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OCCUPIED JERUSALEM — Thousands of Christians attended the thousand-year-old Holy Fire rite in Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre Saturday ahead of the Orthodox Easter despite a security clampdown in the holy city.

The ancient church was built on the site where Christian tradition says Jesus Christ was crucified, buried and resurrected.

The annual Holy Fire ceremony, during which priests bring a flame from the tomb which they believe sparks miraculously each year, marks the most important event in the Orthodox calendar. 

Clutching candles, so the holy flame can be passed from one hand to another, pilgrims crowded the inside the church this year in reduced numbers.

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is in Israeli-occupied East Jerusalem, and for the second consecutive year Israeli police had told church leaders that access would be considerably restricted.

In the past about 10,000 worshippers would fill the church, with many more crowding into the surrounding alleys of the Old City, before the flame was flown to Orthodox communities internationally.

This year's ceremony also comes after deadly attacks and clashes in Israel, East Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank, and cross-border fire several days ago between Israeli forces and fighters in the Gaza Strip, Lebanon and Syria.

On Wednesday, Israeli forces said attendance inside the church would be limited to 1,800 people including clergy as a safety measure.

Last year there were scuffles between worshippers and police who set up barriers throughout the city's Christian quarter.

"We understand the feeling, the religious feelings of people that want to participate in this Holy Light ceremony. But unfortunately not everyone can enter the church because of the safety regulation," Yoram Segal of the Jerusalem district police said.

He said the ceremony would be broadcast on screens in the Old City.

Father Mattheos Siopis from the Greek Orthodox Church said the Israeli forces were “enforcing unreasonable restrictions”.

“The ceremony has been faithfully taking place in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for nearly 2,000 years,” he said.

After talks broke down between Christian leaders and the Israeli forces, Siopis urged “all who wish to worship with us to attend” on Saturday.

Christians made up more than 18 per cent of the population of the Holy Land when the state of Israel was created in 1948, but now they are fewer than two per cent, mostly Orthodox.

TUNIS — A professional footballer in Tunisia has died after setting himself alight earlier this week in what he called a protest against the "police state" ruling the country, his brother said on Friday.

Nizar Issaoui, 35, suffered third-degree burns from his action in the village of Haffouz in the central region of Kairouan, his brother Ryad told AFP.

He was taken from hospital in Kairouan to the specialist burns hospital in the capital Tunis, but doctors were unable to save his life, the brother said.

"He died yesterday [Thursday] and will be buried today."

Issaoui's protest recalled that of street vendor Mohamed Bouazizi, who burned himself to death on December 17, 2010, sparking the Tunisian revolution that was the trigger for the Arab Spring uprisings which toppled authoritarian regimes across the Middle East.

News of Issaoui's death sparked protests on the streets of Haffouz on Thursday evening, Tunisian media reported. Young demonstrators hurled stones at police who responded with tear gas.

There was no immediate comment from the authorities.

On Friday, hundreds of mourners gathered outside Issaoui's house awaiting his funeral, shouting: "With our blood and with our soul we will sacrifice ourselves for you, Nizar".

During his funeral, clashes broke out between protesters and the police, who fired tear gas, local media reported.

Issaoui was a free agent at the time of his death, after a career that saw him play for a range of clubs from the lower divisions to the top flight.

In a Facebook post shortly before his fatal action, Issaoui said he had sentenced himself to "death by fire".

"I have no more energy. Let the police state know that the sentence will be executed today," he wrote.

According to Tunisian media, Issaoui decided to make his extreme protest against the police after officers accused him of "terrorism" when he complained that he was unable to buy bananas for less than 10 dinars ($3.30) a kilogramme, double the price set by the government.

A video selfie circulating on social media shows Issaoui screaming: "For a dispute with someone selling bananas at 10 dinars, I get accused of terrorism at the police station. Terrorism for a complaint about bananas."

AMMAN — Jerusalem churches have condemned the “unreasonable” restrictions imposed by Israeli forces for the upcoming Holy Light ceremony on Saturday in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the day before Easter, according to the Julian calendar.

In a joint statement, the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate, the Custody of the Holy Land and the Armenian Patriarchate said: “Each year, the Churches coordinate with the authorities to ensure this ceremony can take place without issue. 

“Notably, last year barriers were imposed by the Israel Authority throughout the Old City that made impossible the access of our local Christian Communities pilgrims from attending the Holy Light Ceremony in the Holy Sepulchre, impeding their freedom to worship and witness the miracle of the resurrection.” 

