T. Belman. There are about 160,000 Arab Israeli Christians citizens in Israel. If they ran in the elections they wouldn’t get enough seats to meet the Knesset threshold of 4 seats. Therefore they will have to be a faction in one of the Jewish parties. Believe it or not Bennett may appeal to them.
“The New Alliance” supports national service, including in the military, and recognizes Israel as the home of the Jewish people • “We are completely Israeli, and then comes religion,” says party founder Bashara Shlayan of Nazareth.
Bashara Shlayan: “Israel’s first demand, which I support — and which needs to be understood — is that Israel is the home of the Jewish people.” | Photo credit: Gil Eliyahu/JINI
The events in the Middle East have unleashed deep sociological and ideological processes, of which we are only seeing the beginning. It is not only political Islam in the eye of the media storm. Throughout the various Arab countries in the region, the bruised and battered Christian community is raising its voice. Israel appears to be the only country in the region whose Christian community does not have a negative emigration ratio as its members flee West in pursuit of a more promising life.
Recent newspaper headlines involve Christian Israelis who are setting themselves apart from their Muslim counterparts, disproving the traditional perception of Israel’s Arab population as homogenous. They want to join the Israel Defense Forces.
Against the backdrop of hysteria expressed by Arab MKs who object to national service of any kind, but particularly in the army, the comments emanating from Israel’s Christian Arab community sound like a cultural and social declaration of independence.
Now comes the next phase in the independence process: forming a political party. As of today, the Arab Christian party will be named Habrit Hahadashah (The New Alliance — the word “brit,” which also means covenant, references the New Testament).
This is a historic turning point with profound and far-reaching consequences for Israeli society. If the party is successful, it will provide an alternative for that sector of Israel’s Arab population that seeks full partnership in Israeli society, and which sees a Jewish democratic Israel as its home.
Israel Hayom sat down with the leader of the initiative, professional ship captain Bashara Shlayan (58) from Nazareth.
“The entire thing started from the fact that I wanted to get my nephew into the army and there were difficulties, they really didn’t want him to integrate. Today he is a major in a combat unit,” Shlayan says.
“When I wanted my son to join the army we decided to create a forum for Christian enlistment. We also invited priests from the church to a conference we held in Nazareth Illit. One of them is the Church patriarch, Father Gabriel Nadaf [who has drawn the ire of Arab MKs recently for encouraging Christian Arab youth to join the IDF], who preferred [our way] and said we were right.”
Shlayan is proud that the forum was able to get a representative from the community assigned to work at the IDF’s enlistment offices.
“We saw that we needed to create a political party,” he says. “There were articles about us published in the Arab newspapers and it sparked interest throughout the region that there is an Arab Christian in Israel who recognizes the land of Israel as belonging to the Jews.”
How do you define yourselves?
“Firstly we are completely Israeli, and then comes religion.”
Shlayan is not fooling himself. In fact, he gives the impression that he was pushed into this position for lack of an alternative. He says he has also been met with skepticism that anything can actually be changed.
“People see what is happening now in Lebanon, Egypt and Syria. They understand where we are living. I tell them, ‘For 65 years we have given to the Arab communist parties; 65 years and they have done nothing!’ Give me three years, I will manage and solve their problems.”
They haven’t done anything?
“Look at what the Arab parties have done. Just talking nonsense about nothing but communism; [MK Dov] Khenin and [MK Mohammad] Barakeh (Hadash), what have they done for us? They want us to disappear and are not acting according to the integrity of their country’s citizens.”
What integrity?
“The integrity is very simple. A person belongs to his country. This is the integrity. You need to be like any citizen. If you were in America, you wouldn’t be an American? At least in Israel, those who stayed here have been given the right to be a citizen and to integrate. But Israel’s first demand, which I support — and which needs to be understood — is that Israel is the home of the Jewish people.”
What is your opinion about the automatic position taken by the Arab parties against Israel and in support of the Palestinians?
“It’s stupidity. You can be against something pertaining to a certain matter, but the state does a lot of things, so be a partner! Don’t always be against. They think being against Israel is Arab nationalism, that it is the manly thing. But if you oppose this way of thinking, you are a traitor. This is what needs to be changed. It’s stupidity. So I demand that we, the Christians, be recognized as loyal citizens of the state.”
CuriousAmerican Said:
Yes my Sweet Honey Bear is always correct, he can raid my hive anytime.
