Easter 2024 in the Holy Land: a holiday marked by Palestinian Christian sorrow

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Roni Abusaad, San José State University

(THE CONVERSATION) Every year, Christians from across the world visit Jerusalem for Easter week, walking the Via Dolorosa, the path Jesus is said to have walked on the way to his crucifixion over 2,000 years ago. Easter is the holiest of days, and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the site where Jesus is believed to have died, is one of the most sacred sites for Christians.

But not all Christians have equal access to these sites. If you are a Christian Palestinian living in the city of Bethlehem or Ramallah hoping to celebrate Easter in Jerusalem, you have to request permission from Israeli authorities well before Christmas – without guarantee that it will be granted. Those were the rules even before Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas launched an attack on southern Israel. The Israeli response to the Hamas attack has resulted in even more severe restrictions on freedom of movement for Palestinians in the West Bank.

The site where the Bible says Jesus was born, in Bethlehem, and the place he died, in Jerusalem, are only about six...