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Agence France Presse
May 4, 2013 Saturday 10:59 PM GMT
PLO slams Israel over treatment of Palestinian Christians
JERUSALEM, May 04 2013
The Palestine Liberation Organisation denounced Israel for causing
"countless difficulties" for Palestinian Christians and Muslims to
reach their holy sites as Orthodox Christians held the "Holy Fire"
ceremony in Jerusalem Saturday on the eve of Orthodox Easter.
"It is not only that Israel has isolated our occupied capital from the
rest of our country - forcing our people to apply for special military
permits to access their families and holy places for religious
occasions - but even Palestinians from Jerusalem were beaten when
trying to reach the Church of the Holy Sepulchre," said Hanna Amireh,
a member of the PLO Executive Committee and Head of the Presidential
Committee on Church Affairs.
Throngs of Orthodox Christians filled Jerusalem's ancient Church of
the Holy Sepulchre and surrounding streets for the ceremony for which
thousands of Israeli police officers were deployed.
Police said tens of thousands of faithful gathered in the streets
around the site where Christians believe Jesus was crucified, buried
and resurrected, causing huge delays at dozens of checkpoints.
"The Israeli forces turned a religious occasion into a battle camp
scenario," said Amireh.
"This is part of Israel's plan to turn Jerusalem into an exclusive Jewish city.
"Palestinian Christians and Muslims face countless difficulties in
order to reach their holy sites and conduct their celebrations, while
Jews from anywhere are allowed to freely pray at their holy places.
"It is time for the international community to take real action," he added.
"What was witnessed in Jerusalem was an attempt to cancel a tradition
of 700 years.
"The Israeli government is doing everything possible in order to
achieve its goal of changing Jerusalem's landscape, by building more
settlements, demolishing more Palestinian homes, revoking more IDs and
by attempting to prevent the normal celebration of Christian and
Muslim religious events..."
The PLO said Israeli police stopped a visit organised by Palestinian
Christian groups with foreign diplomats and Adnan Ghaleb al-Husayni,
the governor for Quds (Jerusalem) Governorate, as they tried to enter
the Old City of Jerusalem.
"Even praying has become an act of resistance for Palestinians," said Amireh.
Believers hold that a divine fire from heaven ignites candles held by
the Greek Orthodox patriarch, in an annual rite dating back to the 4th
century AD symbolising the resurrection of Christ.
The event, the highlight of the Eastern Christian calendar, was
attended by pilgrims from around the world -- predominantly Eastern
Europe -- as well as Arab Israelis, all carrying unlit candles.
Greek Patriarch Theophilos III made his traditional grand entry at the
head of a procession of monks, chanters and dignitaries with red and
gold banners bearing icons.
After circling the shrine in the heart of the church three times, he
entered along with the Armenian Patriarch what Orthodox, Roman
Catholics and many other Christians believe is Jesus's burial site,
emerging minutes later with a lit candle.
The holy flame was swiftly passed from candle to candle between
ecstatic believers, most of whom had waited for several hours for the
ceremony which filled the air with light and smoke.
Some pilgrims passed their hands through the fire, saying it does not burn them.
The Holy Fire was passed outside to the crowds who watched the
ceremony on huge screens, and was then taken to nearby Bethlehem's
Church of the Nativity, where Jesus is believed to have been born, and
also flown out to Orthodox countries.
While the Church of the Sepulchre is one of Christianity's holiest
sites, it is shared uneasily by six denominations -- the Greek
Orthodox, Roman Catholics, Armenian Orthodox, Egyptian Copts, Syrian
Orthodox and Ethiopian Orthodox.
In the past, fist fights have broken out among monks from the
different denominations over perceived changes to the fragile status
quo hammered out down the centuries.
Roman Catholics in Jerusalem and Bethlehem celebrated Easter on March
31, according to the Gregorian calendar.
