Comments on: “We must take a neighborhood in Gaza and wipe it off the map”

By: YOU CAN’T RAISE A BABY WITH APARTHEID ARMS « Desertpeace

YOU CAN’T RAISE A BABY WITH APARTHEID ARMS « Desertpeace — Sun, 04 May 2008 06:28:01 +0000

[...] of course, is the idea, the result of a deliberate strategy and as a direct consequence of Israel’s prevailing self-definition and worldview. As surely as [...]

By: Ann El Khoury

Ann El Khoury — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 17:17:58 +0000

While all the Palestinian Christians I know are definitely not Christian zionists, I do know what you mean, I’ve encountered these within my own family circle, springing from ostensibly biblical beliefs. That is, they accept the Israeli government’s rather inexcusable actions not on political but on the religious grounds you mentioned, though the Lebanese Maronite Phalange allied with Israel in the early 1980s did so on political grounds.

Interestingly, the few Christian Arabs who still subscribe to these views here and elsewhere in the diaspora seem to embody a frozen time capsule — they tend to have been here for the past 30 years and their views on the conflict have not changed, frozen from the time of their departure;, while their Lebanese Christian family in Lebanon have decidedly different views on Israel.

I share your sentiments about an end to this occupation. Please come by anytime and feel free to comment.

By: LDU

LDU — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 14:28:06 +0000

Hello Ann,

Cheers for your reply.

I knew about Azmi Bishara, Michel Sabbah and George Habash. Bishara must’ve had guts being so open about his link with the Syrian government. I had no idea Ashrawi was Christian.

I don’t want to sound shallow but I’ve accomodated this perception that Palestinian Christians (and other Arab Christians) are by the majority, Israeli allied. I may well be wrong because of my limited contact with Arab Christians, but the few Arab Christian friends I have tend to harbour pro Israeli political beliefs. One mate being of Lebanese background said that Israel’s creation is a prophecy fulfilled leading upto the second coming of Jesus Christ, and if Israel is Jesus Christ’s will, he has no problem with it. Another believes that when Jesus returns the Jews will have two options, either to accept his messiahship or perish. Having said that, there may well be many who are also not pro Israel, like those you’ve listed above.

It’s also a sad fact that Christian numbers have so dramatically decreased in the occupied territories, but i’d be so over the moon to see a Christian succeed Abbas or Haniya. I think Manawel Musallam would be a good candidate although he is low profile.

At uni, the Muslim Students’ Association hosts Palestine related events, even though we’ve tried to get Palestinian Christians involved, they (well, those on campus) just dont show much interest.

Hopefully this conflicts going to end soon. It’s been 60 years now. The white government in South Africa fell, the British left India and Ireland, American blacks won their right to drink from any fountain; Israel is no exception to historical trends.

Excuse the rant.