Jerusalem - Thousands of Christian pilgrims flocked to Jerusalem Sunday, to mark the resurrection of Jesus Christ, as recounted in the New Testament. Catholics celebrated Easter Sunday mass in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which is believed to be where Jesus was crucified and then resurrected.

Delivering his first Easter sermon since taking up his post, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Fuad Twal gave an apolitical homily, noting that the festival was the climax of the Christian year and that "we are participants in the mystery of salvation."

Jerusalem - Thousands of Christian pilgrims flocked to Jerusalem Sunday, to mark the resurrection of Jesus Christ, as recounted in the New Testament. Catholics celebrated Easter Sunday mass in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which is believed to be where Jesus was crucified and then resurrected.

Delivering his first Easter sermon since taking up his post, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Raymond Tawil delivered an apolitical speech, noting that the festival was the climax of the Christian year and that "we are participants in the mystery of salvation."

Jerusalem - Thousands of Christian pilgrims flocked to Jerusalem Friday for the traditional procession retracing Jesus Christ's last steps to his crucifixion along the route known as the Via Dolorosa, in Jerusalem's Old City. Even before the official procession got underway, several groups walked the route in the early morning, some walking barefoot, others carrying wooden crosses or singing hymns or crying, mingling with Palestinian traders and Jews on their way to the Western Wall.

Jerusalem - Israel was placing its police forces on high alert Wednesday for the Passover festival which begins at sundown.

Thousands of police, Border Police and Civil Guard volunteers are to guard synagogues, holy places and hiking sites. The Magen David Adom, Israel's equivalent of the Red Cross, also stepped up its state of alert and reinforced its stations with ambulances and medical teams.

Jerusalem  -Israeli settlers in the West Bank clashed Wednesday morning with Palestinians from the village of Khirbat Safa, leaving seven people injured.

Settlers said the clash began when Palestinians threw rocks at them while they were conducting special sunrise prayers in advance of the Passover festival, which begins at sundown.

Palestinians say the fracas began when the settlers rampaged through their village, firing in the air and damaging property.

Jerusalem, Apr. 8 : The Israel Air Force conducted its 17th test of the newly upgraded Arrow 2 missile defense system on Tuesday.

The Jerusalem Post quoted officials as saying that it was capable of intercepting an Iranian nuclear missile.

The Arrow interceptor was launched from the Palmahim Base at around 11 a. m. after the Blue Sparrow Missile - developed to mimic an Iranian Shihab 3 missile - was fired from an F-15 fighter jet over the Mediterranean Sea.