When Easter services took place in Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre on April 5, only a few dozen people were present in the cavernous space that would normally be thronged with pilgrims and worshipers for the holy day.

Leading the small group of clerics and dignitaries was Latin Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the top Catholic official in the Holy Land, whose presence, along with that of the others, was only made possible after an international diplomatic rhubarb a week earlier had made police agree to slightly ease security guidelines blocking access to the Old City during the war with Iran.

On Saturday, with the Iran war halted and restrictions largely lifted, thousands of worshipers were able to take part in the annual Holy Fire ceremony in the Holy Sepulchre celebrated by Orthodox denominations. The police published multiple posts on social media to highlight their efforts to ensure that the famously fractious rite went smoothly.

Israel has been keen to show the world its commitment to religious freedom since Pizzaballa and others were blocked from reaching the Holy Sepulchre on Palm Sunday in late March.

The blunder, made in line with strict adherence to Home Front Command guidelines forbidding gatherings in places without access to bomb shelters — with Iranian missiles still flying at the time — immediately became an international scandal, with condemnations coming from Italy, France, and even US Ambassador Mike Huckabee.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog were quick to step in, bringing the police and Pizzaballa together to find a solution to Holy Week prayer during the war in a bid to head off the potential diplomatic black eye to a country already under fire.

Since the early morning hours, Israel Police and Border Police units have been deployed across Jerusalem’s Old City. Our forces are working to ensure a safe environment for all citizens and visitors, including the thousands of Christians arriving for today’s Holy Fire ceremony. pic.twitter.com/zLyRQA12lB — Israel Police (@israelpolice) April 11, 2026

Since the early morning hours, Israel Police and Border Police units have been deployed across Jerusalem’s Old City. Our forces are working to ensure a safe environment for all citizens and visitors, including the thousands of Christians arriving for today’s Holy Fire ceremony. pic.twitter.com/zLyRQA12lB

— Israel Police (@israelpolice) April 11, 2026

In a post on X on Easter, Netanyahu attempted to play up Israel’s commitment to religious freedom.

“In this land where the story began, as missiles are fired at our capital, the holy city of Jerusalem, and as the US and Israel stand firm against the Iranian regime and its terror proxies, we continue to steadfastly protect the freedom of worship for all faiths, especially at this sacred time,” he wrote. “Even under fire, our commitment is unwavering: to defend life, to safeguard liberty, and to ensure that every believer can pray in peace.”

But Netanyahu’s triumphal posts — and the quick police pivot toward stressing eagerness to accommodate Christian services — mask a systemic problem in Israel’s approach to Christian communities and their unique needs, which treats the world’s largest and arguably most powerful religion as an afterthought.

Until Jerusalem looks at its relationship with Christians as a complex strategic issue that it must get right through proper attention, Netanyahu may continue finding himself scrambling to clean up completely avoidable fiascos.

Days before the Palm Sunday incident, Netanyahu found himself trying to explain away another entirely avoidable controversy around Christianity.

Citing historian Will Durant, Netanyahu said during an English-language press conference: “History proves that, unfortunately and unhappily, Jesus Christ has no advantage over Genghis Khan. Because if you are strong enough, ruthless enough, powerful enough, evil will overcome good. Aggression will overcome moderation.”

Netanyahu was using Jesus as a metaphor for good in the fight against evil, but, predictably, outlets and figures hostile to Israel had a field day, alleging that Netanyahu had denigrated Jesus.

“More fake news about my attitude towards Christians, who are protected and flourish in Israel,” Netanyahu wrote on X after the controversy had blown up. “Let me be clear: I did not denigrate Jesus Christ at my news conference this evening.”

Once again, a mistake that could have been avoided, followed by attempts at damage control after the harm was already done.

In Israel’s repeated stumbles around its ties with Christians, that pattern almost always holds up.

Last year, Huckabee, an outspoken and dedicated Christian supporter of the Jewish state, fired off a seething letter to Interior Minister Moshe Arbel, threatening to publicly announce that Israel no longer welcomes Christian groups to Israel.

Israel “is instead engaging in harassment and negative treatment toward organizations with long-standing relationships and positive involvement toward Zionism and friendship to the Jewish people and the State of Israel,” the US envoy wrote in a missive that was leaked to Hebrew media, quite possibly by Huckabee’s office, the next day.

The ambassador’s ire was piqued by a mid-level bureaucrat in the Interior Ministry, appointed by the ultra-Orthodox Shas party, who had been holding up visas for Christian tourists and volunteers, including a dedicated Christian Zionist organization.

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© The Times of Israel