But this year other Catholics in the Holy Land, including those from
Nazareth, decided for the first time to mark Easter this Sunday under
the Orthodox calendar, in an act of ecumenical unity.
mab-pics-agr-jjm/gk
May 4, 2013 Saturday 10:59 PM GMT
PLO slams Israel over treatment of Palestinian Christians
JERUSALEM, May 04 2013
The Palestine Liberation Organisation denounced Israel for causing
"countless difficulties" for Palestinian Christians and Muslims to
reach their holy sites as Orthodox Christians held the "Holy Fire"
ceremony in Jerusalem Saturday on the eve of Orthodox Easter.
"It is not only that Israel has isolated our occupied capital from the
rest of our country - forcing our people to apply for special military
permits to access their families and holy places for religious
occasions - but even Palestinians from Jerusalem were beaten when
trying to reach the Church of the Holy Sepulchre," said Hanna Amireh,
a member of the PLO Executive Committee and Head of the Presidential
Committee on Church Affairs.
Throngs of Orthodox Christians filled Jerusalem's ancient Church of
the Holy Sepulchre and surrounding streets for the ceremony for which
thousands of Israeli police officers were deployed.
Police said tens of thousands of faithful gathered in the streets
around the site where Christians believe Jesus was crucified, buried
and resurrected, causing huge delays at dozens of checkpoints.
"The Israeli forces turned a religious occasion into a battle camp
scenario," said Amireh.
"This is part of Israel's plan to turn Jerusalem into an exclusive Jewish city.
"Palestinian Christians and Muslims face countless difficulties in
order to reach their holy sites and conduct their celebrations, while
Jews from anywhere are allowed to freely pray at their holy places.
"It is time for the international community to take real action," he added.
"What was witnessed in Jerusalem was an attempt to cancel a tradition
of 700 years.
"The Israeli government is doing everything possible in order to
achieve its goal of changing Jerusalem's landscape, by building more
settlements, demolishing more Palestinian homes, revoking more IDs and
by attempting to prevent the normal celebration of Christian and
Muslim religious events..."
The PLO said Israeli police stopped a visit organised by Palestinian
Christian groups with foreign diplomats and Adnan Ghaleb al-Husayni,
the governor for Quds (Jerusalem) Governorate, as they tried to enter
the Old City of Jerusalem.
"Even praying has become an act of resistance for Palestinians," said Amireh.
Believers hold that a divine fire from heaven ignites candles held by
the Greek Orthodox patriarch, in an annual rite dating back to the 4th
century AD symbolising the resurrection of Christ.
The event, the highlight of the Eastern Christian calendar, was
attended by pilgrims from around the world -- predominantly Eastern
Europe -- as well as Arab Israelis, all carrying unlit candles.
Greek Patriarch Theophilos III made his traditional grand entry at the
head of a procession of monks, chanters and dignitaries with red and
gold banners bearing icons.
After circling the shrine in the heart of the church three times, he
entered along with the Armenian Patriarch what Orthodox, Roman
Catholics and many other Christians believe is Jesus's burial site,
emerging minutes later with a lit candle.
The holy flame was swiftly passed from candle to candle between
ecstatic believers, most of whom had waited for several hours for the
ceremony which filled the air with light and smoke.
Some pilgrims passed their hands through the fire, saying it does not burn them.
The Holy Fire was passed outside to the crowds who watched the
ceremony on huge screens, and was then taken to nearby Bethlehem's
Church of the Nativity, where Jesus is believed to have been born, and
also flown out to Orthodox countries.
While the Church of the Sepulchre is one of Christianity's holiest
sites, it is shared uneasily by six denominations -- the Greek
Orthodox, Roman Catholics, Armenian Orthodox, Egyptian Copts, Syrian
Orthodox and Ethiopian Orthodox.
In the past, fist fights have broken out among monks from the
different denominations over perceived changes to the fragile status
quo hammered out down the centuries.
Roman Catholics in Jerusalem and Bethlehem celebrated Easter on March
31, according to the Gregorian calendar.
But this year other Catholics in the Holy Land, including those from
Nazareth, decided for the first time to mark Easter this Sunday under
the Orthodox calendar, in an act of ecumenical unity.
mab-pics-agr-jjm/gk