Christians in the Holy Land are celebrating Easter in difficult times this year amid Iranian missile attacks on Israel, settler violence against their communities in the occupied West Bank and increasing Israeli pressure on their places of worship and practices.
An incident last Sunday in the Christian Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City, which has been largely closed by Israeli order because of the war, sparked a global outcry that forced Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to quickly issue a clarification.
Israeli police blocked the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa – the Catholic Church's highest official in the Holy Land – from celebrating Palm Sunday Mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, breaking a centuries-old tradition.
Widespread condemnation quickly followed, from French President Emmanuel Macron to the American right-wing media personality Tucker Carlson. Even the staunchly pro-Israel US Ambassador, Mike Huckabee, criticised the police action.
Within hours, Mr Netanyahu’s office released a statement saying that Cardinal Pizzaballa was blocked “out of special concern for his safety”.
“There was no malicious intent whatsoever, only concern for his safety and that of his party," he said. "However, given the holiness of the week leading up to Easter for the world’s Christians, Israel’s security arms are putting together a plan to enable church leaders to worship at the holy site in the coming days.”
Father Francesco Ielpo, Custos of the Holy Land, who was with the cardinal when police prevented them from entering the church, told a press conference days later that it was a “painful episode”.
“The Custos of the Holy Land is the Superior of the Holy Sepulchre and, as such, does not require permission from the police to access the Basilica. This is not a privilege, but the recognition of a long and established right,” he said.
Speaking at the press conference, Mr Pizzaballa said: “We want to look at this as a moment of occasion, an opportunity to clarify better the relations about the governance of the holy places in general."
On Friday, Israeli President Isaac Herzog spoke to Pope Leo XIV “to exchange greetings for the Passover and Easter holidays”. They discussed the Iran war, Israel’s invasion of Lebanon and “the great importance of the State of Israel's relationship with the Holy See, the Catholic Church, and Christians around the world”, Mr Herzog said.
Despite the conciliatory statements from both sides, the Palm Sunday incident is seen by many Christians as part of a growing trend of Israeli animosity towards followers of their faith in the land of its birth. Other attacks throughout the year and polling data bear out these concerns.
"I grew up in a different Jerusalem to the one we see today. The past four to five years have brought a dramatic shift in the character of this city," said Hagop Djernazian, an Armenian Christian activist.
"In recent years, we have learnt that everything is possible, not in a positive sense, but in a deeply troubling way," he said.
"We pray that next year we’ll be able to celebrate in a much better place."
Daniel Seidemann, a Jewish-Israeli lawyer and Jerusalem activist, attributes the negative trend, in part, to the rise of religious political and clerical leaders who "weaponise faith" in the Holy Land.
"The ascendancy of these religious movements has led to the marginalisation of the historic faith communities, which have long been forces of moderation, acknowledging and adapting to the pluralistic complexities of Jerusalem," he said.
A recently released survey of Jewish-Israeli opinions of Christianity and Christians in the Holy Land paints a troubling picture for a country whose population is becoming increasingly young and religious.
Conducted by the Rossing Centre for Education and Dialogue, a peace-building interfaith organisation in Jerusalem, the survey found that “as religiosity increases, attitudes [towards Christians] tend to become more negative and cautious” and that “younger [Israelis] show more negative attitudes”.
Fifty-five per cent of respondents disagreed when asked “should Christianity be taught about in schools in Israel?” – of whom 38 per cent said they strongly disagreed. Twenty-seven per cent of all respondents said it bothered them when they encountered a Christian wearing a cross, but that number rose to more than 80 per cent among ultra-Orthodox Jews, more than 60 per cent of whom said it strongly bothered them.
The ultra-Orthodox community is the fastest-growing sector of Israeli-Jewish society, and is expected to make up a quarter of the population by 2050, according to the Israel Democracy Institute, a think tank.
In a separate report on violence against Christians during 2025, the Rossing Centre said it recorded “a continued and expanding pattern of intimidation and aggression, most visibly against clergy and church properties”.
It said Christian clergy in parts of Jerusalem such as Mount Zion and the Armenian Quarter, which many religious Jews pass through on their way to pray at the Western Wall, reported that "harassment has become so routine that stepping outside can carry an almost certain risk of abuse”.
In the occupied West Bank, Christians have also been the victims of the surge in settler violence against Palestinians. The Christian town of Taybeh saw multiple attacks in 2026, including arson, armed incursions and racist graffiti.
In Gaza, Christians were not spared in the Israeli military's devastating two-year offensive that began after a Hamas attack on Israel in October 2023. Members of the tiny community were killed and church property destroyed by Israeli bombardment before a fragile ceasefire largely halted Israeli attacks.
Now the war in Iran has forced the cancellation of most Easter ceremonies that usually draw thousands of Christians from the region and beyond to Jerusalem's Old City. Instead, the best they can hope for is live-streamed services attended by a few clergy.
Muslim worship has been affected as well, with Israeli authorities barring prayers at the Al Aqsa Mosque compound since the Iran war began on February 28, just days before Eid Al Fitr. Access to the Western Wall remains open but restricted to small numbers of worshippers.
With Holy Week observances for the Orthodox Easter beginning next week, it remains to be seen whether the assurances of Israeli authorities will be kept. What is certain is that the deeper, underlying causes of the problems facing the Christian community will take more than statements to address.
