As we enter into Holy Week, my news feed, TikTok FYP and Instagram are covered in the same images. All eyes are on Gaza. This week the bombing has continued, this time destroying Al Ahli hospital on Palm Sunday. Al Ahli hospital is an Anglican run hospital in Gaza, and the last major hospital providing critical healthcare in northern Gaza. The evacuation prior to the bombing caused the death of yet another child in the conflict, as the bombing has caused even more global condemnation.
I began thinking about modern Palestine, and having recently returned from the area, I wonder what Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem would look like today. With checkpoints, soldiers, arrests, and bombings, how different would Jesus’ journey look in 2025? There are 18 checkpoints which surround Jerusalem which restrict entry; Jesus would have to pass through several to reach the city.
What are Israeli checkpoints?
Check points are barriers erected by the state of Israel throughout the region. The checkpoints are, according to the State of Israel, there as a security measure to protect Israel and Israeli settlements. The reality of these checkpoints is that many Palestinians have their movement restricted and are often criticised as a major point of oppression of the Palestinian people. The checkpoints are manned by police, IDF soldiers, and border police. Palestinians often talk of the worry they feel passing through checkpoints. It can take hours to travel through these checkpoints, despite them only being a short distance. At some of the worst checkpoints, it has been known for the State of Israel to slow traffic to a standstill for hours on end, including emergency vehicles. We know also that Jesus’ birthplace, Bethlehem, is surrounded by the illegally erected ’Apartheid Wall’, another construction built by the State of Israel for ’security’ but has also been criticised as a means of keeping people apart and oppressing Palestinian people. Roadblocks are another tactic used by the State of Israel to restrict Palestinian movement. They simply close off roads. They do this is often randomly for unclear reasons, but means journeys are disrupted regularly.
So how would this affect Jesus on Palm Sunday? Say that Jesus entered Jerusalem in 2025, he would pass through several of these check points. Depending on the passport someone has (Palestinian, Israeli, or foreign) can affect how quickly or easily passing through a check point can be. The questions he could be asked would vary massively; Who are you? Where are you going? How long for? What route are you going?
Let’s talk about the possible routes. There are roads in the region which are for Israelis only. These roads are surrounded by walls, well maintained, free of roadblocks. If you look near them you will find the Palestinian road; badly maintained, roadblocks, checkpoints. If you are an Israeli settler, you have one colour for your number plate, and Palestinian another. This is used to control the flow of Palestinians, as it is illegal for them often to drive on ‘settler roads’. Let’s imagine for a moment that Jesus came into Jerusalem, not on a donkey but in a car. His speed arriving to the city would vary massively depending on which road he was allowed to drive. I have read many times on social media this week a reminder. A reminder that Jesus’ procession into Jerusalem was not a parade, but a peaceful protest. A protest which contrasted the power and the violence of the ruling body at the time. Instead of an army Jesus Road with civilians, instead of battalions he road alone on a donkey. He was the antithesis of the Roman rule. How does this relate today in an area now torn by conflict, oppression of Palestinians, bombings, genocide and human rights violations? The first Palm Sunday; a peaceful protest. Palm Sunday 2025; a bombing of a hospital. How do we respond? As Jesus did, with peaceful protest. And if that fails, we disrupt and flip a few tables…