The Israeli government has set an age limit for Christian Palestinians wishing to pray at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem during Easter this year: Only those older than 55 will be allowed entry into the Old City. So, Christians from other countries are welcome in Jerusalem, but not the next-door Palestinians,no matter what has been said for decades about peaceful coexistence. The age condition is bound to deprive thousands of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank from attending the celebration. Moreover, some of those who meet the age restriction complain that they will not be able to go because they need younger companions to take care of them during the trip. The age restriction then is just one of the many oppressive Israeli measures imposed on the Palestinians. In fact, Israel applies this same condition to Muslims wanting to pray in Al Aqsa Mosque. Each year, the Israeli authorities come up with a different pretext to minimise the number of permits issued to Palestinian Christians on several religious occasions. Last year for example, a number of permits were issued to Christians of the West bank and Gaza. But the authorities imposed a closure on the occupied territories for a Jewish holiday which coincided with Easter and so the permits were of no use. Churches in Jerusalem last month closed their doors in protest against a decision by the Jerusalem municipality to collect taxes from properties owned by churches which do not serve as houses of worship. The leaders of the three churches running the holy sites in Jerusalem issued a statement saying the Israeli move was a "systematic campaign of abuse against churches and Christians". The Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, was forced to suspend the decision when faced with the outrage of the Christian community worldwide. And yet, Donald Trump, in his address announcing US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, said: "Over the past seven decades, the Israeli people have built a country where Jews, Muslims and Christians and people of all faiths are free to live and worship according to their conscience and belief." How can Jerusalem serve as Israel's capital when the Palestinian Muslims and Christians cannot enjoy freedom of worship in the city? The US has already decided to move its embassy to Jerusalem within the next two or three months, in complete disregard of the sentiments of millions of Muslims across the world and people of other faiths who regard this step as groundless given the stalled peace talks between the Palestinians and Israelis. So, why should Israel stop its oppression when it enjoys the US unwavering support?
