Easter in Jerusalem disrupted by war and restrictions at Holy Sepulchre

On routes approaching the church, where Christians believe Jesus Christ was crucified, buried and rose from the dead, police at checkpoints screened a small number of worshippers allowed near the site.

All shops in the area were closed, heightening the sense of emptiness.

"Happy Easter," said the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, shortly after dawn as he entered the church surrounded by a modest group of clergy, according to AFP journalists at the site.

Outside, a few Catholics and Orthodox Christians tried to reach the church but were kept at a distance by security forces.

"How can you tell me I cannot go to church, it is unacceptable," said one Catholic from Tel Aviv who had attended Easter worship at the site in previous years.

Security has been stepped up in the Old City, located in annexed east Jerusalem and home to sites sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims.

Israel has also imposed restrictions on large gatherings as a security precaution due to the constant threat of strikes during the ongoing Middle East war.

"Here, inside this Sepulchre, we are not facing a symbol: we are facing a real emptiness," Cardinal Pizzaballa said at the Easter mass in the church.

"We are standing in the place where the stone was rolled away, yet we know all too well that many stones remain sealed around us.

"Too many tombs have been dug again by hatred, violence, and retaliation," he said to a small group of clergy.

On Palm Sunday, Cardinal Pizzaballa was prevented by Israeli police from entering the Holy Sepulchre for mass, provoking outrage, before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered he be allowed in.

"In this land where the story began... we continue to steadfastly protect the freedom of worship for all faiths, especially at this sacred time," Netanyahu said in a message marking Easter.

Since the start of the war on February 28, debris from Iranian missiles or interceptors has fallen in the Old City, including near the Holy Sepulchre, Al-Aqsa Mosque, and in the Jewish Quarter.
'Hard for all of us'
Most Palestinian Christians belong to the Orthodox faith, which celebrates Easter on April 12.

But for many other Christians, the curbs on worship have stripped Sunday's Easter celebrations of substance.

"It's very hard for all of us because it's our holiday... It's really hard to want to pray but to come here and find nothing. Everything is closed," said Christina Toderas, 44, from Romania.

Like many other worshippers, she had resigned herself to watching the mass at the Holy Sepulchre on television.

"Never in my lifetime did I imagine a day when we would be forbidden from taking those steps" to the church, said a Palestinian woman from Jerusalem, Huda al-Imam.

"To have the Holy Sepulchre closed is to have the heart of our cultural and spiritual life stopped. Easter is not an event we attend -- it is who we are," she said.

Otmar Wassermann had also attempted to enter the Holy Sepulchre but failed.

"I must say I was somewhat frustrated," he told AFP, recalling how the feast is generally celebrated every year.

"The atmosphere is incredible," Wassermann said, noting the music in particular. "People who go there, they have deep faith."

Despite his disappointment, the 65-year-old Catholic acknowledged that if the authorities said there was "danger, then there might be danger".

Father Bernard Poggi, who was preparing to attend mass in another church near the holy site, also said he understood the security measures but added that "it seems to be more and more that there's an unevenness in how the laws are put into practice".

Inside the Holy Sepulchre, the celebrations were being held behind closed doors in front of a very small congregation, a far cry from the crowds that usually gather.

Around the Old City, where hymns and processions usually dominate at Easter, only whispers could be heard among the faithful moving discreetly through its passages.

"It is really sad. I just hope the war stops," said Julio Makhalfeh, a 25-year-old restaurant manager.

"We had enough of all this. It is time to bring some normalcy back in our life."