Difference between revisions of "Palestinian Authority"
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|arms =Arms of Palestinian National Authority.png | |arms =Arms of Palestinian National Authority.png | ||
|capital = | |capital = | ||
| − | |capital-raw =Ramallah (de-facto) | + | |capital-raw =[[Ramallah]] (de-facto) |
East [[Jerusalem]] (claimed) | East [[Jerusalem]] (claimed) | ||
|government = | |government = | ||
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|language =Arabic | |language =Arabic | ||
|language2 = | |language2 = | ||
| − | |president = | + | |president =Mahmoud Abbas |
| − | |president-raw = | + | |president-raw = |
|chancellor = | |chancellor = | ||
|chancellor-raw = | |chancellor-raw = | ||
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|idd = | |idd = | ||
|tld = | |tld = | ||
| − | |currency =New Shekel<br/>Jordanian dinar | + | |currency =New Shekel<br/>Jordanian dinar<br/>Egyptian pound |
}} | }} | ||
| − | The '''Palestinian Authority''', | + | The '''Palestinian Authority''', also known as the '''State of Palestine''', is the [[Arab]] governmental unit that governs parts of the [[West Bank]] and claims [[Gaza Strip]] but lost control over it in 2006. |
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| + | [[File:O-Allah-kill-them-one-by-one-700x400.jpg|thumb|[[Palestinian Authority]] official media features Islamist calling for genocide]] | ||
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| + | Palestinian Authority official media features Islamist calling for genocide,<ref>[https://palwatch.org/page/35361 Terrorist murders two following Palestinian Authority TV call for genocide: Kill the Jews “one by one”]. ''PMW', Aug 5, 2024.<blockquote><small> | ||
| + | Fatah during the war: “Allahu Akbar, come to Jihad, come to Jihad… all our sons and brothers in the Palestinian [PA] Security Forces… strike the sons of apes of pigs, kill everyone who is a settler, slaughter everyone who is Israeli”</small></blockquote></ref> | ||
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| − | + | [[File:We love death like our enemies love life. Speaker, Official PA TV, March 8, 2023.jpeg|thumb|We love death like our enemies love life. Speaker, Official PA TV, March 8, 2023.<ref>[https://www.algemeiner.com/2023/04/03/we-love-death-like-our-enemies-love-life-speaker-at-funeral-of-palestinian-terrorist/ We Love Death Like Our Enemies Love Life’ — Speaker at Funeral of Palestinian Terrorist] ''The Algemeiner'', Apr 3, 2024. | |
| + | <blockquote><small> | ||
| + | Speaker at funeral: “This people will not be defeated. A people in which a mother accompanies her Martyr son with sounds of joy will never be defeated. A people in which a child who is like a lofty mountain waits impatiently to become a young man so that he will be able to take revenge for his Martyr father will never be defeated. We love death like our enemies love life.” Unidentified speaker, Official PA TV, March 8, 2023].</small></blockquote></ref>]] | ||
| − | + | == Etymology == | |
| − | + | {{Main article|Palestine}} | |
| + | Palestine (from Latin: Palaestina; Hebrew: פלשתינה Palestina; Arabic: فلسطين Filastīn, Falastīn) is a name sometimes given to part of the land that generally comprises the [[Holy Land]] or Old Testament's [[Promised Land]] given to the [[Israelites]] / [[Jews]] in that part of the [[Bible]]. The [[Romans]] renamed the territory as Syria Palestina in 132-135 AD, who was inhabited by Jewish people at that time.<ref>http://www.palestinefacts.org/pf_early_palestine_name_origin.php</ref> The Romans also renamed Jerusalem to Aelia Capitolina and the [[Second Temple|Second Jewish Temple]] was pulled down in A.D. 70 by them. | ||
| − | + | == Geography == | |
| − | + | The climate is mediterranean and temperate in most of the communities controlled by the state in the West Bank, some are desertic while in the claimed territory of Gaza it is coastal, as it is on the eastern Mediterranean Sea. | |
| − | The | ||
| − | |||
| − | The | + | The cities of [[Bethlehem]] and [[Ramallah]] are under the Palestinian state control. |
| − | + | ==Christian minority== | |
| + | [[File:Catholics in the West Bank.jpg|thumbnail|Maronite Catholics in the West Bank on Good Friday of 2012.]] | ||
| + | [[File:Orthodox Christians in Gaza Strip.jpg|thumbnail|[[Greek Orthodox|Greek Orthodox]] [[Christians]] in the Gaza Strip.]] | ||
| + | [[File:Catholic Church in Gaza.jpg|thumbnail|Maronite Catholic Church in [[Gaza City|Gaza]] which has direct line with the [[Pope]].]] | ||
| + | While Arab-Palestinians are overwhelmingly Muslim and grandchildren of Arab immigrants, there are also between 3 <small>(in Gaza)</small> - 9 <small>(in West Bank)</small> percent who are Christians. An estimated 50,000 Christian Palestinians live in the West Bank and Jerusalem, according to the U.S. State Department’s international religious freedom report for 2022. Approximately 1,300 Christians lived in Gaza. Many Palestinian Christians live in diaspora communities.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.foxnews.com/world/jerusalem-palestinian-christians-observe-scaled-down-good-friday-rituals|title=In Jerusalem, Palestinian Christians observe scaled-down Good Friday rituals|date=March 29, 2024|publisher=Fox News}}</ref> [[Pope Francis]] affirmed in 2024 that he calls the "church in Gaza every day".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20240523-pope-francis-i-call-the-church-in-gaza-every-day/|title=Pope Francis: ‘I call the church in Gaza every day’|date=May 23, 2024|publisher=Middle East Monitor}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.foxnews.com/world/pope-francis-contacts-only-catholic-church-gaza-carnage-continues|title=Pope Francis contacts only Catholic Church in Gaza as carnage continues|date=October 10, 2023|publisher=Fox News}}</ref> | ||
| − | The Israeli | + | 500,000 Palestinians are Christians around the world, they form and estimated 6-7% of the global Palestinian population. 48% are Greek Orthodox, 38% Catholic and 4% are Evangelicals and Protestants. "The Palestinian Christian presence in Jerusalem is under threat due to institutionalised discrimination, attacks by radical Israeli groups, and systematic attempts by settler organisations to take over church property in the Old City". According to International Christian Concern: "In Israel, both Jewish (Messianic) and Arab Christians experience pressures for their faith from radical Jewish groups and can sometimes be treated as second-class citizens in the Jewish state".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.persecution.org/2023/10/12/hamas-and-israel-war-leaves-christians-in-the-crossfire/|title=Hamas and Israel War Leaves Christians in the Crossfire|date=10 December, 2023|publisher=Persecution.org}}</ref> On the other hand, Arabs, in general, are often treated as first class citizens. In courts, employments, etc. |
| − | + | The Times of Israel explains on the topic: "The picture of safe coexistence painted by Israeli officials is starkly at odds with the experiences Jerusalem’s Christian leaders themselves describe. While they readily acknowledge that there is no organized or governmental effort against them, Christian clergy in the Old City tell of a deteriorating atmosphere of harassment, apathy from authorities, and a growing fear that incidents of spitting and vandalism could turn into something far darker".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/as-attacks-on-christians-become-more-frequent-a-crisis-looms-for-israel/|title=As attacks on Christians become more frequent, a crisis looms for Israel|date=March 30, 2023|publisher=The Times of Israel}}</ref> | |
| − | + | Christian Dr. [https://walidphares.com Walid Phares] (vilified by Islamists and leftists who are duped by them <ref>[https://emetonline.org/vilifying-walid-phares%E2%80%8E/ Vilifying Walid Phares] Sarah Stern, Emetonline, November 22, 2016.</ref> | |
| − | [[ | + | "Walid Phares was born in 1957 to a Maronite Christian family in Beirut. By the time Phares was in his 20s, Lebanon, which has always been more of a mosaic of various religions and communities than a unified nation, had plunged into a bloody civil war. Naturally, Phares supported his own Lebanese Maronite Christian community’s efforts to defend itself in this brutal, existential struggle against Syrian occupation on the one hand and Palestinian and Lebanese Sunni and Shiite terror on the other."<ref>[https://www.jpost.com/opinion/in-praise-of-professor-walid-phares-473912 In praise of Professor Walid Phares]. By Yair Ravid, The Jerusalem Post, November 8, 2016. |
| − | [ | + | "It is unfortunate that a segment of our own academic and media elite has fallen for the games of Iranian and Islamist propagandists."</ref>) :<ref>[https://www.fdd.org/analysis/2003/10/09/symposium-the-muslim-persecution-of-christians/ Symposium: The Muslim Persecution of Christians]. By Dr. Walid Phares, October 9, 2003.</ref> "The conflict between Israel and the Palestinians has, on the Palestinian side, moved from largely nationalist to largely Islamist rhetoric giving the conflict a religious caste that makes it even more intractable. if persecution continues to drive out Christians from the Middle East (where they were a quarter of the population a century ago) then conflict will be largely Israeli/Jew vs Arab/Muslim with no intermediates." |
| − | |||
| − | A | + | A number of Christians are indigenous to "Palestine", and many of these are descended from the first Christians. Also many Arameans, another Semitic group native to the area, accepted Christ very early on in the history of Christianity, and thus contribute a lot to the genetics of today's Christians in the Palestinian Authority, later joined over thousand years later by surviving European crusaders and their families after their defeat at the hands of the Islamic armies,<ref>http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/2045/palestinian-christianity-myth</ref> when they blended into the native, Semitic Christian population. |
| − | There are Catholic and Orthodox Churches in the [[West Bank]] and [[Gaza]]. The Iraqi-born, Assyrian Australian prelate, [[Mar Mari Emmanuel]], visited Gaza once. | + | [[File:Bethlehem, Church of the Nativity.JPG|thumb|The Church of the Nativity in [[Bethlehem]].]] |
| + | There are Catholic and Orthodox Churches in the [[West Bank]] and [[Gaza]]. | ||
| + | The Iraqi-born, Assyrian Australian prelate, [[Mar Mari Emmanuel]], visited Gaza once.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADINB5AJYLM I WENT TO GAZA STRIP AND THIS IS WHAT I FOUND - theChristianCommunity]</ref> | ||
Many of the Christians have taken on "Palestinian" nationalism promoted by the nearby Arab states, regardless of the fact that "Palestinian" nationalism is heavily rooted in both Islamism and pan-Arabism, which reject human rights for Christians or recognition of the distinct non-Arab Semitic ethnicities, mainly Aramean or Jewish, to which most of them belong, mainly due to [[taqiyya]] or propaganda to advance an Islamic cause. Israel-hatred runs very deep for these Christians because of their loyalty to this Arab identity, and many of them even hate Jewish people as a whole regardless of the ethnic, and to a lesser extent, cultural, origins of many of their own. Additionally many of these Christians will take sides with people who express a deep hatred for their fellow Christians around the Middle East.<ref>[http://unitedwithisrael.org/poll-palestinians-greatest-supporters-of-isis-in-middle-east-2/ addref]</ref> | Many of the Christians have taken on "Palestinian" nationalism promoted by the nearby Arab states, regardless of the fact that "Palestinian" nationalism is heavily rooted in both Islamism and pan-Arabism, which reject human rights for Christians or recognition of the distinct non-Arab Semitic ethnicities, mainly Aramean or Jewish, to which most of them belong, mainly due to [[taqiyya]] or propaganda to advance an Islamic cause. Israel-hatred runs very deep for these Christians because of their loyalty to this Arab identity, and many of them even hate Jewish people as a whole regardless of the ethnic, and to a lesser extent, cultural, origins of many of their own. Additionally many of these Christians will take sides with people who express a deep hatred for their fellow Christians around the Middle East.<ref>[http://unitedwithisrael.org/poll-palestinians-greatest-supporters-of-isis-in-middle-east-2/ addref]</ref> | ||
