Huckabee criticizes Israel for preventing Cardinal Pizzaballa from offering Palm Sunday mass at the Holy Sepulcher; Netanyahu asks to correct the 'incident'

Republican Senator Ted Cruz and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee criticized police and Israel on Sunday for preventing senior Catholic officials from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulcher for Palm Sunday services. Far from ending in an uncomfortable standoff, Israeli President Isaac Herzog apologized for what happened, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the situation to be corrected immediately.

According to the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa and Reverend Father Francesco lelpo were detained while on their way to the temple and forced to return, even though they were not participating in any formal procession. Church authorities noted that this is the "first time in centuries" that representatives of the Roman Catholic Church were prevented from celebrating Palm Sunday at the site. "This hasty and fundamentally flawed decision, tainted by improper considerations, represents an extreme departure from basic principles of reasonableness, freedom of worship, and respect for the Status Quo," the patriarchate said.

Cruz and Huckabee's words

Following the statement, Cruz noted that "This was a mistake by the Israeli police," later acknowledging that "the security concerns are real." Similarly, the Texas senator stressed that such concerns "should not have prevented the Patriarch from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulcher to conduct the Palm Sunday blessing," and expressed confidence that the situation will be corrected.

Huckabee called the move an "unfortunate overreach," noting that the small group was "well below" the 50-person limit imposed amid the ongoing conflict with Iran. "For the Patriarch to be prevented from entering the Church on Palm Sunday for a private ceremony is difficult to understand or justify," the ambassador added, noting that Israeli authorities have indicated they will work with religious leaders to ensure that Easter celebrations can be held safely.

Herzog's apology and Netanyahu's order

Following those statements, Herzog said he personally contacted Pizzaballa to express regret for what he called an "unfortunate incident," stressing that the decision was based on security concerns due to attacks committed in recent days by the Iranian theocracy in Jewish territory. He also indicated that authorities are working on a plan to allow religious leaders to return to the site in the coming days.

Netanyahu explained all the motives behind the incident and ordered that Pizzaballa be allowed access to the church. "I have instructed the relevant authorities that Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch, be granted full and immediate access to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. Over the past several days, Iran has repeatedly targeted the holy sites of all three monotheistic religions in Jerusalem with ballistic missiles. In one strike, missile fragments crashed meters from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre," the prime minister wrote.

The Israeli leader also noted that "To protect worshippers, Israel asked members of all faiths to temporarily abstain from worshipping at the Christian, Muslim and Jewish holy sites in Jerusalem’s Old City. Today, out of special concern for his safety, Cardinal Pizzaballa was asked to refrain from holding mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Even though I understand this concern, as soon as I learned about the incident with Cardinal Pizzaballa, I instructed the authorities to enable the Patriarch to hold services as he wishes."