Israel blocks Cardinal Pizzaballa from Holy Sepulchre Palm Sunday; police later reach framework agreement with Latin Patriarchate

US Ambassador Mike Huckabee, one of the strongest American advocates of Israel in Trump's orbit, publicly condemned Israel's decision to bar Cardinal Pizzaballa from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on Palm Sunday. On X, Huckabee called it 'an unfortunate overreach already having major repercussions around the world' and said it was 'difficult to understand or justify.' He noted that the four Catholic representatives were well below the 50-person Home Front Command limit and argued a private ceremony for four people should not have been blocked. He said Israel has indicated it will work with the Patriarch to accommodate Holy Week activities. The condemnation by Trump's own evangelical ambassador — who has been firmly supportive of Israeli military operations — is diplomatically extraordinary. Combined with French President Macron, Italian PM Meloni and FM Tajani (who summoned Israel's ambassador to Rome), German Ambassador Seibert, Pope Leo XIV, and Israeli President Herzog personally calling Cardinal Pizzaballa, the Palm Sunday incident has become the broadest coordinated diplomatic rebuke of Israel since the war began on February 28.