Netanyahu opens access to Jerusalem Church after Easter backlash

Alisa Odenheimer, Bloomberg News on Mar 29, 2026

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he’s restoring access to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem after police prevented a Christian leader from holding Mass on Palm Sunday, prompting an international backlash.

Israeli authorities cited concern for the safety of the Latin Patriarch — essentially the Catholic archbishop responsible for the diocese including Israel and Palestinian territories — when they stopped him en route to the church, which is the site where Christians believe Jesus was crucified.

Netanyahu said Iran has repeatedly targeted holy sites in Jerusalem with ballistic missiles, including a strike that sent fragments close to the church. That prompted the measures to prevent the Patriarch, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, from holding Mass, he said.

“Even though I understand this concern, as soon as I learned about the incident with Cardinal Pizzaballa, I instructed the authorities to enable the Patriarch to hold services as he wishes,” Netanyahu said on X.

U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee and Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s top diplomat, criticized Israeli authorities earlier Sunday. Kallas called the restraining measures a “violation of religious freedom,” while Netanyahu’s office said there was “no malicious intent whatsoever.”

Holy sites in the Old City of Jerusalem have been closed by authorities to worshipers of all faiths since the beginning of the war with Iran, due to Home Front Command directives, and, in particular, locations that don’t have standard protected spaces, according to police. The directives were put in place due to missile attacks from Iran, which have killed at least 19 people in Israel.

“As a result, and for the first time in centuries, the Heads of the Church were prevented from celebrating the Palm Sunday Mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre,” the Patriarchate said. “This incident is a grave precedent, and disregards the sensibilities of billions of people around the world who, during this week, look to Jerusalem.”

Huckabee called the police action an “unfortunate overreach already having major repercussions around the world.” He said it’s “difficult to understand or justify.”

“Freedom of worship in Jerusalem must be fully guaranteed, without exception, for all faiths,” the E.U.’s Kallas said. “Jerusalem’s multi-religious character must be protected.”