Israel Blamed for ‘Preventing’ Palm Sunday Mass as Iran Fires Missile Barrages at the Holy City

Israel Blamed for ‘Preventing’ Palm Sunday Mass as Iran Fires Missile Barrages at the Holy City

Once again, an antisemitic lie has flown halfway around the world while the truth is left trailing behind, putting on its boots. 

From CNN to France’s Le Monde, media outlets across the world are carrying reports of Israel ‘preventing’ church leaders from attending the Palm Sunday Mass at Jerusalem’s Holy Sepulchre. The incident is being used on social media to beat up on Israel and portray it as a hostile place for Christian and other religious minorities. 

“For the first time in centuries,” reported CNN, quoting the Catholic sources, “Israeli police prevented the church’s senior leaders from entering to celebrate mass.” According to Le Monde, “French President Emmanuel Macron condemned this action, saying that worship ‘for all religions’ must be guaranteed in Jerusalem.” 

Is Israel acting heavy-handedly and stifling freedom of worship, as media outlets suggest? The facts, however, tell a different story. 

The media is rightly pointing out the Palm Sunday mass is being disrupted ‘for the first time in centuries.’ But Israel is not the one causing this disruption. For nearly a month, Iran and its terrorist proxy Hezbollah have been firing missiles at the holy city, with fragments landing near the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Temple Mount.

“Earlier this month, an intercepted Iranian missile sprayed shrapnel on the rooftop of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate, just steps from the Church of the Holy Sepulcher,” Politico noted on Sunday. “Missile debris also hit a road leading to the Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews can pray.” 

Under Home Front Command directives, life-saving restrictions apply to all holy sites in the Old City—for Jews, Christians, and Muslims alike.

The Old City has been targeted by murderous missiles multiple times this month, alongside constant fire on residential areas. These… pic.twitter.com/5crKOu9Pzd

— Israel Police (@israelpolice) March 29, 2026

The Israeli police initially stopped the Catholic Cardinal Pizzaballa and other priests from accessing the church out of security concerns, but they appear to have revised the decision. According to Fox News, “Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday evening that there was no ‘malicious intent’ and that the cardinal was prevented from accessing the church because of safety concerns, but that Israel would try to partially open the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.” 

Cardinal Pizzaballa: “It is true that the police had said that the orders from the internal command prevented any kind of gathering in places where there is no shelter, but we had not asked for anything public, just a brief and small private ceremony to preserve the idea of the… https://t.co/uGNwus8RAw

— Rich Raho (@RichRaho) March 29, 2026

To prevent Iranian missile attacks from turning into mass casualty events, the Israeli military is prohibiting gatherings of more than 50 people. The Israeli Jews, set to observe passover next week, are also subject to these same restrictions. As Politico reported, citing a local Rabbi, “The massive priestly blessing for Passover, which usually draws tens of thousands, will take place with just 50 worshippers.”

From air defense systems to public regulations, Israel is trying to save the lives of Jews, Muslims, and Christians living in the Holy Land, as Iran and its terrorist proxies target Israeli population centers with missile barrages.

Today, out of special concern for his safety, Jerusalem police prevented the Latin Patriarch Cardinal Pizzaballa from holding mass this morning at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Again, there was no malicious intent whatsoever, only concern for his safety and that of his party.

— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) March 29, 2026

The Israeli TV channel i24NEWS reported: 

The Prime Minister’s Office reponsed to the event, saying in an X post that Israeli security is putting together a plan to enable worship after preventing Holy Sepulchre mass. “There was no malicious intent whatsoever, only concern for his safety and that of his party,” the post read. “However, given the holiness of the week leading up to Easter for the world’s Christians, Israel’s security arms are putting together a plan to enable church leaders to worship at the holy site in the coming days,” it stated.

The incident comes amid strict security measures imposed since the start of the war with Iran, including limitations on public gatherings and the closure of religious sites lacking protected spaces. Israeli police said the restrictions were implemented in line with Home Front Command directives, citing concerns over public safety and the difficulty of evacuating large crowds in the Old City in the event of an attack.

“The Old City and the holy places are a complex terrain that does not allow the entry of large emergency and rescue vehicles… and poses a real danger to human life,” police said, adding that freedom of worship would continue “subject to restrictions” based on ongoing assessments.

When Iranian missile struck near to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, @sanchezcastejon had nothing to say.
Sánchez — who won’t even wish Spanish citizens with a “Merry Christmas” — never misses an opportunity to incite against Israel.
Israel is committed to freedom… https://t.co/z6MLo0DKp9 pic.twitter.com/qTwSTkQUf6

— Gideon Sa'ar | גדעון סער (@gidonsaar) March 29, 2026

Syria: Muslim mobs attack Christians on Palm Sunday

The manufactured, or at times ill-informed, outrage against Israel comes as Christians in neighbouring Syria and Lebanon are targets of Islamic terror. 

On the eve of Palm Sunday and Holy Week, in the ancient Christian town of Suqaylabiyah, Syria, groups of armed Islamists are attacking Christian shops, homes, and churches. The Al-Qaeda/ISIS-aligned Syrian government is encouraging these attacks and has been a catastrophic… pic.twitter.com/TPHukOiLx6

— Iraqi Christian Foundation (@iraqschristians) March 28, 2026

Palm Sunday turned deadly for Syria’s beleaguered Christian community as Muslim mobs attacked their homes and businesses.

“On Friday night, Suqaylabiyah, one of the largest Christian communities in central Syria, was attacked, with shops vandalised and cars burned,” The broadcaster France24 reported. “The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that “masked gunmen launched an attack, coming from Qalaat al-Madiq and neighbouring villages”, assaulting civilians and vandalising property.” 

The Associated Press also reported “widespread damage to homes, shops and cars” in the Christian town of Suqaylabiyah in central Syria. “The attacks in the predominantly Christian town of Suqaylabiyah in Hama province are the latest to target members of Syria’s Christian minority,” the news agency noted. 

An elderly Syrian Christian watches on as an Islamist thug destroys and loots his small shop in Al-Suqaylabiyah, in the Hama Governate.

The Christians in Syria are one of the oldest Christian communities in the world, and are facing mounting pressure from Islamists. 🇸🇾💔✝️ pic.twitter.com/ZGoUoy3UQC

— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) March 29, 2026

Across the border in Lebanon, Hezbollah terrorists are using Christians as human shields as Israel embarks on a ground offensive in the south of the country. On Friday, Israeli troops uncovered a terror tunnel next to a church, as they engaged in close-quarters combat with the Iran-backed terrorists. 

🎥WATCH: IDF troops located active Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure within the vicinity of a church in the area of Al-Khiyam.

Additionally, the troops located 3 additional shafts built by Hezbollah during the ceasefire, indicating renewed use of the site.

Hezbollah… pic.twitter.com/8f3lTzZ5T9

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) March 27, 2026

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