Greek Orthodox Denounce Divisive Israeli Law On Palestinian Christians

October 10, 2014

In response to this law, Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilus III has issued directives to counter attempts to recruit Christians to the Israeli Army.​

    

The Greek Orthodox Christian Patriarchate in east Jerusalem has slammed an Israeli law recognizing Aramaic Christians as a nationality, describing it as an attempt to divide the Palestinian minority.

The Greek Orthodox Church said in a statement that the law, which separates Christians from Arabs, would split minorities living in Israel, eventually weakening Palestinians, reported The Jerusalem Post.

“Palestinian Christians are an important part of the Arab and Palestinian nations; we are proud of the Aramaic identity as it reflects history and culture shaped by Arab Muslims and Christians,” the report quoted Christian Orthodox Church spokesperson Father Issa Musleh as saying.

Musleh stated that their roots as Palestinian Christians cannot be erased by anyone or any group as they are “deeply engraved in history.”

The church official was questioning the law passed on September 16, which recognized the majority of Israel’s Christians as Arameans instead of Arabs, creating a separate Christian minority group.

Last month, Interior Minister Gideon Saar ordered Israel’s Population, Immigration and Border Authority to recognize a separate Aramean identity among local Christians in the country who identify with the ancient people.

Mint Press

10/12/2014

See also
Israeli Greek Orthodox Church denounces Aramaic Christian nationality Israeli Greek Orthodox Church denounces Aramaic Christian nationality Israeli Greek Orthodox Church denounces Aramaic Christian nationality Israeli Greek Orthodox Church denounces Aramaic Christian nationality
The Greek Orthodox Christian Patriarchate says Israel is attempting to divide the Palestinian minority. Palestinian Christians: Who are They? Palestinian Christians: Who are They?
Archpriest Panayiotis Papageorgiou, Ph.D Palestinian Christians: Who are They? Palestinian Christians: Who are They?
Archpriest Panayiotis Papageorgiou, Ph.D
Most Americans today correlate Palestinians with Moslems and terrorism as the conflict flares up from time to time. In this political and military clash between the Israeli Jews and the Palestinian Moslems, the plight of the Palestinian Christians is completely lost. Going beyond recruiting Palestinian Christians to the military Going beyond recruiting Palestinian Christians to the military Going beyond recruiting Palestinian Christians to the military Going beyond recruiting Palestinian Christians to the military
The forum on the task force within the Israeli army recently sent commands to recruit Palestinian Christians living within the 1948 borders under the misguided pretext of volunteering for or in the army. This is the first time that the Israeli army has sent young soldiers to recruit Palestinian Christians living within the 1948 borders. Will Israel succeed in its goals or are they doomed to failure?
Comments
T.D.10/28/2016 3:21 am
@Raphael
These are the same tactics that the accursed English used to divide the Irish, pitting Catholic against Protestant, telling Protestants that the Catholics want the Inquistition or Bloody Bart's Day (French massacre of Protestants in the 1600's), while telling the Catholics that the "Prots" were "agents" of london and were all Tories secretly.
The Jews are playing the Native inhabitats of the Holy land the same way to divide them.
Raphael10/14/2014 10:45 pm
Let the indigenous people of that land decide who they want to be and don’t use them as bait in your game of appeasement to your Muslim overlords! Our people were forced to become Arabs and you helped the Muslims accomplish their goal and even now you are helping them, in exchange for what? The result of your co-operation is that the Christians of Israel/Palestine have left the land of their ancestors causing the population to dwindle to a mere 2 % and the ones that remain are converting to Islam because they have believed the LIE that they are Arabs and must fight a “holy fight” against the Jews! Disgusting. While Muslims kill and rape, our Christian people the Christians of this land are busy helping their Muslim overlords fight against the Jews, thanks to the great spiritual leadership of the (once Holy) Jerusalem Patriarchate. The Christians that are actually caring to learn about Christ and Christianity are forced to go to the Baptists and Protestants since when they look to the Patriarchate all they see is corruption and his (98% Greek) clergy are more concerned about other more important “Greek” things like keeping the Russian Orthodox Church out of the Holy land! Hahahaha, what a joke, shame and disgrace! God help us!
Raphael10/14/2014 10:44 pm
If you think that the Jerusalem Patriarch cares about the non-Greek Christians in his Jurisdiction just come and see how many non-Greek monks, priests and clergymen they ordain in our jurisdiction as opposed to Greeks. Their monasteries are full of Greek monks, who speak Greek, identify as Greek and are flown in from all over the world! They hate the indigenous Christians of our land so much that it works in their interest to keep them ignorant of who they are as a people and lump us in with the Arab Muslims. Its sickening! They have the audacity to tell indigenous people not to fight to resuscitate their identity, but they proudly boast of how they fought against the Turks who tried to erase their Greek identity and make they Turks. Why is it okay for the Greeks to preserve who they are and not the Aramaic people? Why is it that a GREEK is the Patriarch over “ARABS”? Let the indigenous people of that land decide who they want to be and don’t use them as bait in your game of appeasement to your Muslim overlords!
Raphael10/14/2014 10:42 pm
It is a great shame that the Patriarchate of Jerusalem seems to serve the interest of their Muslim overlords to this day. Any person delusional enough to believe that the Christian Orthodox Church is free in Israel/Palestine and Constantinople should read this article.

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