In the hills south of Hebron, in the Palestinian village of Umm al-Khair, marked by increasingly frequent Israeli settler attacks, a small music project called Sotna (Our Voice) is trying to carve out some room for normalcy. Two activists, Amalia Kelter Zeitlin and Kai Jack, have started a children's orchestra that continues to meet weekly despite rockets and intimidation.
The Franciscan Amedeo Ricco – one of the key figures in the excavations that have brought to light new evidence supporting the Gospel accounts – comments on the celebrations in Jerusalem following the ‘incident’ on Palm Sunday. ‘We are experiencing a quieter Easter, which takes us back to our roots. But the Sepulchre remains the living heart from which to proclaim that death does not have the final say.’
Christians are taking part in Holy Week rites torn between traditional fervour and the burden of an explosive and unpredictable regional context, feeling occupied from within by Hezbollah and bearing the already considerable human cost of the war with Israel. Churches are packed for Good Friday in areas spared from the bombardment. Divisions among Christian leaders weigh heavily.
Bishop Palinuro tells AsiaNews about the Holy Week celebrations, just a few months after the Pope’s visit. The repercussions of the Gulf War are hitting the most vulnerable: the poor, migrants and refugees. Ankara “has not responded” to Tehran’s “provocations” and remains a “moderating presence” in regional conflicts. Pope Leo XIV’s apostolic journey continues to “yield positive results”.
In the shadows cast by war in the Palestinian territories, construction work is progressing on projects designed to “normalise” life in Jewish settlements. Work began at the end of February on a new road connecting settlements north and south of Ramallah with Israel proper. The US$ 215-million investment will benefit places inhabited by just a few tens of thousands of settlers. But the goal is to “bring one million residents to Judea and Samaria.”
On the eve of Passover, the Rossing Centre expert speaks with concern of a country that today seems to have lost faith in coexistence. “For us Jews, this is a Passover dominated by a sense of exhaustion.” The war fronts, from Gaza to Iran, fuel hatred and divisions. Blockades, discrimination against Muslims and even Christians. The work of those who nevertheless try to listen to the other’s reasons, keeping hope alive, is fundamental.
