kabaije, a pilgrim from Uganda who moved to Jerusalem three weeks ago to live in a convent, said she was praying for the people of Gaza. She said she believes peace can be achieved in the region.
“Many people think war here is natural,” she says. “But when Jesus was in Bethlehem, there was peace in Bethlehem. We know that people are suffering in Gaza, so we take them in prayer and pray for peace to return to the land. ” she said.
