Israelis rattled by Iranian attack, fear escalation
Jerusalem Reuters The first direct attack on Israel by arch foe Iran has shaken Israelis and left them fearful that a bigger war is looming. While the population has long been used to sirens warning of attacks from Iranian-backed Hamas, the hundreds of drones and missiles sent from Iran over Saturday night marked a new […]
Thousands of Israelis rally for hostages, marking six months of war
Jerusalem Reuters Thousands of protesters rallied in Jerusalem on Sunday demanding the release of around 130 hostages still held in Gaza after six months of Israel’s war against Hamas. Hamas gunmen burst into Israel on 7th October, killed 1,200 people in their homes, on army bases, along roads and at an outdoor rave, and inflicting […]
Tens of thousands rally against Netanyahu government in Jerusalem
Jerusalem Reuters Tens of thousands of people demonstrated in Jerusalem on Sunday against Benjamin Netanyahu’s government and against exemptions granted to ultra-Orthodox Jewish men from military service, in scenes reminiscent of mass street protests last year. Protest groups, including some that led the mass demonstrations that rocked Israel in 2023, organised the rally outside parliament, […]
Pope overcomes health concerns to preside over Easter Mass and appeal for peace in Gaza and Ukraine
Updated: 8am, 1st April, 2024 (AEDT) Rome. Italy AP Pope Francis rallied from a winter-long bout of respiratory problems to lead some 60,000 people in Easter celebrations Sunday, making a strong appeal for a cease-fire in Gaza and a prisoner swap between Russia and Ukraine. Francis presided over Easter Sunday Mass in a flower-decked St […]
Five years after challenging miracle of Holy Fire, Greek journalist is acquitted
RNS On Friday, Dimitris Alikakos, a Greek journalist, walked out of court in Athens without the shadow of prosecution for the first time in almost half a decade. His alleged crime: debunking miracles. Christian pilgrims hold candles as they gather during the ceremony of the Holy Fire at Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where many […]
In Jerusalem, Palestinian Christians observe scaled-down Good Friday rituals
Jerusalem AP Hundreds of Christians participated in a customary Good Friday procession through the limestone walls of Jerusalem’s Old City, commemorating one of the faith’s most sacred days with noticeably thinner crowds amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. The procession, which normally draws thousands of foreign visitors, was unusually local — mostly Palestinian Christians, joined by some […]
The Explainer: What is Palm Sunday? Why is the donkey important to the story? And how is it celebrated worldwide?
As the world marked Palm Sunday on the weekend, LUIS ANDRES HENAO, of Associated Press, explains what the day is all about…
Thousands of faithful attend Palm Sunday celebrations in Jerusalem against a backdrop of war
Jerusalem AP Thousands of Christian faithful attended Palm Sunday celebrations at Jerusalem’s sacred Mount of Olives, marking the first day of Holy Week as conflict surges across the region. Pilgrims waved branches and fronds in the air, items that were placed before Jesus’ feet as he was greeted by cheering crowds during his entrance into […]
Jerusalem: Armenian Christians battle developer to keep control of their corner the city
DAVID I KLEIN, of Religion News Service, reports…
Cancelled tours, empty hotels: Israeli, Palestinian tourism reels as conflict escalates
Bethlehem/JerusalemReuters Early this month, the main square and streets around Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity were bustling with tourists. Now they are empty after a devastating attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas in Israel on 7th October. “Business is at a standstill since the war started,” said Essa Abu Dawoud, a tour guide in the […]