The Church of Holy Sepulchre hosts the Christian Orthodox Holy Fire ceremony in Jerusalem's Old City last year (Photo: Reuters)
Egyptian tour companies organising Easter pilgrimages to Jerusalem for Coptic Christians are working within the law, says the chairman of the tourism division at the Egyptian Chamber of Commerce.
Speaking to Al-Ahram's Arabic language portal, Hossam El-Shaer said that the Egyptian state has placed no restrictions on excursions to Jerusalem, leaving tourism companies free to organise trips there.
Several hundred Egyptian Coptic Christians have travelled to Jerusalem over the last week to mark the Easter holiday, according to local media reports.
Their travel defies a ban placed by the late Pope Shenouda III, who threatened excommunication for any member of the Orthodox Church visiting Israeli-occupied Palestinian land.
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