| − | In many cases, the self-declared "Palestinian" government encourages demographic shifts in areas inhabited by minorities<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palestinian_Christians#Persecutions</ref> (an example of this is the [[Samaritan Genocide]], a result of which only 300 [[Samaritans]] remain today in their traditional homeland in Samaria, the southern part of the West Bank) in one village (Kiryat Luza), in which there is an Israeli presence, responsible for protecting them from Arab ethnic cleansing. In [[Bethlehem]], Christians have become a small minority of the population under control of the Palestinian Authority.<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bethlehem#Demographics</ref> In Israel, however, ethnic and religious minorities, in villages in which they historically formed the majority, have retained their status as the majority of the population in the vast majority of cases, a trend which shows no indication of changing in the future. Christians in Israel can even form their own political parties.<ref> | + | In many cases, the self-declared "Palestinian" government encourages demographic shifts in areas inhabited by minorities<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palestinian_Christians#Persecutions</ref> (an example of this is the [[Samaritan Genocide]], a result of which only 300 [[Samaritans]] remain today in their traditional homeland in Samaria, the southern part of the West Bank) in one village (Kiryat Luza), in which there is an Israeli presence, responsible for protecting them from Arab ethnic cleansing. In [[Bethlehem]], Christians have become a small minority of the population under control of the Palestinian Authority.<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bethlehem#Demographics</ref> In Israel, however, ethnic and religious minorities, in villages in which they historically formed the majority, have retained their status as the majority of the population in the vast majority of cases, a trend which shows no indication of changing in the future. Christians in Israel can even form their own political parties.<ref>[https://www.frontpagemag.com/israeli-christians-moving-new-direction-joseph-puder/ Israeli Christians Moving in a New Direction].<blockquote> |
| + | Recognizing the only country in the region that protects its Christian minority.</blockquote> | ||
| + | October 20, 2013 by Joseph Puder. ''FPM''.</ref> | ||
| − | Christy Anastas is | + | The [[Israeli-Arab Conflict]] is sometimes presented as a clash of civilizations. Arab-Palestinians are supposedly part only of the Muslim civilization, Israel, the state of the Jews, is part of Western, Judeo-Christian civilization. Christians themselves are not presented to be part of the conflict. If they are talked about in a broader Middle Eastern context, mostly in terms of oppression by Muslims. It therefore seems logical that Christians would be presented as allies only of Israel and, together with it, defend their civilization from the Muslims, represented supposedly by the Palestinians. Christians are and have been part of the conflict from the beginning. Palestinians are not only Muslims, Christians are also part of the Palestinian Arab identity of a nation. |
| + | Important to note Christians' fear of criticizing authorities, as a relative small minority, residing in that non-free society. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Christy Anastas is an Arab-Palestinian Christian who speaks about persecution of Christians by the Palestinian Authority,<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzCAqXrBGtU</ref> an issue largely ignored by the western liberal media. | ||
Though the Christians in the PA avoid saying so publicly, many of them fear – with good reason – that Muslim aggression against them will only escalate.<ref name=jp25dec2019/> | Though the Christians in the PA avoid saying so publicly, many of them fear – with good reason – that Muslim aggression against them will only escalate.<ref name=jp25dec2019/> | ||
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In the Gaza Strip, the Christian population has plummeted from about 3,000 a decade ago to an estimated 1,000 today, most of them Greek Orthodox. | In the Gaza Strip, the Christian population has plummeted from about 3,000 a decade ago to an estimated 1,000 today, most of them Greek Orthodox. | ||
</i> | </i> | ||
| − | <blockquote> | + | <blockquote> |
“Though the Christians in the PA avoid saying so publicly, many of them fear – with good reason – that Muslim aggression against them will only escalate,” wrote Edy Cohen, a researcher at the center. “Such fears are all the stronger in light of the thunderous silence of the Western [and Israeli] media, in the face of the Christian minority’s ongoing disappearance from the PA and Islamic lands in general.” | “Though the Christians in the PA avoid saying so publicly, many of them fear – with good reason – that Muslim aggression against them will only escalate,” wrote Edy Cohen, a researcher at the center. “Such fears are all the stronger in light of the thunderous silence of the Western [and Israeli] media, in the face of the Christian minority’s ongoing disappearance from the PA and Islamic lands in general.” | ||
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A study by the Pew Research Center found that the decline in the Arab Christian population was both a result of a lower birth rate among Christians compared to Muslims and the fact that Christians were more likely to emigrate than any other religious group. A statistical analysis of the Christian exodus cited a lack of economic and educational opportunities among a community known for its middle-class status and higher education.</blockquote/></ref> | A study by the Pew Research Center found that the decline in the Arab Christian population was both a result of a lower birth rate among Christians compared to Muslims and the fact that Christians were more likely to emigrate than any other religious group. A statistical analysis of the Christian exodus cited a lack of economic and educational opportunities among a community known for its middle-class status and higher education.</blockquote/></ref> | ||
| − | On October 4, 2023, 5 | + | 89% of Christians in Gaza are Greek Orthodox while 9.3% are Catholic and 1.52% belongs to other denominations.<ref name=GreekReporter>{{cite web|url=https://greekreporter.com/2014/08/11/struggling-christian-minority-in-gaza/|title=Struggling Christian Minority In Gaza|date=August 11, 2014|publisher=Greek Reporter}}</ref> Since the 2007 Israel blockade of Gaza, Christians have not being able to visit Holy Sites in Jerusalem and Bethlehem, having the same struggle as other Gaza inhabitants. This has led many to hold extreme positions "which does not differentiate between race and religion", warns a report from the Young Men’s Christian Association.<ref name=GreekReporter/> |
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| + | At Muslim Palestinian dangeroues violence, [[Holy Week]] of 2023 the Israeli police, for security reasons, limited the number of worshippers from 8,200 attenders in 2022 to 1,800 in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem during Orthodox Easter ceremonies angering the Church leaders not willing to cooperate. In a joint statement, the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate, the Custody of the Holy Land and the Armenian Patriarchate said: "We shall continue to uphold the Status Quo customs, and the ceremony will be held as customary for two millennia and all who wish to worship with us are invited to attend".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vaticannews.va/en/world/news/2023-04/israel-orthodox-easter-jerusalem-security-limitations.html|title=Israel seeks to limit Orthodox Easter celebrations in Jerusalem|publisher=Vatican News|date=April 2023}}</ref> | ||
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| + | [[File:366px-2010-08 Ramallah 59.jpg|thumbnail|250px|A Church at [[Ramallah]] ]] | ||
| + | On October 4, 2023, Israel arrested 5 Jews on the West Bank for spitting at Christians' symbols in East Jerusalem.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/5-arrested-for-spitting-at-christians-in-jerusalem-police-minister-its-not-criminal/|title=5 arrested for spitting at Christians in Jerusalem; police minister: It’s not criminal|date=4 October 2023|publisher=Times of Israel}}</ref> And were condemned by all Rabbinical as well as Israeli government leadership. According to the Times of Israel, [[Itamar Ben-Gvir]] justified spitting toward Christians as "an ancient Jewish custom". Rabbis and other Orthodox Jews were incensed by that claim.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bnaibrith.org/israels-missionary-problem-jns/|title=Spitting in God’s eye (JNS)|date=October 5, 2023|publisher=B'nai B'rith International}}</ref> | ||
| + | The anti worshipped-images is not anti-Christian as people, but more related to the 2nd Commandment. Search also for historic: ''Iconoclasm''. | ||
Palestinian Christians in Gaza fear for the future of their tiny community from the Muslim population.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.foxnews.com/world/gaza-christians-fear-for-future-of-tiny-community|title=Gaza Christians fear for future of tiny community|date=July 25, 2012|publisher=Fox News}}</ref> This sentiment of fear of disappearing grew after the Israel-Gaza War that started in 2023.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-10/interview-with-custos-of-the-holy-land-fr-francesco-patton-ofm.html|title=Holy Land Custos: Fear is growing that Gaza's Christians will disappear|date=October 10, 2023|publisher=Vatican News}}</ref> | Palestinian Christians in Gaza fear for the future of their tiny community from the Muslim population.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.foxnews.com/world/gaza-christians-fear-for-future-of-tiny-community|title=Gaza Christians fear for future of tiny community|date=July 25, 2012|publisher=Fox News}}</ref> This sentiment of fear of disappearing grew after the Israel-Gaza War that started in 2023.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-10/interview-with-custos-of-the-holy-land-fr-francesco-patton-ofm.html|title=Holy Land Custos: Fear is growing that Gaza's Christians will disappear|date=October 10, 2023|publisher=Vatican News}}</ref> | ||
| − | In January 2024, on the night between 14-15, an Arab-Palestinian mob caused extensive damage to a Christian holy site in Nablus (Shechem) known as Jacob’s Well, causing concern, as "we know of no arrests that are made in such cases, nor do we see the P.A. placing any guards in those sensitive locations under regular attack."<ref>Sveta Listratov, [https://www.jns.org/palestinian-attack-on-christian-holy-site-raises-concern/ Palestinian attack on Christian holy site raises concern], ''JNS'', January 19, 2024. | + | In January 2024, on the night between 14-15, an Arab-Palestinian mob caused extensive damage to a Christian holy site in Nablus (Shechem) known as Jacob’s Well, causing concern, as "we know of no arrests that are made in such cases, nor do we see the P.A. placing any guards in those sensitive locations under regular attack."<ref>Sveta Listratov, [https://www.jns.org/palestinian-attack-on-christian-holy-site-raises-concern/ Palestinian attack on Christian holy site raises concern], ''JNS'', January 19, 2024.<blockquote> |
“We know of no arrests that are made in such cases, nor do we see the P.A. placing any guards in those sensitive locations under regular attack.” | “We know of no arrests that are made in such cases, nor do we see the P.A. placing any guards in those sensitive locations under regular attack.” | ||
