ASIA/ISRAEL - Netanyahu: Israel is the only State in the Middle East that protects Christians

Friday, 18 December 2015 religious minorities  

Jerusalem (Agenzia Fides) - In the Middle East, Christians are persecuted and killed "by radical Islam", and the only State in the region that protects Christians "is the State of Israel". This is how the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, outlined the plight of Christians in the Middle East, claiming the Jewish State the profile of "friendly nation" towards the baptized, which he presented as victims of violence and discrimination in Middle Eastern countries with a Muslim majority . The considerations of the Israeli Prime Minister on the situation of Christians in the Middle East are contained in the video message that Netanyahu addressed yesterday to members of the Israeli Christians Recruitment Forum, on the occasion of their annual meeting, held in Nazareth Illit.
The Israel Christians Recruitment Forum is the organization headed by the Greek Orthodox Israeli priest Gabriel Naddaf and committed in supporting the enrollment of Christian soldiers in the Israeli army. Netanyahu praised and thanked the members of the Forum for their activities, pointing out that this year, thanks to their mobilization, the number of Christian soldiers enlisted as volunteers in the Israeli military is constantly increasing, and the 200 new Christian recruits this year represents a significant increase compared to the figures recorded the previous year. "You know very well", added the Israeli Prime Minister "that our region is in flames and Christians in Iraq, Syria and, unfortunately, under the Palestinian Authority, are suffering a lot because of radical Islam. These communities are persecuted, and unfortunately many people have lost their lives for their faith. "Radical Islam, continued Netanyahu "does not make any difference between Christians, Jews and Muslims who reject their extremism. They are all infidels who must be killed". For this - said the Israeli leader "now more than ever it is clear which is the only State in the Middle East that protects minorities, where Christians live in peace and where their community is growing: This state is the State of Israel".
In the past, as documented by Agenzia Fides (see Fides 09/07/2015), a document issued by the Justice and Peace Commission of the Assembly of Bishops of the Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land outlined criteria for discernment on the issue of recruitment of Arab Christians in the Israeli army. According to the drafters of that document, the Army is used as "an institution that promotes social cohesion" and a "key site" to engage citizens in the national project "as it is conceived by the authorities, that is, promoting Israel as a national Jewish State". In this perspective, according to the Justice and Peace Commission operating in the Holy Land, "talking of the enrollment of Christian Arabs rather than the Arabs in general - Muslims and Christians - is clearly an attempt to drive a wedge between Christians and Muslims in Israel". Moreover, "the army is used as a means to impose and maintain the occupation of Palestinian territories and therefore prevent Palestinians from reaching dignity and independence". It is represented as "an army of aggression and not of defense". Therefore "the use of the military service to divide the Arab population itself damages the interests of the Arabs as a community". (GV) (Agenzia Fides 18/12/2015)


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