Israel Restricts Christian Worshippers’ Access to Jerusalem’s Church of the Resurrection on Orthodox Easter Sabbath

Yesterday, Saturday, thousands of Palestinian Christians celebrated what the source calls the “Septuagint of Light” at a church in Jerusalem, despite restrictions imposed by Israel.

On Sunday, April 24, 2022, the source reports that Israeli occupation measures impeded the arrival of Christian worshippers at the Church of the Resurrection, where communities following the Eastern calendar were marking what the source calls the Sabbath of the light. Worshippers’ access to the church on that day was affected by these measures, and the source describes the restrictions as part of a wider pattern of difficulty for Christians in the city.

The source describes Palestinian Christians as among the oldest Christian groups in the world, with some families linked to early Christianity, which is why they are often called “living stones.” It says their ethnic origins are mixed, drawing on Arab Christians who predated Islam, as well as Armenians, Byzantines, and others.

Population figures in the source vary. It estimates the number of Palestinian Christians worldwide at 2.3 million, the great majority of whom live outside Palestine. Within the Palestinian territories, the source says Christians made up about 11.2 percent of the population before 1948 and now make up about 1 percent. It identifies emigration as the main reason for this decline, and says Christians in Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Beit Jala, Beit Sahur, Ramallah, and other areas are experiencing the effects of immigration rates that far exceed those prevailing in Palestinian society. Other estimates cited in the source put the share at around 0.6 percent, and it notes that some recent statistics show the Christian population has fallen to about 110,000.

Church affiliation is also described. The source says Greek Orthodox Christians make up about 51 percent of Christians in the West Bank and Gaza. Latin (Catholic) Christians are listed at 33 percent, with smaller shares for Protestants, Syrian and Armenian Orthodox, Coptic, Maronite, and other communities.

Palestinian Christians are concentrated in Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Ramallah, Haifa, Beit Jala, Birzeit, and several villages in Upper Galilee in the north of the country.

Source: Read the original report (translated from Arabic)