A Palestinian mob caused extensive damage to a Christian holy site in Nablus (Shechem) known as Jacob’s Well on Sunday night.</blockquote></ref> | A Palestinian mob caused extensive damage to a Christian holy site in Nablus (Shechem) known as Jacob’s Well on Sunday night.</blockquote></ref> | ||
| + | |||
| + | The mayor of [[Ramallah]] Issa Kassis is Christian.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.indcatholicnews.com/news/21437|title=Holy Land: Christian leaders support Palestine's membership of UN|publisher=Independent Catholic News|date=November 14, 2012}}</ref> The mayor of Ramallah expressed to the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, His Beatitude Pierbattista Pizzaballa, his willingness to deepen the collaboration between the municipality of the city and the Church, especially with regard to possible Palestinian Christian cultural projects. Members of the parish council also stressed the importance of this kind of initiatives, recalling their desire to increase the visibility of Christians in the Holy Land, not only locally but also abroad.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://en.abouna.org/content/holy-land-patriarch-pizzaballa-makes-pastoral-visit-ramallah|date=May 10, 2023|title=Holy Land: Patriarch Pizzaballa makes a pastoral visit to Ramallah|publisher=Abouna}}</ref> The mayor of [[Bethlehem]], Hanna Hanania, is also Christian. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Approximately more than a half the population of Ramallah is Christian and the other half is Muslim.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Ramallah|title=Ramallah|publisher=Britannica}}</ref> | ||
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| + | |||
| + | Christians, forget Jesus! “He is one of us”. Christian traditions are "nonsense". In 2025:<ref>[https://palwatch.org/page/41397 Christians, forget Jesus! “He is one of us”. Christian traditions are "nonsense"] | ||
| + | Itamar Marcus. PMW. Aug 11, 2025.</ref><blockquote> | ||
| + | Now it's Christianity's turn to be mocked by the Palestinian Authority. | ||
| + | While it's PA policy to insult, mock and misrepresent Jewish tradition and Jewish history in the land of Israel whenever possible, this week it was Christian traditions' turn to be insulted and denied by the PA. | ||
| + | In the words of the official PA daily columnist, Christian traditions of the Holy Sepulcher and the Holy Grail are "nonsense," because Jesus doesn't belong to Christian tradition but belongs to the Palestinians.</blockquote> | ||
== Government == | == Government == | ||
| − | The Palestinian Basic Law of 2003, amended in 2005, defines the legal and constitutional framework of the Palestinian governance system pending the establishment of the State of Palestine. It was drafted by the Palestinian Legislative Council in 1997 and promulgated in 2002 after approval by Yasser Arafat, then President of the PNA. It defines the government of Palestine as a parliamentary democracy based on political pluralism, the rule of law and the separation of powers.<ref>{{cite book|title=International Law and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict|date=2011|chapter=Building the Rule of Law in Palestine - Constitutional framework of the nascent Palestinian State|author=Feras Milhem}}</ref> | + | [[File:Mahmoud Abbas.jpg|thumb|President [[Mahmoud Abbas]]]] |
| + | The Palestinian Basic Law of 2003, amended in 2005, defines the legal and constitutional framework of the Palestinian governance system pending the establishment of the State of Palestine. It was drafted by the Palestinian Legislative Council in 1997 and promulgated in 2002 after approval by [[Yasser Arafat]], then President of the PNA. It defines the government of Palestine as a parliamentary democracy based on political pluralism, the rule of law and the separation of powers.<ref>{{cite book|title=International Law and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict|date=2011|chapter=Building the Rule of Law in Palestine - Constitutional framework of the nascent Palestinian State|author=Feras Milhem}}</ref> | ||
The "Palestinian Legislative Council" is the legislative branch. | The "Palestinian Legislative Council" is the legislative branch. | ||
===Principal Government Officials=== | ===Principal Government Officials=== | ||
| − | * | + | |
| + | *President—[[Mahmoud Abbas]] | ||
*Prime Minister—Mohammad Mustafa | *Prime Minister—Mohammad Mustafa | ||
*Minister of Foreign Affairs—Riyad al-Maliki | *Minister of Foreign Affairs—Riyad al-Maliki | ||
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{{Main article|List of States which recognize Palestine as an independent state.}} | {{Main article|List of States which recognize Palestine as an independent state.}} | ||
[[File:Donald Trump and Mahmoud Abbas in the Oval Office, May 3, 2017 (1).jpg|thumbnail|Donald Trump and Mahmoud Abbas in the Oval Office in 2017.]] | [[File:Donald Trump and Mahmoud Abbas in the Oval Office, May 3, 2017 (1).jpg|thumbnail|Donald Trump and Mahmoud Abbas in the Oval Office in 2017.]] | ||
| − | Currently | + | Currently 148 of 193 [[United Nations]] member states have formally recognized "Palestine" as a state stretching from Africa to Asia, Europe to Latin America.. Around 161 countries maintain diplomatic relations with the Arab Palestinians in one form or another... |
| − | In October, 2011, | + | In October, 2011, the State of Palestine was granted full membership at the U.N. cultural organization, [[UNESCO]], in a diplomatic victory won despite stiff resistance from the United States and Israel.<ref>[http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2011/12/15/182782.html More than 100 countries recognize Palestine as a state.]</ref> |
| + | |||
| + | On April 2024, the [[Biden regime]] vetoed the State of Palestine request for full United Nations membership at the Security Council.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.breitbart.com/middle-east/2024/04/18/state-dept-u-s-will-veto-palestinian-statehood-at-united-nations/|title=State Dept.: U.S. Will Veto Palestinian Statehood at United Nations|publisher=Breitbart|date=April 18, 2024}}</ref> | ||
==People== | ==People== | ||
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[[File:Ramallah woman.jpg|left|140px]] | [[File:Ramallah woman.jpg|left|140px]] | ||
The ethnic group of the territories controlled by the state is [[Arab]], with the Arabic language spoken widely and the main religions are Islam (- 93-97%) and Christianity. | The ethnic group of the territories controlled by the state is [[Arab]], with the Arabic language spoken widely and the main religions are Islam (- 93-97%) and Christianity. | ||
| − | |||
| + | [[File:Palestine Eretz Yisrael post stamp.jpg|thumb|235px|Palestine Eretz Yisrael post stamp (languages used English, Hebrew, Arabic)]] | ||
| − | [[File: | + | [[File:440px-19480516 PalestinePost Israel is born.jpg|thumb|235px|16 May 1948 edition of Jewish paper: ''The Palestine Post'': "State of Israel is Born." It was later renamed: ''The Jerusalem Post'']] |
| + | Up to the 1948 establishment of the [[Israel|State of Israel]], all inhabitants of the [[Mandate of Palestine|British Mandate of Palestine]], including [[Jews]], were called Palestinians. | ||
| − | + | The signature dish of the Arab Palestinians is musakhan, a chicken dish.<ref>http://www.cliffordawright.com/caw/recipes/display/recipe_id/804/</ref> | |
| − | [[ | + | == History == |
| + | {{Main article|Palestine#Modern History}} | ||
| + | The state was unilaterally declared on November 15, 1988 in [[Algiers]] at an extraordinary session in exile of the [[Palestine National Council]], the legislative arm of the [[Palestine Liberation Organization]]. Legal justification for this act was based on [[United Nations General Assembly]] Resolution 181 (II) of 29 November 1947, which provided for the termination and partition of the [[Mandate of Palestine|British Mandate for Palestine]] into two states.<ref>[http://unispal.un.org/unispal.nsf/0/7F0AF2BD897689B785256C330061D253 Resolution 181 (II). Future government of Palestine] - United Nations</ref> It was established in May 1994 after the [[Oslo Accords]].<ref>[https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/palestinian-authority-history-and-overview The Palestinian Authority: History & Overview]. ''Jewish Virtual Library''. Retrieved August 20, 2018.</ref><ref>[https://www.britannica.com/topic/Palestinian-Authority Palestinian Authority]. ''Encyclopædia Britannica''. Retrieved August 20, 2018.</ref> During the [[Arab Spring]] in January 2013 president [[Mahmoud Abbas]] signed a presidential decree which officially changed the name of the Palestinian Authority to the "State of Palestine".<ref>[https://www.haaretz.com/.premium-pa-changes-name-to-palestine-1.5288367 Palestinian Authority Officially Changes Name to 'State of Palestine']. ''Haaretz''. Retrieved August 21, 2018.</ref> | ||
| − | [[ | + | At the time, the PLO did not have control over any part of "[[Palestine]]" (or any other territory), and therefore the "State of Palestine" failed to meet one of the main defining aspects of a real [[state]] - namely, occupying a territory. Today the state only controls parts of the [[West Bank]] not run by Israel since the [[Oslo Accords]] from the 90s. The Gaza Strip was taken over in a [[coup d'état]] by the terrorist organization [[Hamas]] in 2006 against the political organization [[Fatah]] which is the moderate wing of the Palestinian Politics and runs the National Authority Government. |
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| + | A pro-Arab website expresses the "Palestinian" view concerning the border of "Palestine" by declaring they want a border which existed prior to the [[Six-Day War]]: | ||
| + | <blockquote> | ||
| + | The value of a UN resolution recognizing an independent state for the Palestinian people, with its borders running exactly along the 1949 Armistice line, which was the border between Israel and the West Bank until June 4, 1967, should not be undermined.<ref>[http://english.alarabiya.net/views/2011/04/27/146903.html Obama, Netanyahu and the 'Palestinian state'.]</ref> | ||
| + | </blockquote> | ||
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| + | The "State of Palestine" was recognized immediately by the [[Arab League]] and several other Islamic nations, at the expense of recognition of [[Israel]]. It maintains embassies in these countries (which are generally simply [[Palestine Liberation Organization]] delegations). | ||
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| + | Pro-Israel advocates typically point out that Israel has repeatedly had to defend itself against attacks by neighboring Arab states and counter that reverting Israel's border to borders which existed before the Six-Day war would not allow Israel to have defensible borders.<ref>[http://www.defensibleborders.org/amidror.htm Defensible borders]</ref> | ||
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| + | The Israeli government of Prime Minister [[Benjamin Netanyahu]] is openly opposed to the proposed "Palestinian" statehood and is threatening retaliatory action. Former US officials, notably Former Secretary of State [[Hillary Clinton]] are also opposed. | ||
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| + | In November 2012, "Palestine" was granted the status of a non-member observer state by the [[United Nations General Assembly]]. This move was applauded by the [[Holy See]]<ref>[https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/29/vatican-palestinian-state_n_2215307.html?&ncid=edlinkusaolp00000009]</ref> which recognized the "State of Palestine" in 2015<ref>{{cite web|url=https://catholicherald.co.uk/vatican-palestine-accord-gives-backing-to-two-state-solution/|title=Vatican formally recognises ‘state of Palestine’|date=May 14, 2015|publisher=Catholic Herald}}</ref> and supports a [[two-state solution]] in the [[Arab-Israeli conflict]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2024-04/pope-francis-appeals-general-audience-peace-myanmar-ukraine.html|title=Pope prays for peace and for a two-state solution in Palestine and Israel|date=April 24, 2024|publisher=Vatican News}}</ref> | ||
