Laith Al-Jnaidi
12 April 2026•Update: 12 April 2026
Jordan on Saturday condemned Israeli police assaults on Christians in occupied Jerusalem during Holy Fire celebrations, calling the measures illegal and a violation of the historical and legal status quo in the city.
The Foreign Ministry expressed the kingdom’s “absolute rejection and condemnation” of what it described as unlawful Israeli restrictions targeting Christians during the celebrations.
It stressed the need to stop all measures that obstruct Muslims and Christians from practicing their religious rites at their places of worship.
It also called for respecting the historical and legal status quo in Jerusalem and its holy sites, stressing that “there is no Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem.”
Jordan urged the international community to assume its legal and moral responsibilities and compel Israel to halt its violations against Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem.
It also called for ensuring the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people to establish their independent and sovereign state on their national soil on the basis of a two-state solution.
Israeli forces imposed tight military restrictions across Jerusalem on Saturday, particularly around the Damascus Gate and the Old City, as churches marked Holy Fire celebrations ahead of Orthodox Easter.
Israel had closed the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and Jerusalem Al-Aqsa Mosque for 40 days beginning Feb. 28, citing security concerns during the US-Israeli war against Iran, before reopening them Wednesday.
Before reopening the church, Israeli authorities prevented Palestinian Christians in occupied Jerusalem from holding Palm Sunday prayers at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, in an unprecedented move that drew wide international condemnation.
*Writing by Tarek Chouiref
