Christmas tree in Nazareth
“But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is the Messiah, the Lord.” (Luke 2:10–11)
On December 25, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu marked the holiday with a “very merry Christmas” to Christians worldwide, while Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas demonized Israel, absurdly asking again for international protection from Israel for his people.
Netanyahu reached out to Christians in Israel and across the world in a personal video message on behalf of the people and government of Israel, stating, “From Jerusalem, I wish Israel’s Christian community and Christians everywhere a very joyous Christmas and a happy new year.”
“It’s my fervent hope, my fervent prayer, that 2016 is marked by greater security and freedom for all Christians across the Middle East,” he said. “May the coming year bring the blessings of peace and prosperity for all humanity.”
Netanyahu emphasized the State of Israel’s continued pledge to be “a beacon of liberty” where “everyone can practice their faith, because in Israel religious freedom is sacred.”
“I am proud to say that Israel is one of the few countries in the Middle East, maybe the only country in the Middle East, where Christians are truly free to practice their faith openly, freely, to celebrate Christmas and other Christian holidays,” Netanyahu said.
Justin Welby, the archbishop of Canterbury, confirmed in his Christmas sermon that Mideast Christians are in grave danger, even facing an “apocalypse” at the hands of the Islamic State (ISIS).
“They hate difference, whether it is Muslims who think differently, Yazidis or Christians, and because of them the Christians face elimination in the very region in which Christian faith began,” he said.
From the Vatican, Pope Francis’ Christmas message sought the attention of the international community to be “unanimously directed to ending the atrocities, which … in Iraq, Libya, Yemen and sub-Saharan Africa, even now reap numerous victims, cause immense suffering and do not even spare the historical and cultural patrimony of entire peoples.”
“Only God’s mercy can free humanity from the many forms of evil, at times monstrous evil, which selfishness spawns in our midst,” he said, his allusions to the “brutal acts of terrorism” seeming to refer to the activities of the Islamic State. “The grace of God can convert hearts and offer mankind a way out of humanly insoluble situations.” (JPost)
Because Israel prizes religious freedom, Christians can worship freely in this democratic country. In fact, Israel might be the only country in the Middle East where they are free to do so.
In contrast, Abbas’ Christmas message amounted to a sock-full of accusations against Israel and an absurd cry that the world is “desperately needed to protect the Palestinians,” while claiming that “Jesus is a symbol for all Palestinians.”
“Palestine and its people take pride in being the birthplace of Christianity and having the oldest Christian community in the world,” Abbas said. Yet, in Judea-Samaria (the West Bank), where the city of Bethlehem is situated, the Christian population has dropped to 2%. (AP)
According to Middle East analyst Oren Kessler, the deputy director for research and a research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, during the British Mandate 85% of Bethlehem was Christian compared to only 15% today. Kessler said this is “the real sad” Christmas story of Bethlehem. (Twitter)
Abbas’ primary purpose for mudslinging is to delegitimize and demonize Israel in the international community. His Christmas message also echoes claims that Israel has built an “Annexation Wall” and has destroyed “historic olive trees.”
He claimed too that Israel has been trying to “consolidate an Apartheid regime by accelerating policies that destroy the two-state solution.” In truth, Israel time and again has accepted two states for two peoples, while a Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research poll in September found the majority of Palestinians reject this compromise. (Breitbart)
