Israeli authorities prevent thousands of Christian pilgrims from celebrating Feast of Transfiguration on Mt. Tabor

Israel Police on Friday prevented thousands of Orthodox Christian pilgrims from ascending to the Church of the Transfiguration on Mount Tabor for a celebration over safety requirements. 

Despite prior approval of a fire-safety plan by the Ministry of Interior, the fire department rejected the plan one day before the celebration of the Feast of Transfiguration. 

Jezreel Valley Regional Council head Eyal Betzer, who submitted the fire safety plan, told Ynet news he had worked hard to ensure the ceremony would take place this year after it was rejected in 2022.

“I did everything at the request of the Ministry of Interior and for Israel’s benefit because I knew that last year's event didn't take place,” he said. 

“This is a completely unnecessary and baseless incident that causes significant damage to Israel across the Christian world,” Betzer added.

Thousands of Orthodox Christians came to Israel last week specifically to participate in the ceremony. 

“We expected that after the event’s cancellation last year, the Fire and Rescue Services would present us with all the safety requirements we needed to uphold so that we could hold our religious ceremony as others do," said Wadie Abu Nassar, a leading figure in the Orthodox Christian community in Israel.

“Thousands of believers who came to celebrate the holiday were forced to turn back after the authorities didn’t approve the event at the last moment,” he said. 

Yossi Fatael, head of the Israel Incoming Tour Operators Association, believes the cancellation will damage Israel's reputation abroad. 

“This is an international scandal and a violation of the freedom of worship. The issue will serve as a tool in the hands of those who seek to vilify Israel as a country attempting to harm Christians,” he said. 

“There will surely be those who link this to the current government. Those who wish us ill will connect this to the denigration of Christians in Jerusalem,” Fatael added. “It is a severe systemic failure that such an order is issued on the day of pilgrimage to the mountain.” 

Yair Elkayam, head of the Northern District Fire and Rescue services, disputed claims that the cancellation happened at the last moment. 

“We've been alerting organizers that the event doesn’t meet the required safety standards for over half a year due to fire hazards,” he argued.

“We've had numerous meetings about these issues with all parties involved, alerted them to the situation, and requested that safety measures be bolstered on-site to mitigate the risk.” 

Catholic and Orthodox Christian traditions identify Mount Tabor as the site of the Transfiguration, while many Bible scholars believe that Mount Hermon is a more likely location based on the textual context of the Transfiguration story in the Gospels.