Netanyahu on Holy Sepulchre incident: Closure of some religious sites during Iran war is to ‘protect worshippers of every faith’
Israel is ‘the only place where the Christian population has grown and thrives’, Netanyahu stressed
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the outrage expressed by many social media accounts, political pundits, and world leaders after Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, was prevented from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on Palm Sunday due to safety concerns.
Cardinal Pizzaballa was stopped by Israel Police on Sunday morning on his way to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to celebrate Palm Sunday Mass, which begins the week leading up to the celebration of Easter Sunday.
The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem quickly exploited the situation, issuing a statement saying “for the first time in centuries, the Heads of the Church were prevented from celebrating the Palm Sunday Mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre," and speaking of “a grave precedent, and disregard for the sensibilities of billions of people.”
Later Monday, the Israel Police released a statement of their own, announcing the establishment of a compromise mutual framework “for upcoming Easter ceremonies.”
The outrage was particularly quick and intense online, with hundreds of thousands of accounts accusing Israel of targeting Christians, while simultaneously failing to mention that government restrictions had closed religious sites for the three major religions, including Jews and Muslims.
In an interview with Newsmax CEO Chris Ruddy on Monday, Prime Minister Netanyahu refuted those claims, noting that “the Iranians have being firing missiles at the Old City of Jerusalem where you have the Al-Aqsa Mosque, one of the holiest places for Islam, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, one of the holiest places for Christianity, and the Western Wall, which is the holiest place for Judaism.”
"Our goal is to protect Christians; our goal is to protect worshippers of every faith." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu explained to NEWSMAX CEO Chris Ruddy what happened with churches in Jerusalem and the importance of Christianity to Israel. @ChrisRuddyNMX @netanyahu pic.twitter.com/YKOHGM1xPD
— NEWSMAX (@NEWSMAX) March 30, 2026
Netanyahu reminded Ruddy that a fragment of an Iranian missile even fell on the church’s roof earlier in the war. Following the impact of several missile fragments in and around the Old City, the Israeli government closed the religious sites that do not have a bomb shelter.
“That was the reason that a police officer on duty said, ‘Oh, okay, I'm applying it also to the patriarch,’” Netanyahu explained.
Netanyahu himself became involved in the incident, as he relates in the interview.
“There was no malice here, no bad intention, unlike the press reports,” he explained. “But nevertheless, I said, despite this concern, I gave an instruction immediately, the minute I heard about it, no, he should be free, the patriarch, to come with his party and perform services as he wishes.”
Prime Minister Netanyahu released a public statement calling for authorities to allow the Patriarch “full and immediate access to the Church.”
I have instructed the relevant authorities that Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch, be granted full and immediate access to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.
— Benjamin Netanyahu - בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) March 29, 2026
Over the past several days, Iran has repeatedly targeted the holy sites of all three…
Netanyahu called the outrage a form of slander, saying it misrepresented reality.
“So, it really is just the opposite,” the prime minister explained. “I mean, our goal is to protect Christians. Our goal is to protect worshipers of every faith. And our policy has been absolutely pro-Christian. The complete opposite of the slander that is being foisted at us.”
Netanyahu reminded Ruddy that Israel is the only country in the Middle East where Christians are thriving and growing.
My statement re Prohibiting the Latin Patriarch of entering Church of Holy Sepulcher on Palm Sunday:
— Ambassador Mike Huckabee (@GovMikeHuckabee) March 29, 2026
While all Holy sites in the Old City are closed due to safety concerns for mass gatherings including the Western Wall, Church of the Holy Sepulcher and Al Aqsa Mosque, the action…
“Look at the Middle East and you see in every country, the Christians are shrinking. Their number is shrinking. They're oppressed,” Netanyahu claimed. He said Israel is “the only place where the Christian population has grown and the Christian community thrives.”
The outrage over the incident even prompted U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, a well-known supporter of Israel, to address the situation in a social media post of his own, released the same day, in which he called the police action “an unfortunate overreach,” while also noting that the Israeli government “has indicated it will work with the Patriarch to accommodate a safe means of carrying out Holy Week activities.”
Following a productive meeting between the Israel Police and Latin Catholic Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, a mutual framework has been established for upcoming Easter ceremonies.
— Israel Police (@israelpolice) March 30, 2026
Due to the complex security reality of Operation “Roaring Lion,” ceremonies including the “Holy… pic.twitter.com/uWcE4fnQMO
The outrage over the incident with the Latin Patriarch led former Israeli Ambassador to Azerbaijan George Deek, an Arab Christian, to note the glaring discrepancy in how many pundits covered several issues related to Christians in the Middle East in the preceding days.
Citing four recent occurrences, including the conversion of a church in Lebanon into a military site by Hezbollah, the attacks on Christians in the predominantly Christian town of Suqaylabiyah, in Hama, Syria, Deek noted that only one of the incidents was addressed by former conservative political pundit Tucker Carlson: the one involving Cardinal Pizzaballa.
Four things happened this past week affecting Christians in the region:
— George Deek (@GeorgeDeek) March 30, 2026
1. An Iranian missile strike landed near Jerusalem’s Old City, putting the Church of the Holy Sepulchre at risk. Another fragment fell near the Temple Mount.
2. Christians in Syria were attacked by radical… https://t.co/i4u1z3wriL
“That tells you everything about the priorities,” Deek wrote.
Other Christian social media accounts also noted the disparity between the outrage over the Israeli police turning away Cardinal Pizzaballa and the canceling of all public Easter celebrations in Syria by the Melkite Patriarch due to attacks on Christians in the country.
The Melkite Catholic Patriarch cancelled celebrations of Holy Week and Easter b/c of Mohammaden pogroms of Christians. Where is the outrage? Thousands commented on the misunderstanding that led to barring the Latin Patriarchate from the Holy Sepulchre. https://t.co/RRIl5OV1Yf pic.twitter.com/IQAXKnEOo7
— Martin Barillas (@BarillasMartin) March 30, 2026
“Where is the outrage?” some of Christian accounts asked.
The All Israel News Staff is a team of journalists in Israel.
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