The Israeli Ethnic Cleansing of Palestinian Christians that nobody is talking about

[Oldmantook]

I haven't heard of ethnic cleansing by Israel being carried out. If so it seems it would be in the news reports here. Reports instead say there are battles and retaliation engagement from both sides.

Certainly if Israel attacked any people on the basis they are Christian then USA news sources would report that, and none are. Some Christians there are probably affected by these battles but I doubt if Israel targets them because they are Christian or even because they are Palestinian. Reports claim they are targeted because Palestinian people are targeting Israel.

Since you call yourself Woke, it indicates that you have awakened. Thus do you inherently trust the news reports? The availability or dearth of information is no inherent guarantee of the truth being reported, or not reported. It is incumbent upon you to do your own due diligence and come to your own conclusions regarding the Israeli - Palestinian conflict.

The fact is (do your own research) the news media, and Congress for that matter, are controlled by the Zionists which is why you don't hear of any negative incidents. Why do you suppose the attack on the USS Liberty was covered up over 50 years ago? Why do you suppose that you do not hear that Israeli snipers target children, journalists, health workers according to a UN report? Do your own research from multiple sources as there is an abundance of information on the web which will allow you to arrive at your own conclusion.

 

[Francis Drake]

The Israeli Ethnic Cleansing of Palestinian Christians that nobody is talking about

So do we Christians care about this or are we content to let politics override the well-being of our Christian brethren?

This is an extremely biased article given that Christians are being persecuted and slaughtered by Muslims throughout the world, and Palestine being no different.
There are plenty of articles on the web showing that Palestinian Christians have been hounded out of Palestinian areas primarily by Muslims, not Israel.

The Suppressed Plight of Palestinian Christians - Raymond Ibrahim

THE PERSECUTION OF PALESTINIAN CHRISTIANS | VirtueOnline – The Voice for Global Orthodox Anglicanism
Here's an extract about Bethlehem from the above website.-
Bethlehem is a classic case. In 1990 Bethlehem was 60 percent Christian. After the PA acquired control of Bethlehem in 1994, Chairman Arafat extended the city's municipal borders to include the 30,000 Muslims living in nearby refugee camps. He also encouraged Muslims in Hebron to immigrate to Bethlehem. After nine Christians members of the Bethlehem City Council were driven to resign their posts in protest of Islamisationist policies, Arafat appointed a Muslim from Hebron as Governor of the Bethlehem District. The entire political structure of Bethlehem was then gradually cleansed of Christians. Christians are leaving. By 2001, Bethlehem was only 20 percent Christian.

BOYCOTTS AND EXTORTION

Christians suffer economic hardship as Muslims boycott their businesses. Islamic militants have also forced some Christians to close their businesses. The practice of extortion of Christian businesses is so widespread that one Christian businessman interviewed told Prof. Weiner, "There isn't a Christian businessman exempt." He said that around 90 percent of Christian businesses in Bethlehem have been forced to close. Those that remain in business are paying protection money to militants.

Christians in business in the Palestinian Territories are also harassed, beaten and robbed by PA police (Weiner cites examples).

They are targeted simply because they are Christian. Refusal or inability to pay bribes can lead to torture and even death. These atrocities are committed with impunity.

Christian women testify that before 1993, security was such that they could walk the streets in safety. However, after the PA took control, Christian women could be attacked with impunity. Weiner gives several reasons for the sharp rise in sexual violence against Christian women since the PA took control of the Palestinian Territories: the rise is Islamist attitudes (such as Muslim superiority and contempt of infidels); the denigration and relegation of Christians to dhimmi (second class citizen) status with limited rights and no equality before the law; combined with the PA's inaction, regardless of whether that is due to lack of authority or lack of will. Once again, Muslim criminals know they can rape Christian women without fear of retaliation or legal consequence.

 

[Oldmantook]

This is an extremely biased article given that Christians are being persecuted and slaughtered by Muslims throughout the world, and Palestine being no different.
There are plenty of articles on the web showing that Palestinian Christians have been hounded out of Palestinian areas primarily by Muslims, not Israel.

