The spring holiday season is typically a crowded time for the ancient holy city of Jerusalem, as an influx of worshipers make pilgrimages to some of the most sacred religious sites of the major faiths.
But restrictions imposed by Israeli authorities, citing the war against Iran, have obstructed access and dampened holidays for Muslims, Jews and Christians. This weekend, Israeli authorities blocked, then unblocked, the head of the Catholic Church in Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, from celebrating the start of Easter Week at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre — the holiest site in Christianity, where, according to tradition, Jesus was crucified and resurrected.
