On Good Friday (March 29), three days before Easter, hundreds of Palestinian worshippers participated in a traditional procession through the limestone walls of the Old City of Jerusalem.
This event usually attracts thousands of international visitors, but this year it was unusually quiet. The Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, and the subsequent war in the Gaza Strip left the town devoid of tourists . The majority of those present were locals.
A group of young Palestinian scouts led the day's procession along the Via Dolorosa (a replica of this route is called Via Crucis at the Vatican), the path Jesus walked to his crucifixion. The final stop was inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where believers think Jesus was buried before his resurrection at Easter. The effects of the war were evident in this area. There were no crowds of tourists queuing for hours in the churchyard as before. The pathways were empty, and the procession entered the church easily.
Munira Kamar, a resident of Jerusalem, said she "looks forward to this event every year" but this year she doesn't feel happy because the fighting in the Gaza Strip is still ongoing.
Despite the sparse crowds, shop owners still tried to keep their doors open to tourists buying souvenirs. The number of buyers was very small. "Last year's Easter and this year's were like night and day. There was nobody here. Mostly locals," said Fayaz Dakkak, a Palestinian shop owner. His family has run this shop since 1942, and every year it's been packed with customers; adults happy and children eager.
A few brave tourists made it to Jerusalem this time of year. Carmen Ros, a lawyer living in the town, tried to attract a group of tourists from Spain on a pilgrimage tour. The group rested in the shade outside the church. Ros said the tourists were initially worried about the conflict, so she had to reassure them. "We're near the Gaza Strip, but Catholics aren't targets for terrorists," Ros said.
Sister Harriet Kabaije, a pilgrim from Uganda who arrived in Jerusalem three weeks ago to live in a convent, is praying for the people of the Gaza Strip. Kabaije believes that peace will soon return to the area. "The people of Gaza are suffering greatly. We pray for them and for peace in this land," she said.
TH (according to VnExpress)Source
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