Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh called Jesus 'the first Palestinian self-sacrificing fighter from whom we learned Martyrdom-death, and who paid for his mission with his life.'

In an effort to uncover the original rock surface where Jesus' body was laid, the main Christian communities that govern the church have allowed a work crew only 60 hours to excavate the Edicule, the inner sanctum that covers what is believed to be the original cave where Jesus is said to have been entombed and resurrected.