“This year, after many attempts made in good will, we are not able to coordinate with the Israeli authorities, as they are enforcing unreasonable and unprecedented restrictions on access to the Holy Sepulchre — more so than last year. These heavy-handed restrictions will limit access to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Holy Light Ceremony. Police are unfairly and inappropriately placing the burden on the churches to issue invitations, while tying the churches’ hands with unreasonable restrictions that will prevent worshippers from attending, particularly our local community. This makes difficult our coordination with the police,” the statement said.

“As we, the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate, the Custody of the Holy Land and the Armenian Patriarchate clearly stated in our various statements, we shall continue to uphold the Status Quo customs, and the ceremony will be held as customary for two millennia and all who wish to worship with us are invited to attend. With that made clear, we leave the authorities to act as they will. The churches will freely worship and do so in peace,” concluded the statement. 

KHARTOUM — Sudan's regular army warned on Thursday that the country was at a "dangerous... turning point" after paramilitaries deployed more fighters in major cities amid a deepening rift within the military government.

Military leader Abdel Fattah Al Burhan has increasingly been at odds with his number two, paramilitary commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, during talks to finalise a deal to return the country to civilian rule and end the crisis sparked by their 2021 coup.

A plan to integrate the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces led by Daglo into the regular army led by Burhan is one of the key points of contention, analysts have said.

Eleventh-hour haggling within the security forces over the details have twice forced postponement of the signing of an agreement with civilian factions setting out a roadmap for the transition.

In its statement, the regular army said it was "sounding the alarm as the country is at a dangerous historical turning point".

“The risks are increasing as the RSF command mobilised and spread forces in the capital and other cities,” the army said.

It said the deployment, which “took place without the approval of, or even just coordination with, the armed forces command” has “exacerbated security risks and increased tensions among security forces”. 

The RSF defended its deployment, saying it works in coordination with the regular army and its fighters “move throughout the country to achieve security and stability”. 

Created in 2013, the RSF emerged from the Janjaweed militia that then president Omar Al Bashir unleashed against non-Arab ethnic minorities in the western Darfur region a decade earlier, drawing accusations of war crimes. 

In recent months, Daglo has said the 2021 coup was a “mistake” that failed to bring about change in Sudan and reinvigorated remnants of Bashir’s regime, which was ousted by the army in 2019 following month of mass protests. 

Burhan, a career soldier from northern Sudan who rose the ranks under Bashir’s three-decade rule, maintained that the coup was “necessary” to bring more groups into the political process.

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM — The Greek Orthodox Church on Wednesday slammed Israel's "heavy-handed restrictions" on its upcoming Easter celebrations in Jerusalem, urging Christians to attend in spite of police curbs.

In an escalating row over attendance numbers at the Holy Fire ceremony on Saturday in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where Christians believe Jesus's tomb lies, the church said negotiations with police had failed.

"After many attempts made in goodwill, we are not able to coordinate with the Israeli authorities as they are enforcing unreasonable restrictions," said Father Mattheos Siopis from the Greek Orthodox Church.

"These heavy-handed restrictions will limit access to... the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and to the Holy Light ceremony," he told journalists.

The annual Holy Fire ceremony, during which priests bring a flame from the tomb which they believe sparks miraculously each year, marks the most important event in the Orthodox calendar. 

In the past some 10,000 worshippers clutching candles would fill the church, with many more crowding into the surrounding alleys of the Old City, before the flame was flown to Orthodox communities internationally.

“The ceremony has been faithfully taking place in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for nearly 2,000 years,” said Siopis.

The sacred site lies in Israeli-occupied East Jerusalem and the country’s police force has for the second consecutive year told church leaders that access must be considerably restricted.

‘Churches will freely worship’ 

Limiting church attendance to 1,800 people including clergy from the various Orthodox denominations is a necessary safety precaution, police said on Wednesday.

“I want to emphasise that our main concern is the safety of the pilgrimage that are coming to the Old City. The numbers were provided by the safety engineer,” who assessed the church, said Yoram Segal from the Jerusalem district police.

“We understand the feeling, the religious feelings of people that want to participate in this Holy Light ceremony. But unfortunately not everyone can enter the church because of the safety regulation,” he added. 

Segal said the ceremony will be broadcast on screens in the Old City and that the force is “doing our best” to ensure the flame can travel onwards to Christian communities beyond Jerusalem. 

Last year there were scuffles between worshippers and police officers who imposed barriers throughout the city’s Christian quarter.

