JERUSALEM: In the usually lively alleyways of Jerusalem&#39;s Old City, silence reigned on <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/pakistani-pm-extends-easter-greetings-reaffirms-commitment-to-minority-rights" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Easter Sunday</a>, with the holiday overshadowed by war and restrictions on access to the Holy Sepulchre, where the faithful commemorate Christ&#39;s crucifixion and resurrection. On routes approaching the church, where Christians believe Jesus Christ was crucified, buried and rose from the dead, police at checkpoints screened a small number of worshippers allowed near the site. All shops in the area were closed, heightening the sense of emptiness. &quot;Happy Easter,&quot; said the <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/israel-preventing-mass-by-jerusalems-latin-patriarch-an-offence-to-the-faithful-italy" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem</a>, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, shortly after dawn as he entered the church surrounded by a modest group of clergy, according to AFP journalists at the site. Outside, a few Catholics and Orthodox Christians tried to reach the church but were kept at a distance by security forces. &quot;How can you tell me I cannot go to church, it is unacceptable,&quot; said one Catholic from Tel Aviv who had attended Easter worship at the site in previous years. Security has been stepped up in the Old City, located in annexed east Jerusalem and home to sites sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims. Israel has also imposed restrictions on large gatherings as a security precaution due to the constant threat of strikes during the ongoing <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/usisrael-war-on-iran-day-37" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Middle East war</a>. On Palm Sunday, Cardinal Pizzaballa was prevented by Israeli police from entering the Holy Sepulchre for mass, provoking outrage, before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered he be allowed in. &quot;In this land where the story began... we continue to steadfastly protect the freedom of worship for all faiths, especially at this sacred time,&quot; Netanyahu said in a message marking Easter. &#39;Hard for all of us&#39; Most Palestinian Christians belong to the Orthodox faith, which celebrates Easter on April 12. But for many other Christians, the curbs on worship have stripped Sunday&#39;s Easter celebrations of substance. &quot;It&#39;s very hard for all of us because it&#39;s our holiday... It&#39;s really hard to want to pray but to come here and find nothing. Everything is closed,&quot; said Christina Toderas, 44, from Romania. Like many other worshippers, she had resigned herself to watching the mass at the Holy Sepulchre on television. Otmar Wassermann had also attempted to enter the Holy Sepulchre but failed. &quot;I must say I was somewhat frustrated,&quot; he told AFP, recalling how the feast is generally celebrated every year. &quot;The atmosphere is incredible,&quot; Wassermann said, noting the music in particular. &quot;People who go there, they have deep faith.&quot; Father Bernard Poggi, who was preparing to attend mass in another church near the holy site, also said he understood the security measures but added that &quot;it seems to be more and more that there&#39;s an unevenness in how the laws are put into practice&quot;. Inside the Holy Sepulchre, the celebrations were being held behind closed doors in front of a very small congregation, a far cry from the crowds that usually gather. Around the Old City, where hymns and processions usually dominate at Easter, only whispers could be heard among the faithful moving discreetly through its passages. &quot;It is really sad. I just hope the war stops,&quot; said Julio Makhalfeh, a 25-year-old restaurant manager. &quot;We had enough of all this. It is time to bring some normalcy back in our life.&quot;

In this handout picture released by the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem media office, Cardinal Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, enters the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the old city of Jerusalem on April 5, 2025 to lead Easter Sunday Mass. (AFP

Middle East

Easter in Jerusalem's Old City was subdued as security restrictions limited worshippers at the Holy Sepulchre. Shops closed, processions canceled, and faithful watched services on television..

Easter in Jerusalem disrupted by war and restrictions at Holy Sepulchre

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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan&rsquo;s upper legislature, the Senate, passed a resolution strongly condemning Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu&rsquo;s recent statement about his country&#39;s intention to form a regional alliance with India and other nations against Muslim countries, according to Radio Pakistan. The resolution, moved by Palwasha Mohammad Zai Khan, took &ldquo;strong exception to the vile proclivity&rdquo; of the Israeli leadership toward diminishing the unity and integrity of the Muslim Ummah on political and ideological grounds, it said. Earlier this Sunday, while addressing a cabinet meeting, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country &ldquo;will create an entire system &mdash; essentially a kind of hexagon of alliances &mdash; around or within the Middle East,&rdquo; Times of Israel reported. He listed India, Greece, Cyprus, and &ldquo;unnamed Arab, African, and Asian countries,&rdquo; the report added. &ldquo;The intention here is to create an axis of countries that see reality, the challenges, and the goals in the same way, in contrast to the radical axes,&rdquo; he was quoted as saying. &ldquo;Both the radical Shia axis, which we have hit very hard, and also the emerging axis &mdash; the radical Sunni axis,&rdquo; Netanyahu added. Senate condemnsThe Pakistan Senate condemned the Israeli forces&rsquo; continued violations of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza and the &ldquo;blatant disregard&rdquo; of international law, the UN Charter, relevant UN General Assembly and Security Council resolutions, as well as the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice, it added. &ldquo;The House rejected any attempt by the Israeli occupying power to change the legal or historical status of the occupied Palestinian territory, including the status of the holy sites,&rdquo; as per Radio Pakistan. The resolution deplored continued &ldquo;provocative&rdquo; steps and statements by the leadership of Israel that &ldquo;threaten regional and international peace and stability,&rdquo; including the latest statement expressing its intention to forge so-called alliances against Muslim nations, it added. It also denounced attempts by Israel to undermine the sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity of brotherly Islamic countries and rejected, in this regard, the announcement made by Israel recognizing the independence of the &ldquo;so-called Somaliland&rdquo; region of the Federal Republic of Somalia, it added. The Senate urged the international community to end Israeli impunity and hold it accountable for its crimes against humanity, as well as its actions that pose a threat to all regional countries. It demanded the &ldquo;full&rdquo; Israeli withdrawal from the occupied territories and sustained, unimpeded humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in Gaza. This should also include support through the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees, as well as an early start to the recovery and reconstruction process in Gaza, it added. The House reaffirmed Pakistan&rsquo;s historic and unwavering support for the Palestinian people&rsquo;s inalienable right to self-determination and the establishment of an independent, viable, and contiguous State of Palestine based on pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds al-Sharif as its capital.

Foreign Affairs

The resolution condemned Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s remarks on regional alliances, denounced Gaza ceasefire violations, reaffirmed support for Palestine, urged international accountability, and withdrawal from the occupied territories.

Articles tagged with "Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s statement"

Easter in Jerusalem disrupted by war and restrictions at Holy Sepulchre

Pakistan Senate passes resolution condemning Israeli PM’s alliance statement