Middle East war casts shadow over Holy Week

FOR more than a month, life in Jerusalem and across the Holy Land has been marked by fear, uncertainty and near-constant disruption, as the US/Israeli war on Iran intensifies in the region.

- TRACY-LYNN RUITERS

According to Sami El-Yousef, Chief Executive Officer of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, a particular church within the universal Catholic Church, residents are enduring what he described as the most difficult and dangerous period in their lifetime.

“Daily life is interrupted several times by the sounds of multiple sirens directing us to shelters, followed by the sounds of missiles, interceptors, and fighter jets flying so close overhead, and then explosions so close that the building shakes,” he said.

The constant threat has created a cycle of anxiety. “Then speculation starts with a rush to social media and TV screens to learn more about the impact and more importantly the safety of loved ones,” he said.

El-Yousef warned of broader regional consequences, drawing comparisons to the devastation seen in the Gaza Strip.

“One worries that when all is said and done, many areas in the Middle East will look like Gaza,” he said, adding that such destruction “should be something that the whole world should be ashamed it happened on their watch.”

The war has cast a shadow over one of the most significant periods in the religious calendar. “Holy Week in Jerusalem will be very sad without the tens of thousands of pilgrims making their way through the narrow alleyways of the Old City,” he said.

Major religious sites, including the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Western Wall, were closed under strict security measures affecting observances during Ramadan, Passover and Easter. With the Old City lacking adequate public shelters, authorities imposed tighter restrictions than in other parts of Jerusalem, while most commercial activity came to a halt.