The EU foreign minister criticized Israel for barring the patriarch from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, stating it violates religious freedom.

EU Foreign Minister Kallas said today: "The decision by Israeli police to bar the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on Palm Sunday violates religious freedom and contravenes long-standing protective regulations regarding the Holy Land. Religious freedom in Jerusalem must be fully safeguarded, treating all faiths equally and without exception. The city's diverse religious character must be preserved."

Commentary: The Israeli side's official justification is that security risks in the Old City of Jerusalem have increased on Palm Sunday, necessitating temporary access control measures for safety reasons. Israel's underlying intent, however, is to use security management as a pretext to strengthen its unilateral and absolute control over holy sites in Jerusalem, overturning the longstanding tradition of multi-religious coexistence in administration, while simultaneously testing the limits of the international community, catering to domestic right-wing forces, and weakening the religious influence of external actors such as France and the EU.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1861027202632713/

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