And Israel faced criticism from others.
Although the centuries-old tradition went ahead as planned inside the church, Israeli police faced criticism for restricting access to the Old City.
“Since the morning, the Israeli police have closed the entrances to the Old City and prevented families from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre,” said Adeeb Jawad Joudeh Al Husseini, whose family hold the keys to the church.
“Jerusalem is sad. Hundreds of people were unable to enter the church.”
Reading this, you’d think Israel just arbitrarily decided to make things miserable for worshipers – and succeeded.
But if you read the mainstream media, you’ll see a different picture.
The UAE Receives The First Shipment of Goods From Illegal Israeli Settlements Published January 12th, 2021 - 08:06 GMT
A man reads a copy of UAE-based The National newspaper near the Burj Khalifa, in the gulf emirate of Dubai on August 14. (AFP)
The first shipment from illegal Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank was exported to the UAE yesterday, local media reported.
The Jerusalem Post reported that the shipment included olive oil and honey from the Tura Winery in the Rehelim settlement and Paradise Honey in the Hermesh settlement.
Ministry of National Economy: Marketing & selling products of illegal Israeli settlements in the UAE markets are grave violations of #Palestinian rights & international law, including UNSC resolution 2334.
Last week, Dr. Hanan Ashrawi, an iconic Palestinian scholar, activist and feminist, and a decades-long fixture in Palestinian politics, resigned from the Palestinian Liberation Organization’s Executive Committee. The resignation of Dr. Ashrawi, the only woman on the committee, was accepted by PLO Chairman Mahmoud Abbas.
Read: Statement by @DrHananAshrawi regarding her resignation from the PLO Executive Committee and translation of her letter of resignation. pic.twitter.com/B4GvuQZkA9 PLO Department of Public Diplomacy & Policy (@PalestinePDP) December 9, 2020
Ashrawi’s resignation is gravely concerning at a time when the Palestinian struggle suffers severely from an absence of unifying and influential leadership. Ashrawi was a strong and outspoken critic of the occupation, but she was also a staunch opponent of the Palestinian Authority’s authoritarian policing practices, and was known among among Palestinians as one of the few decent members of the PLO’s leadership.