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| + | {{See also|Holy Land}} | ||
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| + | ==Trump Peace Plan (2020)== | ||
| + | {{Main article|Two-state solution}} | ||
| + | [[File:Trump Peace Plan 2020 Israel-Palestine.jpg|250px|thumbnail|Trump Peace Plan for Israel & Palestine (2020) involving a two-state solution.<ref name=PtP>[https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/peacetoprosperity/ Peace to Prosperity]</ref>]] | ||
| + | In 2020 [[President Trump]] proposed a plan involving the establishment of new frontiers between Israel & Palestine and the mutual recognition of the countries.<ref name=PtP/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-middle-east-peace-plan-includes-two-state-solution-tunnel-to-connect-west-bank-and-gaza-strip|title=Trump unveils Middle East peace plan with two-state solution, tunnel connecting West Bank and Gaza|date=January 28, 2020|publisher=Fox News}}</ref> | ||
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| + | The January 2020 American peace plan for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, sometimes called the Trump plan, is a set of political and economic proposals presented on January 28, 2020 by the President of the United States Donald Trump as the path to peace between Israelis and Palestinians and a basis for negotiations in the peace process. | ||
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| + | The plan proposes a fifty billion dollar international effort to enable the development and definitive establishment of the Palestinian state, when the Israelis would retain Jerusalem as their indivisible capital, with the Palestinians establishing theirs on a fraction of East Jerusalem. | ||
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| + | The Israelis would keep the Israeli settlements in the West Bank but the Palestinian territory would remain equivalent in size to that of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip before the Six-Day War, through additions of territory from the Negev Desert for purposes economic and residential. | ||
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| + | In 2024 Trump, reportedly, pulled support for a two-State solution by saying: "There was a time when I thought two states could work. Now I think two states is going to be very, very tough. I think it’s going to be much tougher to get. I also think you have fewer people that liked the idea. You had a lot of people that liked the idea four years ago. Today, you have far fewer people that like that idea".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cmsedit.cbn.com/cbnnews/israel/2024/may/trump-pulls-support-for-palestinian-state-rabbi-applauds-decision-urges-christians-to-help-israel-keep-gods-land|title=Trump Pulls Support for Palestinian State; Rabbi Applauds Decision, Urges Christians to help Israel 'Keep God's Land'|publisher=CBN News|date=May 13, 2024}}</ref> | ||
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| + | During the June CNN Debate with Biden, when Trump was asked if he would recognize the State of Palestine he replied: "I'd have to see".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.ug/trump-dodges-question-on-whether-he-is-ready-to-recognize-palestines-independence/|title=Trump dodges question on whether he is ready to recognize Palestine’s independence|date?June 28, 2024|publisher=The Independent}}</ref> | ||
==Criticism== | ==Criticism== | ||
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[[File:Palestinian.Authority.on.infidels.June.2023.jpg|thumb|Palestinian Authority instructions to mosques on infidels (June 2023)<ref>Nan Jacques Zilberdik. [https://palwatch.org/page/34216 "The victory of Allah will come… in spite of the infidels” - PA Ministry of Religion’s instructions for mosque preachers], ''Palwatch'', Jun 23, 2023. [https://palwatch.org/Storage/Images/2023/Letter.jpg].<blockquote><small>Every week, the PA Ministry of Religious Affairs dictates talking points for all PA mosque preachers for the upcoming Friday sermon through a sheet of instructions. As Palestinian Media Watch has exposed, the preachers can’t freely choose their own subjects. | [[File:Palestinian.Authority.on.infidels.June.2023.jpg|thumb|Palestinian Authority instructions to mosques on infidels (June 2023)<ref>Nan Jacques Zilberdik. [https://palwatch.org/page/34216 "The victory of Allah will come… in spite of the infidels” - PA Ministry of Religion’s instructions for mosque preachers], ''Palwatch'', Jun 23, 2023. [https://palwatch.org/Storage/Images/2023/Letter.jpg].<blockquote><small>Every week, the PA Ministry of Religious Affairs dictates talking points for all PA mosque preachers for the upcoming Friday sermon through a sheet of instructions. As Palestinian Media Watch has exposed, the preachers can’t freely choose their own subjects. | ||
A recent example is the letter above. It instructs preachers to teach worshippers that "Almighty Allah?" will be victorious and “send His light in spite of the infidels.” The word "infidels" of course refers to the Jews in "Palestine" – which according to the PA includes all of the State of Israel... [PA Ministry of Religious Affairs, Facebook page, June 4, 2023].</small></blockquote></ref>]] | A recent example is the letter above. It instructs preachers to teach worshippers that "Almighty Allah?" will be victorious and “send His light in spite of the infidels.” The word "infidels" of course refers to the Jews in "Palestine" – which according to the PA includes all of the State of Israel... [PA Ministry of Religious Affairs, Facebook page, June 4, 2023].</small></blockquote></ref>]] | ||
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''The verdict described horrifying torture. Electric shocks, hanging upside down for long periods of time, pouring boiling plastic on the body, extraction of nails and teeth, sterilization, sleep deprivation, food restriction, the killing and raping of family members, the removal of a pre-mature baby from her incubator, and other forms of inhumane abuse.'' | ''The verdict described horrifying torture. Electric shocks, hanging upside down for long periods of time, pouring boiling plastic on the body, extraction of nails and teeth, sterilization, sleep deprivation, food restriction, the killing and raping of family members, the removal of a pre-mature baby from her incubator, and other forms of inhumane abuse.'' | ||
| − | Though officially, the official line in recent years is that the PA stopped executing Arabs for selling land to Jews. And this narrative is repeatedly stressed by Haaretz/Btselem anti-Israel fanatics. The hard fact is, however, that it does still bring about torture and deaths via various methods.<ref>[https://mida.org.il/2016/01/12/%D7%A2%D7%95%D7%91%D7%93%D7%94-%D7%A0%D7%90%D7%95%D7%95%D7%99-%D7%A1%D7%95%D7%97%D7%A8%D7%99-%D7%A7%D7%A8%D7%A7%D7%A2%D7%95%D7%AA-%D7%A4%D7%9C%D7%A1%D7%98%D7%99%D7%A0%D7%99%D7%9D/ Death, Prolonged Imprisonment and Torture - The Bitter Fate of Palestinian Land Merchants], Akiva Bigman, Mida, Jan 12, 2016. | + | Though officially, the official line in recent years is that the PA stopped executing Arabs for selling land to Jews. And this [[narrative]] is repeatedly stressed by Haaretz/Btselem anti-Israel fanatics. The hard fact is, however, that it does still bring about torture and deaths via various methods.<ref>[https://mida.org.il/2016/01/12/%D7%A2%D7%95%D7%91%D7%93%D7%94-%D7%A0%D7%90%D7%95%D7%95%D7%99-%D7%A1%D7%95%D7%97%D7%A8%D7%99-%D7%A7%D7%A8%D7%A7%D7%A2%D7%95%D7%AA-%D7%A4%D7%9C%D7%A1%D7%98%D7%99%D7%A0%D7%99%D7%9D/ Death, Prolonged Imprisonment and Torture - The Bitter Fate of Palestinian Land Merchants], Akiva Bigman, Mida, Jan 12, 2016. |
<blockquote> | <blockquote> | ||
<font size=1> | <font size=1> | ||
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That <i>The Palestinian government is complicit in "rampant, wide-spread, and systematic torture of Palestinian nationals" and Israelis, according to a landmark legal complaint filed .. with the International Criminal Court (ICC).</i> | That <i>The Palestinian government is complicit in "rampant, wide-spread, and systematic torture of Palestinian nationals" and Israelis, according to a landmark legal complaint filed .. with the International Criminal Court (ICC).</i> | ||
| − | ==Hypocrisy== | + | ==Hypocrisy by the Palestinian Government== |
[[Palestinian Authority]] hypocrisy on display. Whike wholeheartedly supporting the BDS movement, a 2021 report published by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) shows that trade between Israel and the Palestinians in constantly increasing. | [[Palestinian Authority]] hypocrisy on display. Whike wholeheartedly supporting the BDS movement, a 2021 report published by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) shows that trade between Israel and the Palestinians in constantly increasing. | ||
<ref>[https://palwatch.org/page/29733 PA hypocrisy: PA increases trade with Israel, yet calls on others to boycott While the PA and its leadership], PMW, Dec 23, 2021.<blockquote>wholeheartedly support the BDS movement, a recent report published by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) shows that trade between Israel and the Palestinians in constantly increasing.</blockquote></ref> | <ref>[https://palwatch.org/page/29733 PA hypocrisy: PA increases trade with Israel, yet calls on others to boycott While the PA and its leadership], PMW, Dec 23, 2021.<blockquote>wholeheartedly support the BDS movement, a recent report published by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) shows that trade between Israel and the Palestinians in constantly increasing.</blockquote></ref> | ||
| − | == | + | ==Racism by / under the Palestinian Authority== |
| − | + | [[File:Palestinian.police.raised.hand.salute.Feb.1.2005.jpg|thumb|Palestinian police raised hand salute (Feb 1, 2005)]] | |
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*Anti Jewish hate, racism, incitement, demonization has been documented regularly at ''Pal Watch.''<ref>http://palwatch.org</ref> | *Anti Jewish hate, racism, incitement, demonization has been documented regularly at ''Pal Watch.''<ref>http://palwatch.org</ref> | ||
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<blockquote> | <blockquote> | ||
"Rhetoric by Palestinian terrorist groups included expressions of anti-Semitism, as did sermons by many Muslim religious leaders. Most Palestinian religious leaders rejected the right of Israel to exist. Hamas's al-Aqsa television station carried shows for preschoolers extolling hatred of Jews and suicide bombings."</blockquote> | "Rhetoric by Palestinian terrorist groups included expressions of anti-Semitism, as did sermons by many Muslim religious leaders. Most Palestinian religious leaders rejected the right of Israel to exist. Hamas's al-Aqsa television station carried shows for preschoolers extolling hatred of Jews and suicide bombings."</blockquote> | ||
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| + | There is a: "systemic ethnic discrimination against Jews in Palestinian-controlled territories, the official policy to financially reward the killing of Jewish civilians, the fact that Jews cannot pray in Palestinian-controlled territories without fear of violence and more."<ref>[https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-713924 Empowering Pro-Israel students is crucial for Israel’s future]. | ||
| + | By Ilan SInelnikov. ''JPost'', Aug. 4, 2022. | ||
| + | <blockquote><small>'Especially now, more people on college campuses should know that being pro-Israel means pro-West, pro-freedom and pro-democracy.' | ||
| + | ...sharing information with students about the systemic ethnic discrimination against Jews in Palestinian-controlled territories, the official policy to financially reward the killing of Jewish civilians, the fact that Jews cannot pray in Palestinian-controlled territories without fear of violence and more.</small></blockquote></ref> | ||
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-64.4% of Palestinians support the death sentence for selling land to Jews.</blockquote> | -64.4% of Palestinians support the death sentence for selling land to Jews.</blockquote> | ||
