Forbidden Pilgrimage (2014)

• 76%
• 2014
• Documentary
• Ahmad Damen

Since the early centuries of Christianity, pilgrims have been treading Jesus Christ in the Holy Land, particularly to visit the sites connected with the ministry of Jesus. More than two million Christian pilgrims visited the historical Palestine in 2012 and the numbers are rising steadily every year. Israel promotes its current control of the Holy Land as a heavenly blessing to Christians worldwide. However, the biblical route relevant to various religious sects is turning into an abandoned one today. This is because pilgrims flocking to the holy land from all parts of the world are being misled by the Israeli Ministry of Tourism and the Israeli agencies. The native Palestinian Christians are experiencing a new age of persecution. In addition to daily harassment, vandalism and killing of pastors by Israeli gangs, the separation wall and checkpoints divide their country and limit their freedom. They view this as an effort by the Israeli government to evacuate the holy land of its local residents.