Fr. Gabriel Naddaf interviewed

[Yeshua HaDerekh]

Fr. Naddaf (a Greek Orthodox priest) was interviewed on the Israel Now News show called Ask The Source.

 

[ArmyMatt]

thanks, will check it out when I have time!

 

[Zeek]

New Nationality for Christians: Aramaean - Inside Israel - News - Arutz Sheva#!

A Facebook page representing supporters of Father Gabriel Nadaf, a leader of the Aramaean minority, was ecstatic over the decision.

The decision “corrects a historic injustice that wrongly defined Israel's citizens of eastern-Christian descent as 'Christian Arabs,' although other than their spoken language, they have absolutely no connection to the Arab nationality,” he wrote.

I think what has happened is quite remarkable, and shows a determined effort by the Aramean Christians to have their identity secured as Christian Israelis to differentiate from Arab Christians....in some part this is due to the fact that many Arab Christians are far more in line with the PA narrative and seem to appease their Moslem neighbours, whereas now that the Arameans have been recognized they are at liberty to support israel as their nation and have the blessing of the State to do so.

 

[xenia]

the Aramean Christians to have their identity secured as Christian Israelis to differentiate from Arab Christians<<<

It would be much better if rather than attempting to distance themselves from their brothers and sisters in Christ they worked to reconcile and live together in peace and support each other.

But I know that for some, anything Israeli is always going to shine over anything Arab.

 

[Zeek]

the Aramean Christians to have their identity secured as Christian Israelis to differentiate from Arab Christians<<<

It would be much better if rather than attempting to distance themselves from their brothers and sisters in Christ they worked to reconcile and live together in peace and support each other.

But I know that for some, anything Israeli is always going to shine over anything Arab.

I don't think it is 'Israeli good, Arab bad'...more like they are relieved they no longer have to give in to the demands of the Arabs who promote a Palestinian narrative that they expect everyone to endorse. I'm sure they are not negative towards Arabs per se, but really want to distance themselves from the continuing attempt to rewrite history and give validity to a Palestine that does not exist yet, and is probably highly unlikely to materialize under the present circumstance.

I think they have been under the yoke of others for long enough and could wait another 1,000 years seeking to reconcile differences...but they want to be fully integrated into Israeli society and believe they have a valid part to play and cannot [bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse]-foot around any longer.

It also raises some interesting questions about the so called Arab Christians that are totally opposed to the State of Israel...Fr Naddaf and others seem to be exposing all sorts of things and highlighting the glaring inconsistencies found in Christian communities in Judea and Samaria...it is a question of 'watch this space' for many of us.

 

[E.C.]

The Middle East gets messy when it comes to certain terms, labels and their connotations. A few notes in my humble attempt to clarify them.....

-Syriac/Aramean are both in reference to the region of Syria. The difference is that "Syriac" comes from a Greek butchering of "Aramean" though they both basically mean the same thing.
-Assyrian/Chaldean are both in reference to the region of Iraq. The difference long ago may have been a north/south thing, but today the difference is a matter of liturgics between the Assyrian Church of the East and the Chaldean Catholics.

Syriac/Aramean/Assyrian are basically similar people and languages that predate the Arab/Islamic conquests; i.e. the pre-Muslim people of the Levant.

The only thing is with centuries of intermarriage between Arabs and the Syriacs there is only so much Syriac blood that can be left. For the last three centuries the Eastern Orthodox in the Middle East have strongly identified themselves as Arabs in language and ethnicity. For that I find little need to change it since it would be like me no longer calling myself an American, but Spanish for that part of the family has been in North America since the Spanish started St. Augustine. I can understand the Syriac Orthodox (OO) calling themselves Aramean since they actually speak that language and use it in their liturgies, but I don't see it making any sense for the EO presence in Palestine/Israel.

 

[seekingfreedom]

Christians in Israel do what they have to do to survive. They are still treated as second class citizens by the Israeli government.

Israel Seizes Lands from Russian Orthodox Monastery

All you have to do is read the reason why and you wonder just who the second class citizens are in Israel.

Last year it was a Catholic Salesian Monastery that was severed from a convent.

 

[Zeek]

Christians in Israel do what they have to do to survive. They are still treated as second class citizens by the Israeli government.

Israel Seizes Lands from Russian Orthodox Monastery

All you have to do is read the reason why and you wonder just who the second class citizens are in Israel.

Last year it was a Catholic Salesian Monastery that was severed from a convent.

Despite the report, Israel does not just seize land from people...there is due legal process, and if this brief report is accurate, then the owners of the land will be able to appeal against the decision.

I know the place well, and it is true there is a certain amount of friction at times, and some of the tourists and local Israeli behaviour can be banal....in fact areas around the Sea of Galileee have had loads of rubbish just left in the bushes and the water...it is a disgrace.