Cultural and holy sites in Palestine and Israel have seen a sharp drop in visitor numbers since the beginning of the war on Gaza in 2023.
This decline, however, has now reached unprecedented levels following the launch of the US-Israeli war on Iran, with heightened access restrictions threatening an already fragile religious quo.
Israeli-occupied East Jerusalem's Old City, where the Muslim and Christian Quarters are located, currently resembles a ghost town, with most markets shuttered, and worshippers barred by Israel from accessing the Al-Aqsa Mosque , the third-holiest site in Islam.
Friday prayers have not been held at the compound for over a month, while access to Christian sites such as the Church of the Holy Sepulchre remains restricted.
The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, was barred by Israel from entering the church, believed to be the site of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection, to perform Palm Sunday Mass, before the decision was overturned following international outrage.
The Latin Patriarchate said it was the first time in centuries that this had happened.
“The situation is currently very difficult because we are not allowed to enter the Al-Aqsa compound,” Arafat Amro, who has worked at the Islamic Museum of the Al-Aqsa Mosque for more than 15 years, told The New Arab .
For those who earn their living in the Old City, the situation is catastrophic. Israeli authorities have now extended the closure of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem until at least 15 April.
It remains unclear whether the compound will be accessible again after this date, or if the closure will be extended once again.
Since the Israeli occupation of East Jerusalem in 1967, the mosque has never been closed to Muslim worshippers for such an extended period. The battle for access to Al-Aqsa The Jordanian monarchy holds the official custodianship of Muslim and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, a role exercised within a highly tense political environment.
In this capacity, Jordan finances and manages the maintenance and supervision of the Al-Aqsa compound and other religious sites through the Waqf Department (an Arabic term for an Islamic endowment). However, this oversight repeatedly runs up against Israeli restrictions, which have undermined its authority since the 1967 occupation until the present day.
The Israeli government justifies the measures imposed in late February by citing safety directives from the Home Front Command that prohibit large gatherings amid the war on Iran.
While the Jewish festival of Passover – which ends on 9 April - is also being overshadowed by the war, a significant disparity in access remains.
The Western Wall is still accessible to a limited number of worshippers, currently restricted to a maximum of 50 people per prayer group, while the Al-Aqsa Mosque remains entirely sealed off to the public.
Access to the Muslim holy site is only being granted to a handful of Waqf staff and guards, whereas at the Western Wall, religious services continue under strict quotas.
Security concerns are not entirely unfounded. Recently, shrapnel from Iranian missiles struck Jerusalem’s Old City . While there were no injuries, the incident highlighted the vulnerability of these historic quarters, which lack modern bomb shelters.
However, many Palestinians view the closure of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound by Israeli authorities and limited access to churches as a direct provocation.
This sentiment is only amplified by the fact that the once fringe Temple Mount movement , which seeks to exercise exclusive Jewish sovereignty over the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, has become increasingly mainstream.
Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, for example, has repeatedly fuelled huge tensions with calls for the construction of a Third Jewish Temple on the site.
The vast majority of ultra-Orthodox rabbis strictly forbid Jews from entering the site due to religious purity laws. Faith in the crossfire For the Muslim population of Jerusalem and other cities, these restrictions were particularly painful during the fasting month of Ramadan - a time traditionally dedicated to spiritual reflection and communal prayer.
For the first time since 1967 , access remained restricted even for the festival of Eid al-Fitr, with worshippers forcibly prevented from entering the Old City.
As a result, thousands performed open air Eid prayers outside the city walls near Damascus Gate, one of the main entrances to the Old City.
Christian holy sites in Jerusalem also remain affected by the current tensions, with limited access during Holy Week.
Following the widely condemned decision to bar the Latin Patriarch from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, a framework was announced by Israeli police for traditional ceremonies to take place in a “symbolic and limited format”. Vatican News also confirmed an agreement between the Latin Patriarchate and Israeli authorities, noting that restrictions remain in place and liturgies will be livestreamed for believers worldwide.
To date, however, no comparable announcements have appeared on the police website regarding the Al-Aqsa Mosque or coordination with Muslim representatives. Bethlehem and Gaza's sorrowful Easter While the war on Iran overshadows the entire region, it impacts Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied territories in a particularly existential way.
Unlike the Israeli civilian population, people in cities like Bethlehem lack a comparable bomb shelter infrastructure, as Father Issa Thaljieh of Bethlehem’s Greek Orthodox community explained to TNA .
“While services are still being held in Bethlehem, the atmosphere is defined by fear and mourning. Since there are no public shelters, worshippers often have no choice during an alarm but to seek refuge inside buildings, staying as far as possible from windows and exterior walls that could be shattered by strikes or the resulting pressure,” he said.
Father Thaljieh noted that the most realistic expectation at present is that while church services in Bethlehem may continue, they will be "marked by fear, smaller crowds, and persistent uncertainty" regarding movement and security permits.
He emphasised that although Palestinians will likely still mark Easter in the city, it will be far from a return to normalcy. Without adequate protection and under the constant threat of disruption, he expects the celebrations to be "more local, more cautious, and more sorrowful" than in ordinary years.
Furthermore, the situation in the Gaza Strip remains precarious despite the ceasefire announced in October, with over 700 Palestinians killed by Israel since then.
“I am in contact with the priest there,” Father Thaljieh explains. “He described the situation as difficult, noting that explosions can still be heard in the surrounding area.”
As a result, this year's Easter celebrations for the Christian minority - much like the concurrent Muslim holidays in Palestine - remain defined not only by restrictions on the freedom of worship, but also a profound uncertainty if they will ever return to the previous status quo. Elias Feroz studied Islamic religion and history as part of his teacher training programme at the University of Innsbruck in Austria. Elias also works as a freelance writer and focuses on a variety of topics, including racism, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, the politics of history, and the culture of remembrance
Follow him on X: @FerozElias Edited by Charlie Hoyle