Ramallah: The Israeli regime has raised its flag at the eastern entrance to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in occupied East Jerusalem, in a fresh violation of a decades-old status quo agreement, inciting anger among native Christians and others.
The church, the holiest Christian site in the city, is located within the Christian quarter of the Old city of Jerusalem, and is traditionally regarded by Christians as the site of Jesus’ crucifixion and tomb.
The Higher Committee for Church Affairs in Palestine has strongly condemned and rejected this latest Israeli violation against the holy city.
“The Israelis must adhere to the status quo agreement which secures the basic rights of every religion that exists in Jerusalem,” said the committee in a statement. “The fundamental and foremost obligation, as per that agreement, is not to raise flags on the properties of other religions.”
The committee stressed that it will not tolerate Israeli attempts to control and take over Christian properties.
The Christian-Muslim Commission in Support of the Holy Sites in Palestine has also rejected the Israeli move as illegal, and has demanded that the flag be removed immediately.
The Arab Joint List party in Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, has taken the matter before parliament.
“Israel’s flag must be removed from the eastern entrance of the church which is uniquely holy among Christians, and also enjoys a special status in the Palestinian psyche,” said Jamal Zahalka, a Palestinian member of the Knesset, in a strongly worded statement. “This serious violation against the church is a fresh Israeli attempt to impose new facts on the ground, but it should be crystal clear that this move is destined for total failure.
“Violations against the Al Aqsa Mosque (in Al Haram Al Sharif) or the Church of the Holy Sepulchre are crossing lines which we will never allow. It is that simple,” he said, adding that since the British mandate in Palestine, the status quo stipulates that every religious community must run its own sacred sites without interference from other religions.
He suggested that the Israeli action at the church may be revenge against the latest Unesco resolution denying Israeli sovereignty to Jerusalem’s holy sites. “It is time for the international bodies to impose sanctions on Israel should it fail to suspend its occupational and Judaising projects in the holy city,” said Zahalka.
Since Israel occupied East Jerusalem in 1967, the occupying power has not raised its flag on Al Haram Al Sharif. At that time, Israel signed a “status quo” agreement which organised the overseeing of the holy sites in Occupied East Jerusalem, including the Muslim and Christian holy shrines. Right-wing Jews have however been attempting to change the reality on the ground, with the help of their government and police force.
