Palestinian Christians angered by PA's refusal to recognize Easter
Palestinian Christians expressed their dismay over the government's decision not to declare Easter as a national holiday.
They considered the Palestinian Authority's (PA) rejection of Easter as an insult to their faith, while some of them said it was a decision tinged with racism.
Dr. Ghassan al-Toubassi, a doctor from Ramallah, addressed Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah in a letter stating that he and many other Palestinian Christians were hurt over this move of the government, which claims to represent all Palestinians regardless of religion. In the letter, he compared Palestine with other countries.
"We would have understood this explanation had the debate been taking place in the governments of Saudi Arabia, Qatar or Malaysia, which are purely Islamic countries that follow the Shari'a laws," Toubassi said, according to the Jerusalem Post. "But it's a great sin when a government that purports to represent all Palestinians takes such a decision."
The doctor also said he was disappointed that the Palestinian Authority has not been able to establish a "unified Islamic-Christian narrative," and that while it refused to acknowledge Easter, it accepted the "Zionist Christian ideology," which also rejects Easter.
Most Palestinian Christians are part of the Greek Orthodox Church, which is yet to celebrate Easter on May 1, unlike other Christians who already celebrated it in March.
Toubassi hoped the government will be persuaded to recognize Easter as an official holiday.
In response to the Christians' outburst, Palestinian tourism minister Rula Ma'ayah said the group's claims are not true and that the government considers Easter as a holiday for Christians. Ma'ayah cited a law enacted in 2005 that supposedly allows them to do this.
In 2014, West Bank Christians were able to celebrate Easter, which fell on the feast of Passover, the same time as other Christians. However, they were not able to go to Jerusalem where hundreds of Christians converged to celebrate because they are prohibited from entering Jerusalem's holy sites, according to Al Jazeera.