The Suppressed Plight of Palestinian Christians - Raymond Ibrahim

THE PERSECUTION OF PALESTINIAN CHRISTIANS | VirtueOnline – The Voice for Global Orthodox Anglicanism
Here's an extract about Bethlehem from the above website.-
Bethlehem is a classic case. In 1990 Bethlehem was 60 percent Christian. After the PA acquired control of Bethlehem in 1994, Chairman Arafat extended the city's municipal borders to include the 30,000 Muslims living in nearby refugee camps. He also encouraged Muslims in Hebron to immigrate to Bethlehem. After nine Christians members of the Bethlehem City Council were driven to resign their posts in protest of Islamisationist policies, Arafat appointed a Muslim from Hebron as Governor of the Bethlehem District. The entire political structure of Bethlehem was then gradually cleansed of Christians. Christians are leaving. By 2001, Bethlehem was only 20 percent Christian.

BOYCOTTS AND EXTORTION

Christians suffer economic hardship as Muslims boycott their businesses. Islamic militants have also forced some Christians to close their businesses. The practice of extortion of Christian businesses is so widespread that one Christian businessman interviewed told Prof. Weiner, "There isn't a Christian businessman exempt." He said that around 90 percent of Christian businesses in Bethlehem have been forced to close. Those that remain in business are paying protection money to militants.

Christians in business in the Palestinian Territories are also harassed, beaten and robbed by PA police (Weiner cites examples).

They are targeted simply because they are Christian. Refusal or inability to pay bribes can lead to torture and even death. These atrocities are committed with impunity.

Christian women testify that before 1993, security was such that they could walk the streets in safety. However, after the PA took control, Christian women could be attacked with impunity. Weiner gives several reasons for the sharp rise in sexual violence against Christian women since the PA took control of the Palestinian Territories: the rise is Islamist attitudes (such as Muslim superiority and contempt of infidels); the denigration and relegation of Christians to dhimmi (second class citizen) status with limited rights and no equality before the law; combined with the PA's inaction, regardless of whether that is due to lack of authority or lack of will. Once again, Muslim criminals know they can rape Christian women without fear of retaliation or legal consequence.

False dichotomy fallacy that you have employed. The fact is BOTH Muslims and Israelis have hounded the Christian Palestinians - not just one or the other.

 

[SoldierOfTheKing]

Neither Israel nor the Palestinian Authority is a friend to Palestinian Christians. The last Christian friendly government in the Holy Land was the British Mandate.

 

[Francis Drake]

Neither Israel nor the Palestinian Authority is a friend to Palestinian Christians. The last Christian friendly government in the Holy Land was the British Mandate.

Except that the mandate was decidedly unchristian in almost everything it did.

 

[Ignatius the Kiwi]

Ethnic replacement might seem like the appropriate title, rather than cleansing since that implies a genocidal idea rather than other factors. I'm kind of amazed how Israel continues to be a lesson to the world and one of the areas that seems fascinating to me is the demographic change. Why should we be surprised at a dwindling Christian population in a self professed Jewish state with a significant Muslim minority supported by hostile Muslim countries all around it?

Israel isn't a multicultural state, it has clear intentions on becoming a majority Jewish state and it wants to secure this by gradually encroaching on Palestinian lands (possibly all of it?). Palestinians do themselves no favours when they resort to terrorism, it doesn't work and it only gives Israel further justification to do what they want.

All this demonstrates to me is the need for a Christian Middle Eastern nation or the need for western powers to step in and try to defend the Christian minority instead of only the Israeli state.

 

[SoldierOfTheKing]

Except that the mandate was decidedly unchristian in almost everything it did.

It protected its Christian subjects. Was that unchristian? Or are you wallowing in colonial guilt?

 

[Woke]

Since you call yourself Woke, it indicates that you have awakened. Thus do you inherently trust the news reports? The availability or dearth of information is no inherent guarantee of the truth being reported, or not reported. It is incumbent upon you to do your own due diligence and come to your own conclusions regarding the Israeli - Palestinian conflict.

