Israel Is Blocking Palestinians from Easter at Church Where Jesus Resurrected

Christian worshippers mark Palm Sunday, following the cancellation of the traditional Palm Sunday procession from the Mount of Olives, amid restrictions on gathering in large groups and the U.S.-Israel war with Iran, at the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem in Jerusalem’s Old City March 29, 2026. REUTERS/Ammar Awad  

As Christians across the globe remember Jesus’ journey through Holy Week, Israel is taking the unprecedented steps of restricting access to holy sites in Jerusalem.

Israel is blocking access to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, as well as the Western Wall, and the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex indefinitely after the outset of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, impacting typical observance of the Christian Holy Week, Ramadan, and Passover and restricting travel into East Jerusalem.

For Palestinian Christians, it would mark the first time that access to the church—which is known as the site of Jesus’ crucifixion, burial, and resurrection—is blocked over Easter. Historically, thousands of Christians around Jerusalem have traveled to the city and church as part of their Easter celebration.

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