And Dear CA, since you are correcting spelling, may I also add the word ” right” has to do with direction and should be use in only in the contexts.
@ CuriousAmerican:You want Israel to be a Christian country? Do you not have enough Christian countries?
By the way in your analysis based on politics and blog reading what I sense you fail to understand is that minorities are treated pretty well in Israel. In fact even in Judah/Samaria Arab employees are treated better by Jewish employers than by Arab employers by far!!!!
When in the distant past I was part of an organization that employed Arabs we always treated them better than any Arab Contractor. Most Jews will treat the Arabs fairly but we have this aversion to rocks, rockets and terror attacks which occasionally gets old.
15 years ago. You know the instigators were MUSLIMS, not the Christians. I said incorporate the Christians, not the MUSLIMS.
What did you fail to understand?
Israel is doing such a good job of it, too.
Never said Jihadis were not an issue. I hate Islam, also.
I said, “giving the Arabs more permits” might ameliorate the situation a bit.”
It is like pulling teeth.
Such tolerance! It is breathtaking. Such a mensch, you are!
But you are interesting in annexing the land.
Israel is looking for aliya from Jewish immigrants and is not interested in importing other religions. The world is full of Christian and Muslim Countries yet some fools think that this little country of around 6 -7 million Jews which are about 75% of the population in area about the size of New Jersey should solve the Muslim and Christian issues within its borders.
Is this because Muslims do not care about each other enough to solve their issues. Oh yes they are killing each at a rapid rate.
Christians in the middle east are being destroyed. Yet the richest Christian populated countries in the world including the USA are not trying to save these people why?
Too busy telling Israel how to run its affairs? Too busy pretending Jihadis are not a real issue?
CA Fix the USA before you tell Israelis what is best for Israel.
http://www.jcpa.org/jl/vp490.htm
@ CuriousAmerican:
It has here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_g5VJTIzSw
CuriousAmerican Said:
Bear’s criticism never ever in the tiniest leastest bit fails.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FnO3igOkOk
The areas are still heavily Christian. And the occasional sniper is not representative of the general population.
Beit Jala is still 75% Christian. Some creating mapping could exclude Muslim areas.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beit_Jala
Beit Sahour is 80% Christian
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beit_Sahour
As for Bethlehem, Muslims added areas to the municipality to decrease the Christian percentage majority. Go by the old borders, and I bet the Christian percentage would increase.
Presently 30% Christian, but some creative mapping could increase that percentage. The Muslims appended areas to old Bethlehem, just unappend them.
Taybeh is heavily Christian. And next to Israel settlements … why?!
Because Israeli settlers once siezed Taybeh’s monastery. Had to be close.
If it is that close to Jewish settlers, there is no reason this Christian village could not be incorporated into Israel with the Christians being given citizenship.
I think Taybeh is 100% Christian. It had 1,452 people in 2007.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAz6GMaRgPk
My narrative is in very good shape. Your criticism fails.
Bear Klein Said:
STOP confusing the truth with CA’s narrative.
@ CuriousAmerican:
A lot of the Christians who used to be in places you mention have been scared off the the Fatah and Hamas Thugs. They have moved overseas when they could.
In Beit Jala they were used as human shields when the terrorists where firing at Gilo for example. They would go into the Christians apartments to shoot at Israelis from.
CuriousAmerican Said:
Yes you do ,but in such an uncivilized manner.
YES to the previous comment
Sounds like a good idea.
Israel should also consider annexing the heavily Christian (like 80%) Beit Sahour, Beit Jala, and the Christian parts of Bethlehem and extending citizenship to the Christians. Under Elias Friej, the late Orthodox Christian major of Bethlehem, it was considered, though publicly denied.
It would give Jews access to David’s Birthplace: Bethlehem.
You can offer them citizenship in return for national service. Does not have to be military, but can be.
Wow! I just said Israel should annex land. You thought I was anti-Israel. So much for your viewpoints.
What I make points about is civil rights.
This is good news that will also shake up the Israeli Muslims. A few of them too are willing to be good citizens of Israel but they are under pressure from fellow Muslims not to break ranks. Bit by bit the Israeli population is solidifying around a patriotic center including the ultra Orthodox. Naturally the Israeli left will employ all means to sabotage this trend.
Mazel-Tov. Congratulations to some Israeli Nationalists.
There is nothing wrong in loving your country, particularly when their is 100% citizenship equality.