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*On Nov 4, 2021, Girls sing: Jews are “the world’s do_gs” and “impure” on PA TV.<ref>[https://palwatch.org/page/29600 Girls sing: Jews are “the world’s do_gs” and “impure” on PA TV], | *On Nov 4, 2021, Girls sing: Jews are “the world’s do_gs” and “impure” on PA TV.<ref>[https://palwatch.org/page/29600 Girls sing: Jews are “the world’s do_gs” and “impure” on PA TV], | ||
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It’s time we stopped projecting what we want Abbas to be and focused on what he actually is, using his own words. In a speech in 2018 he informed us that Israel is a “colonialist project that had nothing to do with Judaism” — to such an extent that European Jews chose to stay in their homes and be murdered rather than live in Palestine. Do I have to point out the moral degeneracy of such a proposition? It would seem so, given the persistent refusal of so many to take Abbas for what he actually is. | It’s time we stopped projecting what we want Abbas to be and focused on what he actually is, using his own words. In a speech in 2018 he informed us that Israel is a “colonialist project that had nothing to do with Judaism” — to such an extent that European Jews chose to stay in their homes and be murdered rather than live in Palestine. Do I have to point out the moral degeneracy of such a proposition? It would seem so, given the persistent refusal of so many to take Abbas for what he actually is. | ||
Tuesday’s events in Berlin are, in the scheme things, trivial. But as so often, a larger truth is confirmed by trivialities.</blockquote></ref> the Holocaust, this time by his outrageous statement about so called "50" supposedly "committed." German chancellor, Olaf Sholz later on condemned him,<ref>[https://m.ynet.co.il/Articles/61766410 Abu Mazen: "Israel committed 50(sic) holocausts(sic) on us"; Lapid: "History will not forgive him"] ''AP'', Aug 16, 2022.<blockquote> | Tuesday’s events in Berlin are, in the scheme things, trivial. But as so often, a larger truth is confirmed by trivialities.</blockquote></ref> the Holocaust, this time by his outrageous statement about so called "50" supposedly "committed." German chancellor, Olaf Sholz later on condemned him,<ref>[https://m.ynet.co.il/Articles/61766410 Abu Mazen: "Israel committed 50(sic) holocausts(sic) on us"; Lapid: "History will not forgive him"] ''AP'', Aug 16, 2022.<blockquote> | ||
| − | The chairman of the Palestinian Authority, who is visiting Berlin, avoided condemning the massacre of the athletes in Munich - and while he was giving his speech, Chancellor Scholz was seen contorting his face. Prime Minister: "a moral disgrace". Earlier, Scholz clarified that for him, Israel is not an apartheid state According to the AP news agency, during the PA chairman's speech, the German chancellor grimaced in displeasure - however, he did not react in real time, but later issued a statement to the German "Bild" in which he criticized Abu Mazen's choice of words. The horrors of the Holocaust are unacceptable," Scholz said.</blockquote></ref><ref>[https://www.ice.co.il/elections2022/news/article/878927 German Chancellor on Abu Mazen: "Disgusted by his outrageous statements", ''ICE'', Aug 17, 2022.</ref> As well as condemned by Yad Vashem,<ref>[https://www.0404.co.il/?p=831763 Storm following the words of the terrorist Abu Mazen Chairman of Yad Vashem: "His abominable words - horrifying"], 0404 - | + | The chairman of the Palestinian Authority, who is visiting Berlin, avoided condemning the massacre of the athletes in Munich - and while he was giving his speech, Chancellor Scholz was seen contorting his face. Prime Minister: "a moral disgrace". Earlier, Scholz clarified that for him, Israel is not an apartheid state According to the AP news agency, during the PA chairman's speech, the German chancellor grimaced in displeasure - however, he did not react in real time, but later issued a statement to the German "[[Bild]]" in which he criticized Abu Mazen's choice of words. The horrors of the Holocaust are unacceptable," Scholz said.</blockquote></ref><ref>[https://www.ice.co.il/elections2022/news/article/878927 German Chancellor on Abu Mazen: "Disgusted by his outrageous statements"], ''ICE'', Aug 17, 2022.</ref> As well as condemned by Yad Vashem,<ref>[https://www.0404.co.il/?p=831763 Storm following the words of the terrorist Abu Mazen Chairman of Yad Vashem: "His abominable words - horrifying"], 0404 - |
17/08/2022. | 17/08/2022. | ||
<blockquote> | <blockquote> | ||
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"The song we were raised on - Palestine is our country and the Jews are our dogs" | "The song we were raised on - Palestine is our country and the Jews are our dogs" | ||
#TheGazaYouDontSee . | #TheGazaYouDontSee . | ||
| − | [https://pbs.twimg.com/ext_tw_video_thumb/1768270735984754688/pu/img/irzAcsPtomK1LldE?format=jpg&name=large]</blockquote></ | + | [https://pbs.twimg.com/ext_tw_video_thumb/1768270735984754688/pu/img/irzAcsPtomK1LldE?format=jpg&name=large]</small></blockquote></ref> |
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| + | * 2024:<br> | ||
| + | Polls: It’s not just Hamas – it’s all Palestinians. 98% said [[Oct 7 War|Oct. 7]] events “made them proud”. | ||
| + | <ref>[https://palwatch.org/page/35535 Polls: It’s not just Hamas – it’s all Palestinians. 98% said Oct. 7 events “made them proud”]. Itamar Marcus, ''Palwatch'', Oct 7, 2024</ref> | ||
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| + | [[File:Abbas give direct orders to name hall after Nazi ally Haj Amin Al-Husseini.png|thumb|Abbas give direct orders to name hall after Nazi ally Haj Amin Al-Husseini]] | ||
| + | * Feb 2026.<br> | ||
| + | Palestinian Authority's M. Abbas 'give direct orders to name hall after Nazi ally Haj Amin Al-Husseini.'<ref>[https://palwatch.org/page/41953 Abbas give direct orders to name hall after Nazi ally Haj Amin Al-Husseini]. | ||
| + | Nan Jacques Zilberdik, ''Palwatch'', Feb 26, 2026. | ||
| + | <blockquote><small> | ||
| + | Haj Amin Al-Hussein featured on huge screen at PA event. | ||
| + | During WWII, Grand Mufti of Jerusalem Haj Amin Al-Husseini was a Nazi ally and an associate of Hitler, living in Germany from 1941 until the war's end and receiving funding from the Nazi government (see below). He also led the lethal 1936-1939 Arab Revolt in which at least 400 Jews were murdered. | ||
| + | Now the PA has built and named a public hall after Al-Husseini. None other than PA Chairman Abbas himself instructed PA officials to do so, thereby making a public statement about which historical values the PA chooses to uphold. When laying the cornerstone, PA officials stressed that the naming of the hall is "out of loyalty to the great figures of our people"..</small></blockquote></ref> | ||
[[File:Condi5 .jpg|thumb|Palestinisn Authority's media racist cartoon against [[Condoleeza Rice]] (Aug/2006)]] | [[File:Condi5 .jpg|thumb|Palestinisn Authority's media racist cartoon against [[Condoleeza Rice]] (Aug/2006)]] | ||
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שיספר איך מפלים אפרו-פלסטינים, למשל בעיר העתיקה בירושלים | שיספר איך מפלים אפרו-פלסטינים, למשל בעיר העתיקה בירושלים | ||
He should tell how Afro-Palestinians are discriminated against, for example in the Old City of Jerusalem. | He should tell how Afro-Palestinians are discriminated against, for example in the Old City of Jerusalem. | ||
| − | [https://twitter.com/asafy/status/1401808543695638533?s=20 Jun 7, 2021]</ref> | + | [https://twitter.com/asafy/status/1401808543695638533?s=20 Jun 7, 2021] [https://web.archive.org/web/20210607075005/https://twitter.com/asafy/status/1401808543695638533 Archive]</ref> |
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| + | Palestinian Authority Boasts of Hitler as a Palestinian Ally, While Branding Israel as (supposed) ‘Nazi’.<ref>[https://www.algemeiner.com/2026/10/22/palestinian-authority-boasts-hitler-palestinian-ally-while-branding-israel-nazi/ Palestinian Authority Boasts of Hitler as a Palestinian Ally, While Branding Israel as (supposed) ‘Nazi’]. ''Algemeiner'' October 22, 2026</ref> | ||
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Related: | Related: | ||
*[[Nazism at Arab Palestinians]] | *[[Nazism at Arab Palestinians]] | ||
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| + | ===Envisioned racist Apartheid "state"=== | ||
| + | Abu Mazen openly declared his racist 'plan' that no Jew shall reside in his envisioned "Palestine" State.<ref>[https://jpost.com/diplomacy-and-politics/abbass-comment-about-a-state-without-jews-was-racist/ 'Abbas's comment about a state without Jews was racist'] Khaled Abu Toameh, Herb Keinon The Jerusalem Post, May 30, 2011. | ||
| + | <i>Steinitz: I remind everyone that Abbas denied the Holocaust in his doctoral thesis, and these things need to raise questions about this man... | ||
| + | National Infrastructures Minister Uzi Landau said, “I want to remind everyone that we have Arab citizens in Israel, and that is completely acceptable. I don’t see any problem that there will be Jewish citizens in a Palestinian state, if it is established.”</i></ref> A real apartheid.<ref>Jonathan Dahoah Halevi, [https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3929819,00.html Beware Palestinian apartheid], YNet, Apr 8, 2010. | ||
| + | <blockquote><font size=1> | ||
| + | Palestinian leader Abbas seeks to adopt racist policy based on ethnic cleansing of Jews. | ||
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| + | The Palestinian Authority is under heavy international pressure, mostly American, aimed at facilitating the transition from proximity talks to direct negotiations with Israel. | ||
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| + | The written message recently sent by President Obama to Palestinian Chairman Mahmud Abbas indicated that the American administration is not content, to say the least, with the Palestinian foot-dragging in the peace process, or with what is perceived to be a lack of appreciation for American pressure on Israel (which led PM Netanyahu to accept the two-state solution and to temporarily freeze settlement activity in the West Bank and Jerusalem.) | ||
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| + | However, there is no obvious fundamental change in the Palestinian stance. The PA hesitates and refrains from explicit commitment to direct negotiations without any pre-conditions. Instead, it tries to weather the American demands by raising a new proposal to convene a three-way meeting of Palestine, Israel, and America to discuss the agenda of the negotiations, its legitimacy, and the settlement cessation. | ||
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| + | While briefing the Egyptian media in Cairo, Abbas divulged last week his version of the failure of the peace talks with former Israeli PM Ehud Olmert and his positions regarding the political settlement of the conflict. Abbas noted that he almost reached an agreement with Olmert, but the negotiations failed at the final stretch because of disagreement on the discussed land swap. | ||
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| + | Olmert proposed 6.5% but Abbas accepted to no more than 1.9%. Abbas said that he demanded to divide Jerusalem, with the city’s eastern section handed over to the Palestinians and the western part remaining in Israeli hands, and insisted that the refugee problem must be settled in accordance with an Arab peace initiative from March 2002, and UN resolution 194. He also stressed that he will never recognize Israel as a Jewish state. | ||
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| + | "I'm willing to agree to a third party that would supervise the agreement, such as NATO forces, but I would not agree to having Jews among the NATO forces, or that there will live among us even a single Israeli on Palestinian land,” he was quoted by Wafa, the official Palestinian news agency. | ||
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| + | A state without Jews. | ||
