Jerusalem churches appeal to government to safeguard Easter worship after attacks

Churches in Jerusalem appealed to the government Friday to ensure Christians are able to worship freely during Easter and its run-up, expressing concern at mounting violence and acts of desecration over the past year.

Easter, which marks the resurrection of Jesus Christ in the Christian tradition, coincides again this year with the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and the Jewish festival of Passover, and followers of all three faiths are expected to throng to Jerusalem’s Old City.

During the same period last year, East Jerusalem was the scene of clashes between Israeli security forces and Palestinians, some of them Christians. READ MORE