The fact is (do your own research) the news media, and Congress for that matter, are controlled by the Zionists which is why you don't hear of any negative incidents. Why do you suppose the attack on the USS Liberty was covered up over 50 years ago? Why do you suppose that you do not hear that Israeli snipers target children, journalists, health workers according to a UN report? Do your own research from multiple sources as there is an abundance of information on the web which will allow you to arrive at your own conclusion.

You make assumptions about me, so how can I trust your comments about Israel, or any report for that matter? If I see the primary points of your reasoning are based on assumption I cannot trust your conclusions. How do I know even your belief about the report is true? I don't. Best to speak what you know for sure if you care if other listen to things you teach. And you are here to teach aren't you? If not, maybe you are here to learn something.

Let me demonstrate, in a statement and question you offered implying I believe all news sources based on a pseudonym I use, you wrote, "Since you call yourself Woke, it indicates that you have awakened. Thus do you inherently trust the news reports?" Through that statement and question and a following statement you imply I trust all news reports. The problem of that teaching is some people will believe you've formed your own opinion and not answer you. Thus your conversation never gets started. No teaching occurs.

Second. You claimed what I should do even saying it is incumbent that I do it. There you state, "It is incumbent upon you to do your own due diligence and come to your own conclusions regarding the Israeli - Palestinian conflict." Factually it is not incumbent on me that I investigate this situation that some poster posted is occuring, whether it is true or not. And any report that I have not previously heard about posted on a website is not news I automatically accepted as accurate. And it is not incumbent I investigate every report like that.

Let me ask you. Were you around in 1994 when the OJ Simpson Trial was first up in news stories. If you were did you investigate the genocide that wiped out over a million Tutsi people in Malawi? If so what did you do about it? Some Christians were there during that genocide too. I know because I met one who lived through it, by hiding in a hole in the ground on his neighbors property for days. Was it incumbent on you to investigate that genocide then? And was it incumbent on you to do something about it?

If I claim it was incumbent that you should have done something there and you dropped the ball on fulfilling that obligation I claim you had what would you do about that?

My point is your approach and even the OP approach of putting up a short statement that something is wrong in another land where no news reports are heard about it will probably not motivate much more than comments here. And if that is true it's not incumbent we do something about it, is it? At least that's not what posters here believe.

I did do something about Malawi when the same thing happened years earlier in that country. Many members of my church sent our personal letters to government officials there about that persecution and who we are as a church.

But problems happen all over the world every day. It is not incumbent on any Christian to investigate each group's problem and address it.

 

[mindlight]

The Israeli Ethnic Cleansing of Palestinian Christians that nobody is talking about

So do we Christians care about this or are we content to let politics override the well-being of our Christian brethren?

Christian Palestinians tend to be better educated than Muslims with better contacts in the wider world. Even under the British mandate their rates of emigration were far higher. Both Muslims and Christians want to get out due to lack of economic opportunity and the restrictive walled off nature of society. But it is Christians who are actually doing this. Muslimshave higher birth rates and are less flexible. The numbers of Christians now is actually quite low. Many of these as Israelis are very well educated and side with Jews against Muslim extremism and even serve in the IDF. Those in the Palestinian areas are more like Arabs siding with Muslims.

Your contention this is ethnic clansing is false. Where are the bodies?

 

[anna ~ grace]

As one of those vaguely-sourced 'African proverbs' puts it, when elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers.



I posted the Kairos Palestine video a little while ago that gives a good overview across most of the communities. For a more in depth and decidedly more personal explanation from that might be of particular interest to you as a Catholic from someone who predates the establishment of Israel itself, here's the aforementioned Abp. Chacour speaking before the Presbyterian Global Leadership Conference in the USA several years ago. I think HG makes some good points.

Dzheremi, thank you. Finally got to watch this talk, and I agree. His Grace makes some good points, and challenges both sides, to see another side. Thank you.

 

[Oldmantook]

You make assumptions about me, so how can I trust your comments about Israel, or any report for that matter? If I see the primary points of your reasoning are based on assumption I cannot trust your conclusions. How do I know even your belief about the report is true? I don't. Best to speak what you know for sure if you care if other listen to things you teach. And you are here to teach aren't you? If not, maybe you are here to learn something.

