Christian arab israeli says, “Israel is really the best country in the world. We live in Israel, and I feel a part of the state and the Jewish People. "

Israel is proud of its arab soldiers, christian and muslim such as commander Monalisa Abdo pictured here

One day we can hope this young person's views will be reflected by the christian leadership in Israel.

However reading the latest interview of the Vatican's representative in Israel one understands why christianity is condemned to continue to disappear from the region (that is excepting Israel where christianity and christians are thriving). 

Indeed two thirds of christians have disappeared in the last century, a million from Iraq in the last ten years and around a quarter of a million from Egypt since the onset of the Arab Spring/Winter. It's not yet known how many christians are fleeing now from Syria.

Christians throughout the region have found that far from being protected by their bretheren in the West, they have been abandoned to their fate. Worse still, the established churches have stuck fast to a policy of diverting the world's attention away from the ethnic cleansing, massacres and all pervadingdiscrimination of christians in arab and islamic countries towards maligning Israel,

the only country where christianity is practised freely and where christians are full and equal citizens.

It is no secret that christianity is faced with genocidal islamic religious hatred and bigotry from Iran all the way to Gaza and Egypt, not forgetting the Palestinian Authority territories, yet when trying to explain why, Patriarch Fouad Twal. the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem could only “lament”, “that Israel’s 20-foot-high wall around the Palestinian territories has made daily life for many almost impossible”.

This pathetic statement rather than act as condemnation of Israel is in fact a backhanded praise. The severest criticism that Twal can level against Israel is that the security barrier erected to frustrate the arab suicide bombers impedes the transferring of priests around the country. 

Twal has however never found it in his heart to condemn the terrorists and their indiscriminate violence that have claimed the lives of a number of his fellow christians along with jews. But Twal as with his predecessor MichaelSabbah is in the business of attacking jews so one need not expect criticism any time soon of those who really persecute his congregation.

So Israel's security fence is the sum total of Twal's understanding of why two thirds of christians have been either killed or fled from the region in the last century. Later in the interview Tawal talks of his being an arab is important to his identity.

Tawal might learn from other christians in Israel who understand just how good Israel is to them, how Israel's laws prevent discrimination or harm befalling them. Tawal might learn from the violent attacks on his institutions and congregants by fellow muslim arabs. This will not happen of course because Tawal is infused not by love for christians, but of hatred for the Jewish State.

Israeli christians are in ever increasing numbers rejecting the hatred fed to them by their Catholic and Orthodox institutions.

They look around the middle east and unlike Tawal are not blind. Instead of hatred, they find themselvesloving Israel, loving the country of Israel which is blind to faithand ethnicity.

“Israel has a stable regime and protects us, and we in turn are loyal citizens, but we do live with a sense of insecurity, which brings us to feel like the rest of the Christian in the region.” In conclusion, he speaks warmly of what he defines as his country. “Israel is really the best country in the world. We live in Israel, and I feel a part of the state and the Jewish People. “