(23 Apr 2000) Natural Sound
XFA
Thousands of pilgrims and local Christians have gathered at the Garden Tomb and in Jerusalem's Old City to celebrate Easter Sunday.
It is also a time of worship for Jews who have made their way to the Wailing Wall for Passover.
During this time of religious significance, a Jewish right wing group chose to protest against security barring their entrance into the Muslim al-Aqsa mosque compound.:
Many people of the Anglican and Protestant faiths regard the Garden as the true site of Jesus' tomb.
The faithful stood in queues on Sunday morning eager to enter into a celebration of song and prayer.
A sign alongside the queue advertising Easter Sunday and saying that "He (Jesus) is Risen" was not overshadowed by the crowd's eagerness to begin Sunday's worship.
In Jerusalem, the bells tolled as others made their way towards a more conventional ceremony of prayer and music.
The Church of the Holy Sepulcher, which has dominated Easter celebrations in the Old City, was the chosen site of Easter worship for many Christians in Jerusalem.
The church is said to stand on the site where Jesus was crucified and then resurrected three days later.
But it is not only people of the Christian faith who are celebrating a time of worship in Jerusalem.
Jewish people made their way to their holiest site, the Wailing Wall, during Passover.
Several members of the right wing Jewish group, "Temple Mount Faithful", also gathered at the Wailing Wall to protest against security barring their way from entering the al-Aqsa mosque compound
The leader of the group of protesters, Gershon Salomon, adamantly expressed his view that the Muslim site be returned to Jewish hands.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"And Jerusalem was given by God to Israel to be the eternal capital of Israel. And we came to say, nobody will remove us from this place. We are here and forever. We shall give everything in our lives for this cause. Jerusalem and the Temple Mount will be forever the capital of Israel."
SUPER CAPTION: Gershon Salomon, the leader of Temple Mount. Faithful
The compound to which Salomon refers contains the Dome of the Rock, the third holiest site in Islam, and is called the Temple Mount by the Jews.
Find out more about AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
Twitter: [ Ссылка ]
Facebook: [ Ссылка ]
Instagram: [ Ссылка ]
You can license this story through AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
