Faced with backlash, Netanyahu backpedals on the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem

Benyamin Netanyahu has finally backtracked in the face of the anger of many foreign leaders. The Israeli Prime Minister announced on Monday that the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem would regain immediate access to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

“I have instructed the competent authorities to grant Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa […] total and immediate access to the basilica of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem,” wrote the leader on the X network.

A “violation of religious freedom,” according to the EU

The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem was prevented by the Israeli police from celebrating the Palm Sunday Mass, which opens Holy Week, causing outraged reactions abroad, mainly from European Union countries. Emmanuel Macron thus condemned this decision and, in Italy, Giorgia Meloni criticized “an offense to believers”. The EU’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, also denounced a “violation of religious freedom”.

To justify their actions, the Israeli police had pointed out the risks in the context of the war with Iran. They argued that the configuration of the old city of Jerusalem and the holy sites constituted “a complex area” that did not allow for quick access to emergency services in the event of an attack. Before backtracking, Benjamin Netanyahu had supported his police on Sunday by emphasizing “security” and insisting that this choice was not driven by any “malicious intent.”