On Sunday, 10 March 2019, Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel stated: “that the State of Israel belongs to the Jewish people alone, this in response to a comment by Israeli actress Rotem Sela, who wrote on social media that Israel is a country of all its citizens.” From Haaretz, Jewish newspaper founded in 1918
A week ago, on 04 March, the State Department announced that it had demoted in rank the Palestinian consulate that it had run in Jerusalem for decades, it became a sub-unit of the USA Embassy in Israel, headed by the current ambassador, a longtime supporter and fundraiser for the West Bank settler movement and fierce critic of the Palestinian leadership.
I have various Palestinian/Jordanian/Lebanese/Syrian priest friends. Their families have been Christians for generations. Many of them have stories of Israeli/Jewish land grabs during which their families were thrown off of their land. All of them speak of the difficulties of being a Christian Arab in Israel, let alone in some of the more radical Arab states.
But, it is Israel that concerns me. Lately, conservatives have gone on a joy ride claiming that a representative who criticized Israel was engaging in anti-Semitism. Let me then be one of the first to criticize Israel, in reply. Israel is a nation that relies on some very bad Scriptural interpretation by Evangelicals in order to keep support strong here in the USA. This does not mean that I am anti-Semitic. It does mean that I heartily object to the use of Israeli influence (and, yes, money) in our elections. It is no better than the railroad job by the Russians.
I also strongly object to the segregationist line openly espoused by many Israeli politicians. We are not in the Old Covenant. I am not a dispensationalist. Whatever role G_d has for Jews in the future does not re-validate the Old Covenant single ethnicity country that was theocratic monarchial Israel.
At the same time, neither do Arab governments have the right to forcefully destroy a country that is now within a couple of decades of having been in existence for a century. At the time that Israel was established, the area had not been truly independent for centuries. Both Jews and Arabs lived there under the Turkish Ottoman Empire, and then under the British Mandate after World War I. The Arab countries in that area did not exist until after World War I, and that was thanks to the West, who gave them their freedom from the Turks. Syria actually dates its independence after the foundation of the Republic of Israel!
As the son of a Spaniard, I am glad that my people fought an Arabic invading government for centuries until they drove them out of the land. We were invaded in the 700s, lost much land, and regained it by the 1400s. I admit that I am one of those who reject the idea that we should have simply co-existed and become Arabs under a Muslim state. In that sense, I have a certain degree of compassion for those Arabs whose homes were taken and whose lives were disrupted. But, the modern history of that area is not a history of nations that had existed for centuries, but of newly-created nations that were liberated from a non-Arab overlord. Note that Turks do not consider themselves, nor are classified as, Arabs.
But it is the Christian Arabs for whom I most feel. They have been ignored by their own, or worse, told that they should be happy that G_d has re-established the Nation of Israel. Evangelicals, who are otherwise not dispensationalists, line up to speak of how appropriate it is that non-Jews have lesser or fewer rights in this modern nation-state. And, the responsibility is all given to G_d who is the one who began this new State. And, if this is what G_d has decided, who are we to object?
Well, I object! I do not have a problem with the existence of Eretz-Israel, the State of Israel. Nor do I have a problem with a religiously-oriented State, any more than I have with the Church of England being their State Church, nor with the Lutheran Church being the State Church of Norway, nor with the Catholic Church being the State Church of Spain, etc., etc. I actually have more problems with States that attempt to be either atheistic or neutral to the point that the main religion is effectively excluded from their national discourse. I am one of those that now strongly doubts the wisdom of the judicial doctrine of the separation of Church and State. Various countries around the world have shown that having a State religion is not equivalent to the suppression of other religions.
But, I do have a problem with using a particular religion to deny rights to those who are already citizens of that State. I have a problem with a particular religion being used to legitimize the mistreatment of other religions. I have a deep objection to fellow Christians telling their brother/sister Christians in Israel (and in Palestinian refugee camps) to suck it up because this has to do with the return of the Messiah. I see no verse in Scripture that allows us to cooperate in the mistreatment of Christians for the sake of the Kingdom. Actually, my people used to say things like that during the Spanish Inquisition, but not during modern times.
So, yes, I object to some of the policies of the State of Israel. I object to the use of Old Testament Scriptures to slowly start new settlements in areas outside of Israel. I object to the mistreatment and marginalization of non-Jewish citizens within the State of Israel. I object to any interpretation of Scriptures (Old or New) that allow Christians to withdraw–or never give–support to their fellow Christian. I object to the massive amounts of USA money that keeps going to Israel regardless of what policies it pursues. And, no, I am not anti-Semitic.
Here, here! Totally agree with you Fr. Ernesto.
I lived in Spain about a year and have since tried to read up a little on the history. There’s this PC trend suggesting that Spaniards were wrong to kick out the Arabs and how they co-existed before that meanie Catholic Isabelle kicked them out. Folks are even converting to Islam and Judaism out of misguided solidarity.
Um, no. Robust, spiritually healthy Christianity would have survived with much difficulty in that atmosphere. I think that experience traumatized Spaniards and have much to do with the Franco, Jesuits and Opus Dei disasters.
Even Jewish philosopher Maimonides(?) realized their spiritual life was weakened and advocated going to Alexandria, Egypt for religious freedom. There weren’t many Christian saints lived during the Muslim invasion either.You cannot have a healthy, strong spiritual life in a get along environment and to be non-offensive you must resort to a superficial interest in your faith.
For evangelicals to suggest that Arab Christians suck up and take it, is to advocate for spiritual death too. Their ignorance of history is also to blame. They need to read about Christians under Islam to understand what life is like when your faith is intentionally marginalized. And do they really think Christ would take them up on the right hand after oppressing fellow Christians?!
As for Israel, religion is being used to support bigotry and the worst passions. It’s a superiority complex blown up to monstrous proportions. When people start believing that they’re special, the chosen and therefore superior to everyone else it’s easy to view others almost as non-humans.