NEWS | Wednesday, 15 April 2009

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It’s Easter for some, Palm Sunday for others... and for others still it’s Pesach

Karl Schembri
JERUSALEM: Thousands of Catholic pilgrims from all over the world gathered to celebrate Easter Sunday in Jerusalem, marking the resurrection of Jesus Christ after his crucifixion.
Orthodox Christians, who will be celebrating the same feast next Sunday, commemorated Palm Sunday – the day when Jesus is said to have entered Jerusalem greeted by palm branch ahead of the crucifixion. At the same time, Jews celebrated the third day of the weeklong Pesach (Passover), commemorating the exodus from slavery in Egypt.
Security was tight around the old city. Some 70 Jews were reported to have entered the Al Aqsa Mosque in the morning, in a provocative move that evoked in Palestinians’ minds the incendiary entry by former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, triggering the 2000 intifada. The third holiest site in Islam, the Al Aqsa Mosque compound comprises the iconic Dome of the Rock – a major symbol of Palestinian nationalism. Jews believe the area is also the site of the ancient Second Temple.
Meanwhile thousands of Christian Palestinians from the West Bank were denied entry into Jerusalem by Israeli authorities, giving special permission to a tiny fraction of those who applied. Only Palestinians living in Jerusalem with an Israeli ID card are granted freedom of movement in Israel. Muslim Palestinians in the West Bank are never given permits to enter Jerusalem for religious reasons.

Karl Schembri is a correspondent for Ramattan news agency

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