White House expresses 'concerns' over blocking Jerusalem's Catholic leader

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt expressed “concerns” over the blocking of Jerusalem’s Catholic leader, saying: “We did express our concerns with Israel with respect to these holy sites being shut down. We want worshippers to be able to access these holy sites.” The comments come after Israeli police restricted access to key religious sites in Jerusalem, including the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, briefly preventing Christian leaders from holding Palm Sunday services. Separately, Al-Aqsa Mosque has remained closed for about a month since the start of the US-Israeli war on Iran, in what Palestinian officials described as an unprecedented measure since 1967. The White House and State Department have not publicly commented on the closure of Al-Aqsa Mosque. Support stories that matter. Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCR0fZh5SBxxMNYdg0VzRFkg/join Catch previous episodes of MEE LIVE, our biweekly news programme exploring the stories shaping our world through breaking coverage, expert analysis, and hard-hitting interviews. Originally airing Tuesdays & Thursdays at 12pm ET | 5pm BST Got a story tip or question? Reach us at [email protected] Subscribe to our channel: http://ow.ly/AVlW30n1OWH Subscribe to MEE Telegram channel to stay up to date: https://t.me/MiddleEastEye_TG Middle East Eye Website: https://middleeasteye.net Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@middleeasteye Follow us on Instagram: https://instagram.com/MiddleEastEye Like us on Facebook: https://facebook.com/MiddleEastEye Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MiddleEastEye