DaysofPal- Israeli occupation forces (IOF) heavily deployed across occupied Jerusalem on Saturday, turning the area around Damascus Gate and the Old City into a military barracks, as Christian communities marked Holy Saturday, also known as Saturday of Light, at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
Large numbers of Israeli forces and security forces were stationed in and around the Old City, where they erected multiple checkpoints and barriers on roads and alleys leading to the church, witnesses said.
Local sources reported that officers checked the IDs of many young Palestinians and prevented some from entering the area around the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to participate in Holy Saturday rituals.
As in previous years, churchgoers and community leaders accused Israeli authorities of imposing tight restrictions on Christian worship in Jerusalem, saying the measures disrupt Easter celebrations and curtail the right to freedom of religion and worship.
They argue such policies form part of broader efforts to marginalize the Christian presence and erase the authentic Christian–Muslim identity of the city.
From the early hours of the morning, roads and approaches to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre were either closed or heavily controlled by Israeli forces, creating a suffocating security environment in the heart of Jerusalem.
Dimitri Diliani, head of the Christian National Assembly in the Holy Land, condemned the restrictions as a racist and repressive measure that targets the Palestinian presence in Jerusalem in general, and Palestinian Christians in particular.
He said preventing access to the church on Holy Saturday strikes at the community’s historical depth, living heritage, and spiritual dimension and violates a firmly established right to practice religious rituals.
Diliani noted that the clampdown came despite a clear appeal issued by the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, which had stressed the right of believers to reach the Church of the Holy Sepulchre at all times, especially during Holy Week, Holy Saturday and the Easter feast.
He accused Israel of carrying out “actual religious persecution” against all Palestinians, Muslims and Christians alike, as a tool of colonial domination and an attempt to reshape the city’s identity.
“This aggressive behavior will not uproot our Christian and Muslim Palestinian presence, which is deeply rooted in this land,” he said.
Greek Orthodox Patriarchate Calls for Presence at Holy Sepulchre.
The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate in Jerusalem had called on Palestinian Christians to attend Holy Saturday services at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, underscoring the spiritual and national importance of the occasion.
In a statement, the Patriarchate said that gathering around the Holy Tomb on this day embodies the message of our forefathers and preserves the conscience of the Holy City, adding that receiving the holy light that emanates from Jerusalem and is carried to the world is a sign of life.
“The flame of this light passes among us, from hand to hand, bearing witness to our presence in our holy city, our attachment to what we have inherited, and our steadfastness in a faith that does not go out,” the statement added, expressing hope that peace and justice would prevail in the world.
In a recent escalation, Israeli forces closed the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for 40 days and barred worship there, citing the ongoing Israeli–US war against Iran as justification, church sources and local media said.
Christian churches that follow the Eastern calendar celebrate Holy Saturday, or Saturday of Light , on the day before Orthodox Easter Sunday, one of the most important dates in the Christian liturgical year.
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