Did you even read what I wrote? It was you who wrote that you did not notice any "news" of this subject in the media. I simply pointed out to you to do your own research and come to your own conclusion because you admitted to being unaware. Does that make sense to you?? I have done my due diligence and come to my own conclusion. If you have done yours, what is your conclusion?

 

[Francis Drake]

It protected its Christian subjects. Was that unchristian? Or are you wallowing in colonial guilt?

No colonial guilt here pal. Just a realistic perspective of Britain's oil driven fawning over of Muslims throughout the mandate period.

 

[Ken Rank]

The Israeli Ethnic Cleansing of Palestinian Christians that nobody is talking about

So do we Christians care about this or are we content to let politics override the well-being of our Christian brethren?

One of my best friends is an Orthodox Jew who is a tour guide in Israel. He wrote this about taking folks into Bethlehem two nights ago:

The Christians have been consistently pushed out of Beit Lehem since 1995 (when they fell under the grip of the "Palestinian Authority"). It was pathetic - there was NO music, NO festive atmosphere....just young Muslim men trying to pickpocket the foreign tourists - of which there were NOT many. The picture I took was right in the middle of Manger Square - it was more then 1/2 empty... We Israelis aren't allowed into any area controlled by the PA; Tour Guides have gotten special permission to enter, though. We bring the tourists and the city's economy is driven by tourism.

Israelis are not allowed to enter any area controlled by the PA. Interesting... not exactly what the anti-Semitic news agencies portray the situation as, is it?

 

[Basil the Great]

There could have been a Palestinian state long ago, but neither Israel or the Palestinians are willing to compromise. Israel will not go back to the 1967 borders (even except for the Western Wall) and the Palestinians refuse to give up the right of return. Unless and until each side is willing to compromise, I see no end to the conflict.

 

[dzheremi]

Christian Palestinians tend to be better educated than Muslims with better contacts in the wider world. Even under the British mandate their rates of emigration were far higher. Both Muslims and Christians want to get out due to lack of economic opportunity and the restrictive walled off nature of society. But it is Christians who are actually doing this. Muslimshave higher birth rates and are less flexible. The numbers of Christians now is actually quite low. Many of these as Israelis are very well educated and side with Jews against Muslim extremism and even serve in the IDF. Those in the Palestinian areas are more like Arabs siding with Muslims.

What? "As Israelis", "More like Arabs"...anything to avoid calling them PALESTINIANS, eh? Or recognize any sense of agency tied to their own roots in the land...no, it must be that they're "siding with Muslims" (not "also part of the same nation").

And God forbid you listen to them instead of just parroting IDF propaganda with no wider context as to how this came about as a right-wing Israeli political effort to divide Palestinians along religious lines, which a majority of Palestinian Christians rightly reject (the IDF gains have been modest at best, about 35 more volunteers in its first year over the previous years' average):

 

[ArmenianJohn]

Christian Palestinians tend to be better educated than Muslims with better contacts in the wider world. Even under the British mandate their rates of emigration were far higher. Both Muslims and Christians want to get out due to lack of economic opportunity and the restrictive walled off nature of society. But it is Christians who are actually doing this. Muslimshave higher birth rates and are less flexible. The numbers of Christians now is actually quite low. Many of these as Israelis are very well educated and side with Jews against Muslim extremism and even serve in the IDF. Those in the Palestinian areas are more like Arabs siding with Muslims.

Your contention this is ethnic clansing is false. Where are the bodies?

Oh, right, someone who has no connection or understanding of the situation, from Germany nonetheless... Too much. I guess the Christians (including clergy) in all the videos throughout this thread are lying since you simply choose to believe they are.

I'd prefer more serious discussion than just a form of burying your head in the sand and not wanting to believe it.

 

[ArmenianJohn]

You make assumptions about me, so how can I trust your comments about Israel, or any report for that matter? If I see the primary points of your reasoning are based on assumption I cannot trust your conclusions. How do I know even your belief about the report is true? I don't. Best to speak what you know for sure if you care if other listen to things you teach. And you are here to teach aren't you? If not, maybe you are here to learn something.

