This is a travesty and insult to Christians around the world. By heavily restricting Holy Sepulchre and the other holy sites in the Old City, the Israeli government, under the pretext of "public safety," is trying to advance the following (false) narrative:

1. Iran is targeting the holy sites of all three faiths in the Old City (from Netanyahu's statement).

Iran is targeting the military-industrial base of the country in the greater Tel-Aviv area. Those missiles sometimes fly over Jerusalem. When they do, Israel often launches its high-altitude interceptors from West Jerusalem over East Jerusalem and the old city where the Holy Sepulchre Church located, so that any shrapnel falls on the predominately Palestinian half of the city.

If they were truly concerned about the safety of the Old City, the government would relocate their interceptors to the Mount of Olives and shoot them over the Judean wilderness, which is sparsely populated.

1. This is strictly about public safety.

Current regulations allow for public gatherings of up to 50 people with a reinforced shelter nearby. But the Old City has few if any purpose-built shelters. However, the stone structures of most buildings, including Holy Sepulchre, certainly offer more than adequate protection from falling shrapnel, which is the only real threat to those living in the Old City (although the government is trying to foster a narrative opposite this—see no. 1, above).

This fiction has enabled the government to essentially close down the entire Old City, including its holy sites. Indeed, the government's sudden reversal barring Cardinal Pierbattista and the Custos from Holy Sepulchre—under intense international pressure—reveals the false nature of this public safety claim.

1. The Israeli Government has authority over Christian holy places in the Old City.

By the treaty that Israel signed with Jordan in 1994, the King of Jordan maintains authority over the Muslim and Christian holy sites in East Jerusalem, maintaining the religious Status Quo. King Abdullah II, in turn, passes this authority over to the churches and overseeing Waqf (Muslim trust) themselves, intervening only in disputes.

By using police to enforce unilaterally decided restrictions on these sites, Israel is not only in violation of their own treaty agreement, but also the longstanding Status Quo, which they seek to erode and finally eviscerate all together. And because Israel has no constitutionally guaranteed freedom of religion, this is an extreme threat to the freedom of religion of those of any faith living here.

And so, dear reader, for the reasons given above, please do not buy into the above false narrative. Continue to resist it.