Jerusalem - Millions of Christians worldwide, and several thousandin Jerusalem, marked Palm Sunday - the day Jesus rode into Jerusalem some 2,000 years ago, in what they believe was his last week on earth before his crucifixion and resurrection.
Thousands of pilgrims gathered in and outside the walled, historic Old City, for an early afternoon procession, reenactingthat entry.
The procession sets off from the Mount of Olives overlooking the Old City, through what is now called Lion's Gate. According to the New Testament,Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey and was greeted by a crowd who placed palm branches before him.
Palm Sunday opens Holy Week, with Christians marking his crucifixion on Good Friday and hiswaking from the dead on Easter Sunday next week. This year, the Orthodox calendar date coincides with that of Catholic and Protestant Christians, meaning the different branches of the faith celebrate together. The Israeli Tourism Ministry said it expected some 250,000 touristsand pilgrims to visit Jerusalem and holy sites in Israel and the Palestinian territories during the Easter season alone.
Holy Week also overlaps this year with the Jewish Pesach (Passover) holiday, which begins Monday after sunset with a festive meal on Seder night, with some 15 million Jews around the world celebrating the Jews' liberation from slavery in ancient Egypt. Israel toughened restrictions on the movement of Palestinians forthe Pesach week, shut down road blocks in the West Bank to avoid attacks by militants in crowded areas. In 2002, a Palestinian suicide bomber killed 30 Israelis as they set down for the Seder dinner at a hotel in Netanya, north of Tel Aviv.