Let me demonstrate, in a statement and question you offered implying I believe all news sources based on a pseudonym I use, you wrote, "Since you call yourself Woke, it indicates that you have awakened. Thus do you inherently trust the news reports?" Through that statement and question and a following statement you imply I trust all news reports. The problem of that teaching is some people will believe you've formed your own opinion and not answer you. Thus your conversation never gets started. No teaching occurs.

Second. You claimed what I should do even saying it is incumbent that I do it. There you state, "It is incumbent upon you to do your own due diligence and come to your own conclusions regarding the Israeli - Palestinian conflict." Factually it is not incumbent on me that I investigate this situation that some poster posted is occuring, whether it is true or not. And any report that I have not previously heard about posted on a website is not news I automatically accepted as accurate. And it is not incumbent I investigate every report like that.

Let me ask you. Were you around in 1994 when the OJ Simpson Trial was first up in news stories. If you were did you investigate the genocide that wiped out over a million Tutsi people in Malawi? If so what did you do about it? Some Christians were there during that genocide too. I know because I met one who lived through it, by hiding in a hole in the ground on his neighbors property for days. Was it incumbent on you to investigate that genocide then? And was it incumbent on you to do something about it?

If I claim it was incumbent that you should have done something there and you dropped the ball on fulfilling that obligation I claim you had what would you do about that?

My point is your approach and even the OP approach of putting up a short statement that something is wrong in another land where no news reports are heard about it will probably not motivate much more than comments here. And if that is true it's not incumbent we do something about it, is it? At least that's not what posters here believe.

I did do something about Malawi when the same thing happened years earlier in that country. Many members of my church sent our personal letters to government officials there about that persecution and who we are as a church.

But problems happen all over the world every day. It is not incumbent on any Christian to investigate each group's problem and address it.

I have to love the delicious irony of someone naming himself "Woke" and then complaining that there's not enough corporate-owned media reporting on a story for him to believe it. Hilarious and at the same time sad.

 

[thecolorsblend]

Also the One State Solution appears to be desired by the Palestinians

One-state solution gains ground as Palestinians battle for equal rights

Also it seems to be Netanyahu who doesn't want a One State Solution not the Palestinians

Netanyahu rejects one-state solution, says settlements are a ‘side issue’

The Palestinians and the Israelis all understand that a one-state solution which grants Israeli citizenship to Arabs means that Israel becomes majority Arab overnight.

That's why Israelis oppose it. They want to protect their demographic majority.

If the Jews can aspire to see a state formed from their religious Identity then Christians should aspire to this ideal as well. Instead we're stuck in the dark age of Nationalism.

The state of Israel is an ethno-state by any sane definition. And it's becoming more and more avowedly an ethno-state all the time.

 

[KarateCowboy]

So are we willing to overlook the ethnic cleansing of Palestinian Muslims? That has been going on for about 70 years.

And they're still dirty? What's the problem?

 

[mindlight]

What? "As Israelis", "More like Arabs"...anything to avoid calling them PALESTINIANS, eh? Or recognize any sense of agency tied to their own roots in the land...no, it must be that they're "siding with Muslims" (not "also part of the same nation").

And God forbid you listen to them instead of just parroting IDF propaganda with no wider context as to how this came about as a right-wing Israeli political effort to divide Palestinians along religious lines, which a majority of Palestinian Christians rightly reject (the IDF gains have been modest at best, about 35 more volunteers in its first year over the previous years' average):

God gave the land to the Jews, there has never been an independent Palestinian state. This place was prosperous under the Christian Byzantines, suffered slow decline thereafter under Muslim rule as its Christian majority was steadily eroded and was a backwater under the Muslim Ottomans but never an independent state. The suffering of the Palestinian people is partly caused by the fact that Egypt and Jordan refused to recognise them as their own citizens caging them into the lands they now occupy. The Jews are not going anywhere and the non Jews in Israel would better prosper if they cooperated with the Jewish state rather than rebelled against it.