Jerusalem's Royal committee says occupation ‘kills’ Easter celebrations

AMMAN — Secretary-General of the Royal Committee for Jerusalem Affairs Abdullah Kanaan on Sunday said that while Christians around the world, including in Jerusalem, Gaza, and the occupied Palestinian territories, celebrate Easter, the Israeli occupation continues its policy of killing all aspects of joy and happiness.

Kanaan added that Israel turns both Islamic and Christian holidays into occasions marked by apartheid, racism, violence, and violations.

In a statement to the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Kanaan noted that this year’s Easter celebrations unfortunately coincide with scenes of repression, beatings, and closures targeting Christians in Jerusalem and Gaza, which has been under “brutal” Israeli aggression for 560 consecutive days.

He emphasised that such violations have become familiar to the people in Palestine during all their holidays and occasions.

Kanaan stressed that, on the occasion of Easter, the committee calls on the international community to recognise that the true spirit of Muslim-Christian coexistence in Jerusalem, which was established by the Umariyya Covenant and the teachings of Islam, is under attack in what amounts to a religious war.

He also referred to continuous Israeli attempts to erase the Arab Islamic and Christian identity and the symbolism of their holidays that spread happiness and harmony.

He added that the world now realises that Muslim-Christian coexistence in Jerusalem and across Palestine has become a shared experience not only of living together but of sacrifice and steadfastness. 

The secretary-genral said that holidays of Palestinians in the occupied territories are marred by the “machinery of war” and the policies of a far-right government.

“Families mark their celebrations in refugee camps, among the ruins of their homes, and amid the pain of losing loved ones, with the only hope being liberation from occupation and its cruelty,” he said.

Kanaan reiterated that Jordan, its people and leadership, who hold the Hashemite custodianship over Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, will remain a steadfast supporter of the people of Jerusalem, Gaza, and the occupied Palestinian territories.