CRHISTIANS ASKED NOT TO BE INCLUDED IN THE ARAB MINORITY IN ISRAEL

Christians asked not to be included in the Arab minority in Israel

A Greek Orthodox priest in Galilee claimed a new identity for Christians traditionally considered to be of Arab origin, living in the country, to encourage young people in your community to provide military service in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). "Our origin as Christians are recorded on this earth since the time of Jesus," Father Gabriel Nadaf said at a press conference in Jerusalem in which he asked to return to their roots "Aramaic" and stop being included among the Israeli Arab minority . 40 years and a priest of the village in Galilee Japhia, Nadaf responded to accusations that community leaders on their initiative that is "split" for the Arab minority in Israel, consisting of 1.2 million people and the division between Christians and Muslims, and found that the roots of your community has nothing to do with the Arabs. "We have to go back (pages) history and see where Christianity came, who left Judaism founded (...) Jesus spoke Aramaic," said his fate by joining the Jewish people and require a new identity seeking to distance themselves of the Arabs and their national demands against Israel. The strategy of this religion, which has been heavily criticized by some of his supporters, the leaders of the Palestinian Authority (PA) and even by the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, is to instill in its youth the need to "re the roots." "We have overcome the barrier of fear, this is our Holy Land and we have to defend," he said when presenting his initiative to mobilize Christians in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in order to then demand full rights. The Israel Defense Forces reported that the request Nadaf in the coming weeks to ship orders enrollment "invite" all young Christians to serve as "voluntary" and as a means of integration of Roma. The initiative was met with a harsh response from fifteen Arab-Israeli organizations, condemned the new recruitment policy and described as "an effort to divide the Arab-Israeli population and Christians separated from the rest." In addition, they urged young people to "fight (this season)" and actively combat "plans Israelisation" in Arab communities that remained within the State of Israel, after the declaration of independence of 1948. An accusation that Nadaf and spokesman Christian Forum in Army Officers, Shadi Jalul vehemently rejected. "We want our own Christian identity, they were deprived of the Muslim conquest in the seventh century," said Jalul, who said his goal is not to "split", but to live in peace and harmony with demás.EFE