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| + | The Palestinians intend to demand the implementation of the UN resolution regarding refugees, from a Palestinian perspective, which gives the 5.5 million refugees and their descendants the right of return and to settle in the State of Israel. In his briefing to the Egyptian media, Abbas presented this strategy and denied the Jewish character of Israel. He maintains that Israel should, in fact, become a bi-national state, but on the other hand that Palestine must become a state “clean” of Jews. | ||
| + | |||
| + | The term “Israeli” used by Abbas means “Jew,” as the PA sees Israeli Arabs, Muslims and Christians alike as an integral part of the Palestinian people. The future State of Palestine, according Abbas, must resist any Jewish presence in its territory. In other words, the PA embraces a racist policy – Palestinian apartheid – directed at Jews, based on denial of Jewish history and the cultural and religious linkage of the Jewish people to the land. | ||
| + | |||
| + | The anti-Semitism embodied in Abbas’ words refers also to his position towards the NATO observers’ force that may be deployed in the West Bank to monitor the implementation of the peace agreement with Israel. He is opposed to Jews being included in this force; meaning, he will ask Germany and all other partner countries in NATO to use their own forces in the West Bank, in an effort to the exclude any Jewish soldiers. | ||
| + | |||
| + | He didn’t explain how these countries would determine who is a Jew, whether according to orthodox Jewish laws or just if one of the parents or grandparents was a Jew. But even Saudi Arabia didn’t dare oppose the deployment of American Jewish soldiers on its land during operation Desert Storm (1990-1), and no one in Israel ever demanded to disqualify Muslim soldiers from serving in the international observers’ forces in Lebanon, the Golan Heights and Sinai. | ||
| + | |||
| + | The racist language used by Abbas is particularly despicable as it doubts the loyalty of the Jews to their country. It is for this reason that his comments call for a firm Israeli and European response. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Note: Wafa, the official Palestinian news agency published on July 28 its version of Abbas’ briefing to the Egyptian media, quoting him as saying: “I'm willing to agree to a third party that would supervise the agreement, such as NATO forces, but I would not agree to having Jews among the NATO forces, or that there will live among us even a single Israeli on Palestinian land”. This version was reprinted by Palestinian newspapers al-Quds and al-Hayat al-Jadida on July 30 and by other Arab newspapers. | ||
| + | |||
| + | A few days later Wafa published a new version of Abbas’ interview to the Egyptian media, where he was quoted as saying: “We have no objection to the presence of a third party after the (Palestinian) state is established, and we don’t oppose that the third party will be NATO or any other force. However, I will not agree that an Israeli, even if he is a Muslim, will be present on my land, but I’ll agree only (to the presence) of a third party. The reason for that is stemmed in the fact that the Israeli is the heir of the occupation, while the presence of the third party is temporary as are the Multinational Forces in your country (Egypt) and UNIFIL in Lebanon.”</font></blockquote></ref> | ||
| + | |||
| + | |||
| + | The ethnic cleansing reiterated by PA’s ruling party June/2024, Muhammad al-Lahham: From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free; Fatah: “It’s either me or him on this land.”<ref>[https://palwatch.org/page/35215 From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free; Fatah: “It’s either me or him on this land”], ''Palwatch'', June 30, 2024. | ||
| + | PA’s ruling party cheers Gaza war as leading to a “return to Acre, Jaffa, and Haifa.”</ref> | ||
==Glorifying murder [in Arabic]== | ==Glorifying murder [in Arabic]== | ||
| Line 1,056: | Line 1,150: | ||
In recent times, there have been increasing expressions of incitement and encouragement of terrorism by senior Fatah figures, the organization headed by the Palestinian Authority chairman who takes responsibility for the attacks.</blockquote></ref> | In recent times, there have been increasing expressions of incitement and encouragement of terrorism by senior Fatah figures, the organization headed by the Palestinian Authority chairman who takes responsibility for the attacks.</blockquote></ref> | ||
| + | |||
| + | |||
| + | [[Mahmoud Abbas]] praised Hamas [[Oct 7 War|Oct 7]] Attacks. | ||
| + | Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas called the October 7 Hamas-led massacre (/ atrocities) "the greatest day in Palestinian history." This comment, alongside continued payments to terrorist families, is criticized as a sign of a terror-supporting regime (Pay-for-slay goes on).<ref>[https://www.jns.org/report-abbas-called-oct-7-the-greatest-day-in-palestinian-history/ Report: Abbas called Oct. 7 ‘the greatest day in Palestinian history’]. | ||
| + | "The P.A. leader allegedly praised the Hamas-led massacre on the morning of the attack." | ||
| + | JNS Staff. Dec. 18, 2025. JNS''</ref> | ||
| + | |||
| + | |||
===Blood/death cult=== | ===Blood/death cult=== | ||
PA and Hamas’ shared values: Both promote identical death/blood worship.<ref>Nan Jacques Zilberdik and Itamar Marcus l, [https://palwatch.org/page/32395 PA and Hamas’ shared values: Both promote identical death/blood worship], ''Palwatch'', Nov 27, 2022. | PA and Hamas’ shared values: Both promote identical death/blood worship.<ref>Nan Jacques Zilberdik and Itamar Marcus l, [https://palwatch.org/page/32395 PA and Hamas’ shared values: Both promote identical death/blood worship], ''Palwatch'', Nov 27, 2022. | ||
| Line 1,131: | Line 1,233: | ||
===Indoctrination=== | ===Indoctrination=== | ||
| − | + | ====Report 2022==== | |
[[File:TeachingTerrorToTots.jpg|right|thumb|Teaching Terror to Tots<ref>https://palwatch.org/page/32436</ref>]] | [[File:TeachingTerrorToTots.jpg|right|thumb|Teaching Terror to Tots<ref>https://palwatch.org/page/32436</ref>]] | ||
| Line 1,141: | Line 1,243: | ||
[[File:Impact.se.org.2019.jpg|thumb|Palestinian indoctrination 2019|]] | [[File:Impact.se.org.2019.jpg|thumb|Palestinian indoctrination 2019|]] | ||
| − | + | ====High school students==== | |
Palestinian high school students must learn to hate Israel in order to graduate. | Palestinian high school students must learn to hate Israel in order to graduate. | ||
| Line 1,181: | Line 1,283: | ||
In 2024, Fatah Representative in Cyprus Moein Alsaeed: 'I urge the World Health Organization to supervise American aid to Gaza to make sure they are not trying to infect Palestinians with diseases like they did to the Native Americans.'<ref>MEMRI @MEMRIReports ([https://twitter.com/MEMRIReports/status/1768220652840870210 Mar 14, 2024]):<blockquote><small> | In 2024, Fatah Representative in Cyprus Moein Alsaeed: 'I urge the World Health Organization to supervise American aid to Gaza to make sure they are not trying to infect Palestinians with diseases like they did to the Native Americans.'<ref>MEMRI @MEMRIReports ([https://twitter.com/MEMRIReports/status/1768220652840870210 Mar 14, 2024]):<blockquote><small> | ||
Fatah Representative in Cyprus Moein Alsaeed: I Urge the World Health Organization to Supervise American Aid to Gaza to Make Sure They Are Not Trying to Infect Palestinians with Diseases Like They Did to the Native Americans #Fatah #Gaza #conspiracytheories .</small></blockquote></ref> | Fatah Representative in Cyprus Moein Alsaeed: I Urge the World Health Organization to Supervise American Aid to Gaza to Make Sure They Are Not Trying to Infect Palestinians with Diseases Like They Did to the Native Americans #Fatah #Gaza #conspiracytheories .</small></blockquote></ref> | ||
| + | |||
| + | |||
| + | [[File:Palestinian Authority- America is the plague and the plague is America.jpg|thumb|Palestinian Authority: America is the plague and the plague is America. (8.15.24)]] | ||
| + | |||
| + | |||
| + | On August 15, 2024, Arab-Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas told the Turkish parliament that "America is the plague, and the plague is America."<ref>Elliott Abrams, [https://www.cfr.org/blog/united-states-was-just-called-plague-mahmoud-abbas-now-what The United States Was Just Called a "Plague" by Mahmoud Abbas. Now what?] ''CFR'', August 16, 2024 <blockquote><small> | ||
| + | Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas just told the Turkish parliament that "America is the plague, and the plague is America." Will the United States tolerate such attacks? | ||
| + | |||
| + | What do Palestinian leaders say when they are not speaking in English? | ||
| + | |||
| + | For decades, Yasser Arafat spoke of peace in English—but only in English. In Arabic, not a word about peace and compromise. In Arabic, not a word about peace and compromise. (Here [https://web.archive.org/web/20240816213555/https://jeffjacoby.com/26597/in-arabic-not-a-word-of-peace-from-arafat], from 1997, is an example of the many articles about this phenomenon.) | ||
| + | |||
| + | But Arafat has been dead since 2004, and Mahmoud Abbas has been the leader of the PLO, Fatah Party, and the Palestinian Authority. What does he say when he is not speaking English—and more pointedly, what does he say about the United States?</small></blockquote></ref> | ||
| + | |||
| + | |||
| + | The phrase<ref>Demonizing The West: Challenges Facing Arab Culture. (2024). (n.p.): Mohsin Shawkat, [https://books.google.com/books?id=tmcUEQAAQBAJ&pg=PA76 p. 76]</ref> was invented by Arab "Palestinian" Mahmoud Darwish (a Muslim involved in Communism), who came up with this line: “America is the plague and the plague is America,” in his poem.<ref> | ||
| + | Harmon, C. C., Bowdish, R. G. (2018). The Terrorist Argument: Modern Advocacy and Propaganda. United States: Brookings Institution Press, [https://books.google.com/books?id=em1qDgAAQBAJ&pg=PA99 p.99]</ref> | ||
==Poll== | ==Poll== | ||
| − | In a March 2022 statistic, the poll among Arab Palestinians asked who was "most deserving of representing and leading the Palestinian people." Thirty-one percent picked Hamas, 29% chose Abbas’ P.A., and 33% chose none of the above. Eighty-four percent believe the P.A. is corrupt and 70% believe Hamas is dirty.<ref>Daniel Greenfield, [https://www.jns.org/opinion/will-biden-fund-isis-in-israel-to-aid-the-palestinians/ Will Biden fund ISIS in (Arab Islamists in) Israel to aid the Palestinians?], ''JNS'', March 29, 2022.<blockquote><font size=1> | + | In a March 2022 statistic, the poll among Arab Palestinians asked who was "most deserving of representing and leading the Palestinian people." Thirty-one percent picked Hamas, 29% chose Abbas’ P.A., and 33% chose none of the above. Eighty-four percent believe the P.A. is corrupt and 70% believe Hamas is dirty.<ref>[[Daniel Greenfield]], [https://www.jns.org/opinion/will-biden-fund-isis-in-israel-to-aid-the-palestinians/ Will Biden fund ISIS in (Arab Islamists in) Israel to aid the Palestinians?], ''JNS'', March 29, 2022.<blockquote><font size=1> |
The "Palestinian people" have spoken. Will Biden listen to them? | The "Palestinian people" have spoken. Will Biden listen to them? | ||
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*[[Israel]] | *[[Israel]] | ||
*"[[Palestine]]", for the region | *"[[Palestine]]", for the region | ||
| − | *[[ | + | *[[Palestinian]] |
*[[Yasser Arafat]] | *[[Yasser Arafat]] | ||
| + | *[[Falastin]] | ||
*[[Neturei Karta]] | *[[Neturei Karta]] | ||
*[[List of States which recognize Palestine as an independent state.|List of states which recognize "Palestine" as an "independent state"]] | *[[List of States which recognize Palestine as an independent state.|List of states which recognize "Palestine" as an "independent state"]] | ||
Latest revision as of 06:53, October 25, 2026
The Palestinian Authority, also known as the State of Palestine, is the Arab governmental unit that governs parts of the West Bank and claims Gaza Strip but lost control over it in 2006.
