Israel and the Christian Arabs

Submitted by dhimmi no more (United States), Jan 6, 2010 at 08:18

Hi Mot'ke you wrote

>A possible, simple explanation: In Palestine and Egypt the population is exposed to propaganda. No moral man, whatever his/her religion is, would be inclined to love a people (Israel) who commit monstrosities every day (snitching organs, cutting down olive trees, shooting babies, demolishing houses, divesting sewage into palestinian water sources, etc.

Brain washing? It very well could be true. So what should Israel do about it?

>These are lies and half-lies that are small enough to be believed by rational minds).

True

>Another case which is very surprising: Most Copts in Egypt and outside Egypt that have no like for israel. I was even surpised to watch Father Zakaria Botros who [...] It isn't surprising at all. Would *you* love somebody whose national emblem is the swastika?

No he is a very smart man to fall for this nonsense and has no like for islam and after all Aymenn was saying that islamism is the reason, now, for anti-Zionism and all I'm saying that this might no be true

> (I'm referring to the caricatures in Egyptian newspapers).

Well Israelis have a wonderful word and it is hasbara and the Arabs have their own kalam fadi that every one knows that it is kalam fadi

>It only proves that Father Zakaria is a moral man (of course, he's basing his stance on false data, but he has no way of knowing this (as many other people in the world)).

Then if you have data to prove that he is reading "fasle data" why would the Israelis not approach Christian Arabs and have a dialog with them as equals? And you will be surpised with the sophistication of such very old communities and they are survivors of Islamic hegemony and I'm sure they can teach you and me a lesson or two

>My only explanation here is that the al-nakba al-falastiniyya was also felt by not just by Muslims in the Middle East but also by Christian Arabs. They not only "felt" it. The feel it this very hour. The Palestinian narrative, when told, so expertly, is so emotional, stirring, that only a man whose heart is of stone won't be swept away.

Then go and tell your side of the story not to the US or Europe but to the people of the Middle East. And you know what? the most sophistiacted answer to the Israeli-Palestinina conflict was what Walid Jumblat the Druze once said when asked about what is the way out of such conflict

There is a place for everyone in the Middle East but not for all ambitions

>I know very little Arabic, yet still when I hit an Arabic station on my radio I can almost shed a tear when I hear the beautiful lamentations and chants about dead shahids and how the "zionists" are raping the motherland (with dragons they drop form airplanes). Heart rending.

Well this is good hasbara right? so what is wrong with that? and most Arabs know that it is BS or kalam fadi and no more

>I understand that during the civil war in Lebanon [Pierre Jumayyil], > the president of Lebanon at that time felt that Christian Arabs have nothing in common with Israel and that Well. I didn't know of that. On the one hand, it's a pity some alliance didn't occur between Israelis and Christians. Could have been very romantic. Heart rending. On the other hand, it'd have caused so many troubles... so it's better without.

No you do not get the point: You need to be a friend with your next door neighbors like it or not

>Incidentally, I've heard that after the 1967 war the Christians in Bethlehem asked to be annexed to Israel. I don't know the details.

So?

> But the fact that I, an Israeli Jew, accidentally heard of this, and that I don't know the details, perhaps proves that Israelis don't care much about playing "big brother" to the Christians.

That is indeed the point. Pierre Jumayyil did not wish that Begin plays the big brother of Lebanon's Christians he only wanted to be treated as equal (see "Pity the nation")

> Perhaps because we have never seen them as weak. I don't even think many Israelis are aware Christians in Bethlehem today are driven out of it.

Then go and tell them

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