Israel legally separates Christians from Muslim Arabs

World Net Daily ^ | 3-1-14 | Ryan Jones

[ReformationFan]

Israel’s Knesset on Monday signed into law a bill that legally distinguishes between local Christians and the bulk of the Arabic-speaking population, which is primarily Muslim.

The stated goal of the law is to boost Christian employment rights by recognizing them as an independent minority, and thereby granting them separate representation on local councils and employment committees.

Israeli Arab (mostly Muslim) members of Knesset blasted the new law, insisting it would undermine Arab identity in the Holy Land.

But beyond the increased employment rights, that is precisely the point for many Arabic-speaking Christians in Israel.

[ReformationFan]

Some good news for Arab Christians in Israel.

[Vigilanteman]

As a side benefit, they also get to know which Arabs are unlikely candidates for harboring terrorists. I've had the pleasure of knowing a number of Arabian Christians in my lifetime. They take their faith far more seriously than your average Christian.

Sort of like black conservatives.

[Blood of Tyrants]

About time that Israel figured out it had no better friends than the Christian community.

[LukeL]

Same thing is true for SE Asian Christians. On the UW-Milwaukee Campus the South Korean Christians were the most open and unashamed about their faith.

[SunkenCiv]

> a bill that legally distinguishes between local Christians and the bulk of the Arabic-speaking population, which is primarily Muslim. The stated goal of the law is to boost Christian employment rights by recognizing them as an independent minority, and thereby granting them separate representation on local councils and employment committees.

[SJackson]

Middle East and terrorism, occasional political and Jewish issues Ping List. High Volume

If you’d like to be on or off, please FR mail me.

..................

[Jewbacca]

“As a side benefit, they also get to know which Arabs are unlikely candidates for harboring terrorists.”

This is true, NOW.

Back in the day, the Christian Arabs were actually worse, in that they had to be “on the team against the Jews” with the moslems to prevent themselves from being targets. Logical, if unfortunate.

It has taken the last 50 years or so of being decent humans by Israelis to swing them around -— and then recent experiences in Lebanon, Syria, Eqypt that sealed the deal.

I have a Coptic Christian doctor from Eqypt (who did residency with my wife in the USA) living in my house (with my mom, whom they love because she never lets anyone have a meal without wine — little better than Eqypt!) in Israel that we basically smuggled in during the very recent troubles and finagled a “research” position at a local hospital. Got his immediate family and working on the uncles, aunts, and cousins and a semi-orderly disposal of his assets in Eqypt.

His biggest shock coming to Israel, I think was going to a church without an armed guard, buying a Bible at the equivalent of Barnes & Nobles, and buying beer at a supermarket.

I suspect they are going to ultimately settle in England, but they also love Texas or Utah, oddly enough. The climate is very similar.

[Eleutheria5]

“...insisting it would undermine Arab identity in the Holy Land.’

But undermining Christian identity in the Holy Land, why that’s just dandy.

[wardaddy]

I buy that partially maybe on a local village level in 1948....folks here have a one size fits all view of the 1948 war....

Habash Haddad Nasser and Bandak etc were not on board to keep Muslim Arabs at bay in the mid 60s till most of them petered out..or were killed..and correspondingly the Muslim Palestinian offensive took more center stage..

Hell back in the early days they more likely the leaders and simply better at it than the Muzzies who were slow learners at the time.....the early Christian Palestinian competed with Arafat....joined him then split and so forth ....George Habash even aligned with Hamas after Arafat ....till Habash death a few years ago

Habash PFLP beef stemmed from 1948 loss of family land and assets and death of his sister in the war ....he was motivated by that...not by fear of muzzies

Wadie Haddad....killed by IDF eventully......a contemporary of Habash....both sponsored Carlos the Jackal btw.....took essentially same hard line as Habash and for same reasons...grief from 1948

Not some world theological domination jihad like modern Islamists do which is maybe the big reason Christians have dropped mostly from Palestinian terrorists leadership past generation....Christian wanted their land back..Muzzies want that and your head and your tribe driven into the Mediterranean

I think the loss of a Christian Lebanon since the Gemayels collapsed....and the south Leb army too....I think this showed Arab Christians in Israel that the islamists are not their buddies

Regardless the beefs their grandparents may have had with Ergun or Hagganah or IDF

there are still some Christian Palestinian terrorists but only a few

And....I think the craziness of Abu Nidal...anyone remember him....also pushed away Christians from PLO ranks

Beefs aside.
.there is no question Christian Palestinians....Eastern Orthodox or Catholic have more culture and civilization in common with most Jews than muslims
Palestinian jihad ....blowing up school buses and bar and bat mitzvahs and wedding receptions has more to do with jihad ..whether Afghan or Chechnya or Philippines than it does wresting land from Israel

It has zilch to do with the old aims of folks like Habash

[Pelham]

Your post is like reading a Claire Sterling essay. Remember her? One of the first journalistic experts on terrorism, back in Reagan’s day.

[dennisw]

It seems to me that in 1948 about 15% of the Palestinians who fled Israel were Christian. So they had a grudge and joined with the Muslims in the PLO etc. Sirhan who killed Robert Kennedy was from a prominent Christian family (West Bank) that IIRC had a grudge going back to losing assets in the 1948 Israel war for independence

Today the Christian percentage is lower same as in Lebanon. Partly due to Christians emigrating to Europe and America and partly due to higher Muzz birth rates. But Lebanon used to be a Christian Arab controlled nation and was better for it. It was the trading and financial hub of the Middle East

[wardaddy]

Ali Agca

[Pelham]

I googled Claire Sterling after I posted my comment and I see that the common theme now is that she wasn’t accurate and that the Soviets didn’t run Agca. Who knows...