| Palestinian National Authority State of Palestine السلطة الوطنية الفلسطينية دولة فلسطين | |
|---|---|
 | |
 |
 |
| Flag | Coat of Arms |
| Capital | Ramallah (de-facto)
East Jerusalem (claimed) |
| Government | Semi-Presidential Republic (West Bank)[1]
Islamist Dictatorship (Gaza Strip) |
| Language | Arabic (official) |
| President | Mahmoud Abbas |
| Prime minister | Mohammad Mustafa |
| Population | 5,100,000 (2020) |
| GDP per capita | $3,000 (2018) |
| Currency | New Shekel Jordanian dinar Egyptian pound |
Palestinian Authority official media features Islamist calling for genocide
Palestinian Authority official media features Islamist calling for genocide,[2]
We love death like our enemies love life. Speaker, Official PA TV, March 8, 2023.[3]
Etymology
- Main article: Palestine
Palestine (from Latin: Palaestina; Hebrew: פלשתינה Palestina; Arabic: فلسطين Filastīn, Falastīn) is a name sometimes given to part of the land that generally comprises the Holy Land or Old Testament's Promised Land given to the Israelites / Jews in that part of the Bible. The Romans renamed the territory as Syria Palestina in 132-135 AD, who was inhabited by Jewish people at that time.[4] The Romans also renamed Jerusalem to Aelia Capitolina and the Second Jewish Temple was pulled down in A.D. 70 by them.
Geography
The climate is mediterranean and temperate in most of the communities controlled by the state in the West Bank, some are desertic while in the claimed territory of Gaza it is coastal, as it is on the eastern Mediterranean Sea.
The cities of Bethlehem and Ramallah are under the Palestinian state control.
Christian minority
While Arab-Palestinians are overwhelmingly Muslim and grandchildren of Arab immigrants, there are also between 3 (in Gaza) - 9 (in West Bank) percent who are Christians. An estimated 50,000 Christian Palestinians live in the West Bank and Jerusalem, according to the U.S. State Department’s international religious freedom report for 2022. Approximately 1,300 Christians lived in Gaza. Many Palestinian Christians live in diaspora communities.[5] Pope Francis affirmed in 2024 that he calls the "church in Gaza every day".[6][7]
500,000 Palestinians are Christians around the world, they form and estimated 6-7% of the global Palestinian population. 48% are Greek Orthodox, 38% Catholic and 4% are Evangelicals and Protestants. "The Palestinian Christian presence in Jerusalem is under threat due to institutionalised discrimination, attacks by radical Israeli groups, and systematic attempts by settler organisations to take over church property in the Old City". According to International Christian Concern: "In Israel, both Jewish (Messianic) and Arab Christians experience pressures for their faith from radical Jewish groups and can sometimes be treated as second-class citizens in the Jewish state".[8] On the other hand, Arabs, in general, are often treated as first class citizens. In courts, employments, etc.
The Times of Israel explains on the topic: "The picture of safe coexistence painted by Israeli officials is starkly at odds with the experiences Jerusalem’s Christian leaders themselves describe. While they readily acknowledge that there is no organized or governmental effort against them, Christian clergy in the Old City tell of a deteriorating atmosphere of harassment, apathy from authorities, and a growing fear that incidents of spitting and vandalism could turn into something far darker".[9]
Christian Dr. Walid Phares (vilified by Islamists and leftists who are duped by them [10] "Walid Phares was born in 1957 to a Maronite Christian family in Beirut. By the time Phares was in his 20s, Lebanon, which has always been more of a mosaic of various religions and communities than a unified nation, had plunged into a bloody civil war. Naturally, Phares supported his own Lebanese Maronite Christian community’s efforts to defend itself in this brutal, existential struggle against Syrian occupation on the one hand and Palestinian and Lebanese Sunni and Shiite terror on the other."[11]) :[12] "The conflict between Israel and the Palestinians has, on the Palestinian side, moved from largely nationalist to largely Islamist rhetoric giving the conflict a religious caste that makes it even more intractable. if persecution continues to drive out Christians from the Middle East (where they were a quarter of the population a century ago) then conflict will be largely Israeli/Jew vs Arab/Muslim with no intermediates."
A number of Christians are indigenous to "Palestine", and many of these are descended from the first Christians. Also many Arameans, another Semitic group native to the area, accepted Christ very early on in the history of Christianity, and thus contribute a lot to the genetics of today's Christians in the Palestinian Authority, later joined over thousand years later by surviving European crusaders and their families after their defeat at the hands of the Islamic armies,[13] when they blended into the native, Semitic Christian population.
The Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.
There are Catholic and Orthodox Churches in the West Bank and Gaza. The Iraqi-born, Assyrian Australian prelate, Mar Mari Emmanuel, visited Gaza once.[14]
Many of the Christians have taken on "Palestinian" nationalism promoted by the nearby Arab states, regardless of the fact that "Palestinian" nationalism is heavily rooted in both Islamism and pan-Arabism, which reject human rights for Christians or recognition of the distinct non-Arab Semitic ethnicities, mainly Aramean or Jewish, to which most of them belong, mainly due to taqiyya or propaganda to advance an Islamic cause. Israel-hatred runs very deep for these Christians because of their loyalty to this Arab identity, and many of them even hate Jewish people as a whole regardless of the ethnic, and to a lesser extent, cultural, origins of many of their own. Additionally many of these Christians will take sides with people who express a deep hatred for their fellow Christians around the Middle East.[15] In many cases, the self-declared "Palestinian" government encourages demographic shifts in areas inhabited by minorities[16] (an example of this is the Samaritan Genocide, a result of which only 300 Samaritans remain today in their traditional homeland in Samaria, the southern part of the West Bank) in one village (Kiryat Luza), in which there is an Israeli presence, responsible for protecting them from Arab ethnic cleansing. In Bethlehem, Christians have become a small minority of the population under control of the Palestinian Authority.[17] In Israel, however, ethnic and religious minorities, in villages in which they historically formed the majority, have retained their status as the majority of the population in the vast majority of cases, a trend which shows no indication of changing in the future. Christians in Israel can even form their own political parties.[18]
The Israeli-Arab Conflict is sometimes presented as a clash of civilizations. Arab-Palestinians are supposedly part only of the Muslim civilization, Israel, the state of the Jews, is part of Western, Judeo-Christian civilization. Christians themselves are not presented to be part of the conflict. If they are talked about in a broader Middle Eastern context, mostly in terms of oppression by Muslims. It therefore seems logical that Christians would be presented as allies only of Israel and, together with it, defend their civilization from the Muslims, represented supposedly by the Palestinians. Christians are and have been part of the conflict from the beginning. Palestinians are not only Muslims, Christians are also part of the Palestinian Arab identity of a nation. Important to note Christians' fear of criticizing authorities, as a relative small minority, residing in that non-free society.
Christy Anastas is an Arab-Palestinian Christian who speaks about persecution of Christians by the Palestinian Authority,[19] an issue largely ignored by the western liberal media.
Though the Christians in the PA avoid saying so publicly, many of them fear – with good reason – that Muslim aggression against them will only escalate.[20]
The situation of Christians in Bethlehem has deteriorated dramatically in the last century, and especially since the PA took control of the city in 1995. In 1947, Christians comprised about 85% of the city’s population, but that figure had actually plunged to 16% by 2016, and is estimated since then.[20][21]
2019 report cited "Islamic oppression" as the main source of persecution at Christian small minority of Arab Palestinians.[20]
89% of Christians in Gaza are Greek Orthodox while 9.3% are Catholic and 1.52% belongs to other denominations.[22] Since the 2007 Israel blockade of Gaza, Christians have not being able to visit Holy Sites in Jerusalem and Bethlehem, having the same struggle as other Gaza inhabitants. This has led many to hold extreme positions "which does not differentiate between race and religion", warns a report from the Young Men’s Christian Association.[22]
At Muslim Palestinian dangeroues violence, Holy Week of 2023 the Israeli police, for security reasons, limited the number of worshippers from 8,200 attenders in 2022 to 1,800 in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem during Orthodox Easter ceremonies angering the Church leaders not willing to cooperate. In a joint statement, the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate, the Custody of the Holy Land and the Armenian Patriarchate said: "We shall continue to uphold the Status Quo customs, and the ceremony will be held as customary for two millennia and all who wish to worship with us are invited to attend".[23]
A Church at Ramallah
On October 4, 2023, Israel arrested 5 Jews on the West Bank for spitting at Christians' symbols in East Jerusalem.[24] And were condemned by all Rabbinical as well as Israeli government leadership. According to the Times of Israel, Itamar Ben-Gvir justified spitting toward Christians as "an ancient Jewish custom". Rabbis and other Orthodox Jews were incensed by that claim.[25] The anti worshipped-images is not anti-Christian as people, but more related to the 2nd Commandment. Search also for historic: Iconoclasm.
