Supporters of Israel have generally been thrilled with Trump’s cabinet picks so far, while supporters of the jihad against the Jewish state have grown progressively (double entendre intended) more dismayed and enraged. Among the latter group is Archbishop Atallah Hanna, the Greek Orthodox Archbishop of Sebastia in Judea and Samaria, that is, the West Bank. Archbishop Hanna was not only profoundly unhappy with Trump’s choice of Mike Huckabee to be ambassador of Israel; he also took the opportunity to register his distaste for the whole idea of “Christian Zionism,” of which Huckabee is a foremost exponent.
In response to the appointment of Huckabee, Hanna gave full vent to his outrage at the prospects of Christians supporting Israel, and said: “We do not recognize what is called ‘Christian Zionism.’ This term does not exist in our Christian literature or ecclesiastical lexicon. The blending of Christianity and Zionism is entirely condemned and rejected by us, especially as Christianity is a religion of love, mercy, brotherhood, and peace, while Zionism is a racist and terrorist movement responsible for the disasters and setbacks our people have faced, culminating in the genocide being perpetrated against our beloved brothers and sisters in Gaza.”
Now wait a minute. “Zionism is a racist and terrorist movement responsible for the disasters and setbacks our people have faced”? Has the archbishop ever heard of Islamic jihad? Of course, he has, but he doesn’t mention it at all and is not known for calling it out. Why not? His people live among Muslims, and he knows they’ll be attacked if he says anything about jihad. He also knows that he can criticize Zionism all day long and he will not be in any danger for doing so. And so he lambastes Israel freely while never uttering a critical word against the most successful and far-reaching colonialist project in history, the jihad that conquered, Islamized, and Arabized the entire Middle East, North Africa, and more.
And as for the good archbishop’s charge of “genocide,” why is he accepting Hamas’ casualty figures?
Hanna did not spare Huckabee. According to Hanna, the incoming ambassador to Israel “alleges that there is no such thing as Palestine or a Palestinian people, as though he has not read history—or refuses to acknowledge it—that Palestine exists, and its people exist, whether he likes it or not.” This is off the mark. Neither Huckabee nor anyone else actually denies the existence of “Palestine.” But throughout history, it was the name of a region, not of a people. Can the archbishop produce even one instance of anyone referring to “the Palestinians” before the 1960s? One would think they would have been mentioned at the time of the founding of the state of Israel and the first war against it in 1948. Yet there is nothing. Why not?
Hanna continues to rage against Christian Zionists:
If they were truly Christians, they would call for an end to the war in Gaza and Lebanon and advocate for a just solution to the Palestinian issue that preserves the dignity and freedom of the Palestinian people. However, these individuals are like ostriches that bury their heads in the sand, pretending they are in a different world. No matter how much they ignore the existence of Palestine and its resilient and struggling people, Palestine exists, its people exist, and its history is glorious. To all those who deny Palestine’s existence or have not properly studied history, let me remind them: In the Fourth Ecumenical Council held in Nicaea in the fourth century AD, when the bishop of Jerusalem was given the title ‘Patriarch,’ he was named ‘Patriarch of the Holy City of Jerusalem and All of Palestine.’ This demonstrates that Palestine existed and will continue to exist, and no one has the right to erase its existence.
The Fourth Ecumenical Council was actually held in Chalcedon, not Nicaea, and not in the fourth century AD, but in the fifth. These may be minor quibbles, but Hanna is claiming to know the history of the region and contending that Huckabee doesn’t, so it matters that the archbishop is getting basic facts wrong.
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Hanna also claims that “Palestine is mentioned in the Bible.” He does not, however, say where. Philistia and Philistines are mentioned in the Bible, but where is the continuity between them and the “Palestinian” people of today? Can the archbishop produce it? Why not?
Hanna concludes by saying that “instead of these racists denying the existence of Palestinians, they should work towards resolving the Palestinian issue, which is the key to peace in our region and the world. The solution to the Palestinian issue is not through erasing it or denying the existence of the Palestinian people, but by granting our people their legitimate rights to live in freedom and peace, like all other peoples of the world.”
Sounds great. What about the role of jihad in preventing that freedom and peace?
