Jordan warned, on Thursday, against Israel imposing restrictions that limit Christians’ access to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in occupied Jerusalem, and reduce the number of Christians celebrating the “Light Sabbath.”
“All Israeli measures aimed at restricting the right of Christians to free and unrestricted access to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, next Saturday, to practice their religious rites are rejected and condemned,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Sinan Majali said in a statement.
He continued: “Israel, the occupying power, must respect the historical and legal status quo in Jerusalem and its sanctities and stop all restrictive measures against the Christians of occupied Jerusalem, and refrain from any measures that would prejudice the freedom of worship in the holy places in occupied Jerusalem.”
He stressed that “Jordan, and based on the historical Hashemite guardianship over the Islamic and Christian holy places in Jerusalem, will continue to take all possible steps to protect the sanctities and preserve the historical and legal status of the city of Jerusalem to be a key to peace and a symbol of tolerance and harmony.”
On Wednesday, the largest churches in East Jerusalem warned of the Israeli police’s efforts to “unjustifiably restrict the Holy Saturday celebrations,” which will be held, according to the eastern reckoning, Saturday, in the city’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
The restrictions on Christian celebrations in East Jerusalem come after the restrictions imposed by the Israeli authorities on Muslim prayers in Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Under the peace agreement signed with Israel in 1994, Jordan retained its right to supervise religious affairs in Jerusalem.