Palestinian Christians in Gaza fear for the future of their tiny community from the Muslim population.[26] This sentiment of fear of disappearing grew after the Israel-Gaza War that started in 2023.[27]
In January 2024, on the night between 14-15, an Arab-Palestinian mob caused extensive damage to a Christian holy site in Nablus (Shechem) known as Jacob’s Well, causing concern, as "we know of no arrests that are made in such cases, nor do we see the P.A. placing any guards in those sensitive locations under regular attack."[28]
The mayor of Ramallah Issa Kassis is Christian.[29] The mayor of Ramallah expressed to the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, His Beatitude Pierbattista Pizzaballa, his willingness to deepen the collaboration between the municipality of the city and the Church, especially with regard to possible Palestinian Christian cultural projects. Members of the parish council also stressed the importance of this kind of initiatives, recalling their desire to increase the visibility of Christians in the Holy Land, not only locally but also abroad.[30] The mayor of Bethlehem, Hanna Hanania, is also Christian.
Approximately more than a half the population of Ramallah is Christian and the other half is Muslim.[31]
Christians, forget Jesus! “He is one of us”. Christian traditions are "nonsense". In 2025:[32]
Now it's Christianity's turn to be mocked by the Palestinian Authority. While it's PA policy to insult, mock and misrepresent Jewish tradition and Jewish history in the land of Israel whenever possible, this week it was Christian traditions' turn to be insulted and denied by the PA.
In the words of the official PA daily columnist, Christian traditions of the Holy Sepulcher and the Holy Grail are "nonsense," because Jesus doesn't belong to Christian tradition but belongs to the Palestinians.
Government
President Mahmoud Abbas
The Palestinian Basic Law of 2003, amended in 2005, defines the legal and constitutional framework of the Palestinian governance system pending the establishment of the State of Palestine. It was drafted by the Palestinian Legislative Council in 1997 and promulgated in 2002 after approval by Yasser Arafat, then President of the PNA. It defines the government of Palestine as a parliamentary democracy based on political pluralism, the rule of law and the separation of powers.[33]
The "Palestinian Legislative Council" is the legislative branch.
Principal Government Officials
- President—Mahmoud Abbas
- Prime Minister—Mohammad Mustafa
- Minister of Foreign Affairs—Riyad al-Maliki
- Finance Minister—Shukri Bishara
- Ambassador to the U.S.—Maen Rashid Areikat
- Ambassador to the UN—Riyad Mansour
Foreign relations
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Currently 148 of 193 United Nations member states have formally recognized "Palestine" as a state stretching from Africa to Asia, Europe to Latin America.. Around 161 countries maintain diplomatic relations with the Arab Palestinians in one form or another... In October, 2011, the State of Palestine was granted full membership at the U.N. cultural organization, UNESCO, in a diplomatic victory won despite stiff resistance from the United States and Israel.[34]
On April 2024, the Biden regime vetoed the State of Palestine request for full United Nations membership at the Security Council.[35]
People
- Main article: Palestinian
The ethnic group of the territories controlled by the state is Arab, with the Arabic language spoken widely and the main religions are Islam (- 93-97%) and Christianity.
Up to the 1948 establishment of the State of Israel, all inhabitants of the British Mandate of Palestine, including Jews, were called Palestinians.
The signature dish of the Arab Palestinians is musakhan, a chicken dish.[36]
History
- Main article: Palestine#Modern History
The state was unilaterally declared on November 15, 1988 in Algiers at an extraordinary session in exile of the Palestine National Council, the legislative arm of the Palestine Liberation Organization. Legal justification for this act was based on United Nations General Assembly Resolution 181 (II) of 29 November 1947, which provided for the termination and partition of the British Mandate for Palestine into two states.[37] It was established in May 1994 after the Oslo Accords.[38][39] During the Arab Spring in January 2013 president Mahmoud Abbas signed a presidential decree which officially changed the name of the Palestinian Authority to the "State of Palestine".[40]
At the time, the PLO did not have control over any part of "Palestine" (or any other territory), and therefore the "State of Palestine" failed to meet one of the main defining aspects of a real state - namely, occupying a territory. Today the state only controls parts of the West Bank not run by Israel since the Oslo Accords from the 90s. The Gaza Strip was taken over in a coup d'état by the terrorist organization Hamas in 2006 against the political organization Fatah which is the moderate wing of the Palestinian Politics and runs the National Authority Government.
A pro-Arab website expresses the "Palestinian" view concerning the border of "Palestine" by declaring they want a border which existed prior to the Six-Day War:
The value of a UN resolution recognizing an independent state for the Palestinian people, with its borders running exactly along the 1949 Armistice line, which was the border between Israel and the West Bank until June 4, 1967, should not be undermined.[41]
The "State of Palestine" was recognized immediately by the Arab League and several other Islamic nations, at the expense of recognition of Israel. It maintains embassies in these countries (which are generally simply Palestine Liberation Organization delegations).
Pro-Israel advocates typically point out that Israel has repeatedly had to defend itself against attacks by neighboring Arab states and counter that reverting Israel's border to borders which existed before the Six-Day war would not allow Israel to have defensible borders.[42]
The Israeli government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is openly opposed to the proposed "Palestinian" statehood and is threatening retaliatory action. Former US officials, notably Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton are also opposed.
In November 2012, "Palestine" was granted the status of a non-member observer state by the United Nations General Assembly. This move was applauded by the Holy See[43] which recognized the "State of Palestine" in 2015[44] and supports a two-state solution in the Arab-Israeli conflict.[45]
- See also: Holy Land
Trump Peace Plan (2020)
- Main article: Two-state solution
Trump Peace Plan for Israel & Palestine (2020) involving a two-state solution.[46]
In 2020 President Trump proposed a plan involving the establishment of new frontiers between Israel & Palestine and the mutual recognition of the countries.[46][47]
The January 2020 American peace plan for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, sometimes called the Trump plan, is a set of political and economic proposals presented on January 28, 2020 by the President of the United States Donald Trump as the path to peace between Israelis and Palestinians and a basis for negotiations in the peace process.
The plan proposes a fifty billion dollar international effort to enable the development and definitive establishment of the Palestinian state, when the Israelis would retain Jerusalem as their indivisible capital, with the Palestinians establishing theirs on a fraction of East Jerusalem.
The Israelis would keep the Israeli settlements in the West Bank but the Palestinian territory would remain equivalent in size to that of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip before the Six-Day War, through additions of territory from the Negev Desert for purposes economic and residential.
In 2024 Trump, reportedly, pulled support for a two-State solution by saying: "There was a time when I thought two states could work. Now I think two states is going to be very, very tough. I think it’s going to be much tougher to get. I also think you have fewer people that liked the idea. You had a lot of people that liked the idea four years ago. Today, you have far fewer people that like that idea".[48]
During the June CNN Debate with Biden, when Trump was asked if he would recognize the State of Palestine he replied: "I'd have to see".[49]
Criticism
Palestinian Authority instructions to mosques on infidels (June 2023)[50]
It has been noted (Aug/2021):[51]
As much as 40% of the amount donated to Palestinians by Arab countries and others, has been absconded by Palestinian leaders. Yasser Arafat is estimated to have embezzled $1-3 billion alone. Today, the blackmail money keeps flowing in exchange for quiet.
It is an undemocratic system. As on Aug/2021, it has been reminded that the last election there, the iPhone did not yet exist.
Regarding its mass torture, in 2017[52] a verdict was issued of a long detailed account of 1,800 pages: “The Palestinian Authority is responsible for severe abuses, including: the murder, kidnapping, imprisonment, torture, and rape of 52 Palestinian and Israeli citizens, residents of the West Bank.” The verdict described horrifying torture. Electric shocks, hanging upside down for long periods of time, pouring boiling plastic on the body, extraction of nails and teeth, sterilization, sleep deprivation, food restriction, the killing and raping of family members, the removal of a pre-mature baby from her incubator, and other forms of inhumane abuse.
Though officially, the official line in recent years is that the PA stopped executing Arabs for selling land to Jews. And this narrative is repeatedly stressed by Haaretz/Btselem anti-Israel fanatics. The hard fact is, however, that it does still bring about torture and deaths via various methods.[53]
Already in Jan-2014, the Palestinian Independent Commission for Human Rights (ICHR) charged the PA and Hamas with repeated cases of torture, oppression, assaults on freedom of expression and academic freedoms, as well as ignoring court orders.[54]
As Biden visited the area in 2022, the long horrific record of "Palestinian" was probed: Torture, War Crimes.[55] That The Palestinian government is complicit in "rampant, wide-spread, and systematic torture of Palestinian nationals" and Israelis, according to a landmark legal complaint filed .. with the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Hypocrisy by the Palestinian Government
Palestinian Authority hypocrisy on display. Whike wholeheartedly supporting the BDS movement, a 2021 report published by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) shows that trade between Israel and the Palestinians in constantly increasing. [56]
Racism by / under the Palestinian Authority
- Anti Jewish hate, racism, incitement, demonization has been documented regularly at Pal Watch.[57]
In June, 2021:[58]
the European Union finally released its report on Palestinian Authority textbooks which includes dozens of examples of encouragement of violence and demonization of Israel and of Jews. Under the guise of “resistance” – another catchword – children are being brainwashed about the glory of martyrdom. Following the report’s publication.
- The Palestinian Authority showed it's officially antisemitic, in ilifying all Jews. It also, indirectly terms the Bible as supposed "racist."[59]
- A 2011 survey found, 73% of Palestinians in W. Bank, Gaza agree (today in age, "realistically") with 'hadith' quoted in Hamas Charter about the need to kill Jews hiding behind stones, trees. And 53% were in favor or teaching songs about hating Jews in Palestinian schools.[60]
- Per a (2014 released) poll conduct by the Anti Defamation League, 97% of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza held antisemitic views, which would rank as the highest proportion in the world.[61]
- A 2014 poll showed, most Palestinians want to eliminate Israel.[62]
- In a March 2018 poll:[63]
63% reject the idea of allowing Israeli Jews to live in the state of Palestine as citizens or residents.
- In 2020, 93% of West Bank and Gaza population harbor anti-Semitic attitudes.[64]
- According to the US Congress 2008[65] report "Contemporary Global Anti-Semitism"
"In July 1990, the Palestinian Liberation Organization-affiliated Palestinian Red Crescent published an article in its magazine Balsam claiming that Jews concocted, “The lie concerning the gas chambers.” Gradually, throughout the 1990s, Holocaust denial became commonplace in popular media in the Middle East, particularly in the Palestinian Authority."
Within a 2003 report[66] by Hillary R Clinton:
"I don't believe that there has been an adequate and consistent repudiation of the rhetoric of hate and the incitement of young people by the authorities in the Palestinian Authority. And I think that's so important, and I think it needs to be not just done once, but over and over and over again."
In its prepared statement there it states:
Of concern to our discussions today is the question, to what extent does the current