(Tablet) Dumisani Washington and Karys Rhea - The commentator Tucker Carlson has made it clear on several occasions that anyone in America "overly" concerned with what is happening in Israel is insufficiently patriotic. But now, Tucker has dedicated a 40-minute episode of his show to express outrage at Israel. "How does the government of Israel treat Christians?...Here's the view of a pastor from Bethlehem." He then lamented with his guest about Israel's alleged mistreatment of Christians, peddling sheer falsities in a reckless and deliberate disregard for truth. Instead of speaking to one of the 180,000 Christian Israelis, Tucker chose to interview Lutheran pastor Munther Isaac who lives under the jurisdiction of the Palestinian Authority, a place where priests live in fear and toe the party line about Israel's "occupation" in order to protect their churches. He is a malicious agitator who publicly lauded the Oct. 7 massacre one day after it occurred. In 2002, Palestinian militants holed up in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem and forced civilians and clergymen to remain in the church with them at gunpoint. Catholic priests said the Palestinian gunmen tore up Bibles for toilet paper and stole valuable sacramental objects. The real story is in the demographics. Christians in Bethlehem, where Jesus was born, represented more than 80% of the population when the territory was controlled by Israel. Since the Palestine Liberation Organization took over in 1995, it is now over 80% Muslim. This is in keeping with the larger trend in the region, where Christian communities have largely been driven out and disappeared after two millennia of faithful presence. Some Palestinian Christians flee to Israel seeking safety. Those from the West Bank reveal a hostile environment where churches and monasteries are attacked, graffitied with Islamic slogans, vandalized and looted, and PLO flags draped over crosses. By contrast, Israel is the only place in the Middle East where the Christian population has been steadily increasing. Pastor Dumisani Washington is founder and CEO of the Institute for Black Solidarity with Israel. Karys Rhea is a fellow with The Jewish Leadership Project.
2024-04-14 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive