West Bank Palestinians angry at being shut out of Jerusalem for Easter

Christians living in the West Bank are angry at a drop in the number of permits allowing them to travel to Jerusalem for Easter. Israel issues permits to both Muslim and Christian worshippers to pass through the Separation Wall erected in 2002 during religious celebrations. 

Children look at a nun holding a candle during the Catholic Washing of the Feet ceremony in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem, 28 March Reuters/Ronen Zvulun

Christians make up an estimated eight percent of the West Bank population, but many living in the West Bank are prevented from travelling to Jerusalem despite its proximity to both Ramallah and Bethlehem.

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Report in Ramallah

Ruth Michaelson

A statement by the Palestinian Liberation Organisation argued that parishes from Bethlehem and Ramallah received between 30 and 40 percent of the Easter permits that they requested from Israel.

At the Latin Patriarchate of Ramallah, Father Rahed Abu Salieh said that his parish only received 700 out of the 1600 permits they had applied for this year. He is unclear as to wy the number is so low.

“Sometimes the father got a permit but their children didn’t get one, or the mother got a permit but her children didn’t have one, so this is really unacceptable and we don’t understand it.”

Father Salieh condemned the wider lack of Palestinian access to Jerusalem:

“Jerusalem is the city of God, the city of all the religions- where we have Christians, Muslims and Jews. So all of them must have the right to go to worship there all year round.”

Dr Hanan Ashrawi, speaking on behalf of the PLO, condemned the lack of permits as denying Christians what she termed as a simple human right to worship. Israeli officials have not commented on the decision.