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Christians gather to celebrate Palm Sunday in Jerusalem

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  • Christians gather to celebrate Palm Sunday in Jerusalem

    Agence France Presse
    April 4, 2004 Sunday 8:05 AM Eastern Time

    Christians gather to celebrate Palm Sunday in Jerusalem

    JERUSALEM


    Hundreds of followers from different branches of Christianity began
    Easter celebrations Sunday by parading through the streets of
    Jerusalem's Old City before praying at the Church of the Holy
    Sepulchre.

    Groups of Boy Scouts from the Catholic, Armenian, Greek Orthodox and
    Assyrian communities banged drums, followed by crowds shouting
    "Hosannah" and waving palm fronds and olive branches to mark Palm
    Sunday.

    They congregated at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, believed to the
    final resting place of Jesus Christ, for a special service.

    Palm Sunday marks the Sunday before Easter, when Jesus is said to
    have ridden a donkey down the Mount of Olives and into the holy city
    to a joyous welcome from the crowds, who scarcely a week later were
    calling for his death.

    Numbers were markedly down on the levels seen before the start of the
    Palestinian intifada, or uprising, in September 2000, which has seen
    many tourists steer clear of the Holy Land.

    Many Palestinian Christians have also been unable to attend
    celebrations, with Israeli authorities restricting travel from the
    occupied territories.

    One Arab resident of Jerusalem said she had been hoping that the rest
    of her family, who live near the West Bank town of Ramallah, would
    have been able to join her.

    "None of my brothers and or sisters have been able to come to
    Jerusalem," said the woman who would only give her name as Labiba.

    "Our family was meant to come and celebrate together and pray
    together. The Israelis said they would allow Palestinians to come but
    this is not true."
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