Hundreds of Orthodox Christian pilgrims arrived at Qasr Al-Yahud in Judea and Samaria on Thursday and re-enacted the baptism of Jesus Christ in the Jordan River.
The annual ceremony was led by the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophilos III.
A group of Palestinians at the site protested against Theophilos over the church's decision to sell land to Jewish groups.
The Greek Orthodox Church is one of the biggest private landowners in the Holy Land and in recent years has stirred controversy among both Israelis and Palestinians for trying to sell prime assets to private investors.
Worshippers from around the world and Israel made their way down the river bank and immersed themselves in the water, where Christian tradition says John the Baptist baptized Jesus.
Some historians identify Qasr Al-Yahud as the approximate site of the original baptism, situated alongside the international border between Israel and Jordan.
The ceremony took place simultaneously on both the Israeli and the Jordanian river banks.