Siopis said these measures “made impossible” the access of Christians to the church.

With the breakdown of talks between Christian leaders and Israeli security forces, the priest urged “all who wish to worship with us to attend”.

“With that made clear, we leave the authorities to act as they will. The churches will freely worship and do so in peace,” he said.

DAMASCUS — War-torn Syria will reopen its diplomatic mission in Tunisia and appoint an ambassador there, Damascus and Tunis said in a joint statement on Wednesday after more than a decade of strained ties.

Syria's decision followed a similar move by Tunis on April 3, when Tunisian President Kais Saied instructed his foreign minister to begin procedures to appoint an ambassador to Damascus.

"In response to the initiative of the President of the Tunisian Republic... the Syrian government... decided to reopen the Syrian embassy in Tunisia, and to appoint an ambassador soon," Syria's official news agency SANA said quoting the statement.

Tunisia's Saied had said last month he planned to restore diplomatic relations with Syria.

It was the latest example of Arab outreach to the internationally isolated government in Damascus that has gathered pace since Syria and Turkey were hit by a devastating earthquake in February.

Since the quake, Syrian President Bashar Assad has received calls and aid from Arab leaders, momentum analysts say he could leverage to bolster regional support.

Assad has visited the United Arab Emirates, which restored ties in 2018, and Oman this year, and last month Saudi Arabia said it has started talks with Damascus about resuming consular services.

Tunisia expelled Syria's ambassador in 2012 over the government's repression of peaceful protesters that triggered more than a decade of civil war which has killed around half a million people and displaced millions more since 2011.

The Syrian government was bolstered when Russia intervened on its side from 2015 and has since regained control over much of the territory it lost in the early stages of the war.

The diplomatic rupture with Tunis, undertaken when former president Moncef Marzouki was still in office, was strongly criticised by the Tunisian opposition at the time.

In 2015, Tunisia took a step toward reestablishing relations when it designated a consular representative to Damascus to "follow" the situation of Tunisians in Syria.

Nine Arab countries are set to meet in Saudi Arabia later this week to discuss moves to end Assad's decade-old isolation.

The Arab League, which suspended Syria in 2011, is expected to hold a summit in Riyadh in May.

SANAA — An exchange of nearly 900 prisoners from Yemen's civil war will start on Friday, one day later than previously announced, a government official said on Wednesday.

The biggest prisoner swap since 2020 is taking place after a delegation from Saudi Arabia, which launched a military intervention in 2015, held talks with Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels this week in an attempt to end hostilities.

Nearly 900 prisoners, most of whom were fighting with Houthi rebels, will be flown between Yemen and Saudi Arabia, which leads the military coalition fighting on behalf of the ousted government, the official said on Tuesday.

The Houthis will release 181 prisoners, including Saudis and Sudanese, in exchange for 706 detainees held by government forces, according to an agreement reached last month in Switzerland.

Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed by direct and indirect causes in a war that left many on the brink of famine in a country which was already the poorest in the Arabian Peninsula.

"It has been confirmed that the exchange process will start on Friday morning," tweeted Majid Fadael, spokesman for the government delegation negotiating the exchange.

The prisoner transfers “will last for three days, starting on Friday and ending on Sunday”, said Fadael, revising the timetable he announced on Tuesday.

The Houthis are releasing 181 prisoners, including Saudis and Sudanese, in exchange for 706 detainees held by government forces, according to an agreement reached last month in Switzerland.

Yemen has been at war since a Houthi advance in 2014 saw them seize the capital Sanaa, leading the Saudi-led coalition to intervene in March 2015 to support the ousted, internationally recognised government.

The Saudi ambassador to Yemen, Mohammed Al Jaber, flew to Sanaa for talks with the Houthis this week, saying he wanted to work towards a “political solution” to the conflict.

But Houthi government sources, speaking anonymously as they are not authorised to brief media, downplayed hopes of reaching agreement by next week, the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

“The talks between the Saudi delegation and the Houthis did not reach a final result yet to complete an agreement that was expected to be signed at the end of Ramadan,” a source told AFP, information that was confirmed by another official.

“The Saudis presented their vision of a solution and wanted to be mediators in resolving the crisis alongside the Omanis, but the Houthi political and religious leaders insisted that Riyadh be a party to the agreement and not an intermediary,” the source added.

The uptick in diplomacy and optimism follows last month’s landmark announcement that heavyweight rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran will resume ties, seven years after an acrimonious split.