Palestinian Orthodox Archbishop Atallah Hanna Addresses Christian Zionism and Mike Huckabee’s Nomination as US Ambassador to Israel:
“We do not recognize what is called ‘Christian Zionism.’ This term does not exist in our Christian literature or ecclesiastical lexicon. The… pic.twitter.com/7DjZtYCEIx
— chunguskitten (@chunguskitten) November 17, 2024
Archbishop Hanna says:
We do not recognize what is called ‘Christian Zionism.’ This term does not exist in our Christian literature or ecclesiastical lexicon. The blending of Christianity and Zionism is entirely condemned and rejected by us, especially as Christianity is a religion of love, mercy, brotherhood, and peace, while Zionism is a racist and terrorist movement responsible for the disasters and setbacks our people have faced, culminating in the genocide being perpetrated against our beloved brothers and sisters in Gaza.
“Zionism is a racist and terrorist movement responsible for the disasters and setbacks our people have faced”? Has the archbishop ever heard of Islamic jihad? Of course he has, but he doesn’t mention it at all, and is not known for calling it out. Why not? His people live among Muslims, and he knows they’ll be attacked if he says anything about jihad. He also knows that he can criticize Zionism all day long and he will not be in any danger for doing so.
As for the “genocide,” why is he accepting Hamas casualty figures?
Huckabee, says Hanna:
…alleges that there is no such thing as Palestine or a Palestinian people, as though he has not read history—or refuses to acknowledge it—that Palestine exists, and its people exist, whether he likes it or not….If they were truly Christians, they would call for an end to the war in Gaza and Lebanon and advocate for a just solution to the Palestinian issue that preserves the dignity and freedom of the Palestinian people. However, these individuals are like ostriches that bury their heads in the sand, pretending they are in a different world. No matter how much they ignore the existence of Palestine and its resilient and struggling people, Palestine exists, its people exist, and its history is glorious. To all those who deny Palestine’s existence or have not properly studied history, let me remind them: In the Fourth Ecumenical Council held in Nicaea in the fourth century AD, when the bishop of Jerusalem was given the title ‘Patriarch,’ he was named ‘Patriarch of the Holy City of Jerusalem and All of Palestine.’ This demonstrates that Palestine existed and will continue to exist, and no one has the right to erase its existence.
Neither Huckabee nor anyone else actually denies the existence of “Palestine.” But throughout history, it was the name of a region, not of a people. Can the archbishop produce even one instance of anyone referring to “the Palestinians” before the 1960s? One would think they would have been mentioned at the time of the founding of the state of Israel and the first war against it in 1948. Yet there is nothing. Why not?
Also, the Fourth Ecumenical Council was actually held in Chalcedon, not Nicaea, and not in the fourth century AD, but in the fifth.
Palestine is mentioned in the Bible…
Where? Philistia and Philistines are mentioned in the Bible, but where is the continuity between them and the “Palestinian” people of today? Can the archbishop produce it? Why not?
…and instead of these racists denying the existence of Palestinians, they should work towards resolving the Palestinian issue, which is the key to peace in our region and the world. The solution to the Palestinian issue is not through erasing it or denying the existence of the Palestinian people, but by granting our people their legitimate rights to live in freedom and peace, like all other peoples of the world.
Sounds great. What about the role of jihad in preventing that?
SKA says
Before 1964 the term “Palestinian” was applied only to the Jewish natives and immigrants in the British Mandate. The local Arabs despised the term preferring to call themselves Syrian Arabs.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
Absolutely. Also, during both Arab & Turkish rule, the term “Syria” or “Ash-Sham” (in Arabic) referred not to the Syria w/ today’s boundaries, but the part of the Middle East that is
⮞ South of Anatolia
⮞ West of the Euphrates
⮞ East of the Mediterranean
⮞ North of the Hijaz
The capital of all of that was Damascus. Oh, and Antioch, which is today a part of Turkey, was always regarded as Syrian, not Turkish
So there are no Jordanian, Palestinian, Lebanese, west Iraqi or Israeli Arabs: they are technically all Syrians, if you didn’t have British & French cartographers play w/ maps of the area after WWI
Luchtpint says
A typical example of how Arab Christians tend to cower when faced with muslims in their vicinity.
What’s new ?
Patrick says
Thumbs up on that statement!
somehistory says
This guy doesn’t recognize ***Christianity.**** What he is claiming is absolutely wrong.
A false prophet, a wolf pretending to be a shepherd of Christ’s flock.
To recognize that the God of the Bible gave His Law to the Jews, because of His friendship with Abraham, and that Law pointed to Jesus Christ….the Messiah…who would come to bring all of mankind a hope for “the real life,” is absolutely necessary to understanding Christ and His teaching.
This clown knows nothing of Christ Jesus, and is only adding to the lies being told about Jesus and the so-called “palestinians.”
He and others like him, will have to answer for the lies that mislead any “sheep of Christ’s flock” who listen to him.
By the way, mr *archbishop*….Jesus, the One you claim to represent to His flock, said for His disciples not to accept *titles*….because, as Jesus said, ” Do not you be called rabbi or teacher…..because, All you are brothers.”
He needs to think hard about that one fact before he condemns others, because he is in direct violation of Jesus’ Command on the subject..
gravenimage says
‘Palestinian’ Orthodox archbishop excoriates Hucakabee, rejects ‘Christian Zionism’
………………………………..
The only thing I can say in Hanna’s defence is that Christians in Muslim lands are threatened daily by Muslims. But why not move to Israel? You can freely worship there without supporting savagery.
Note his condemnation of Charlie Hebdo. Did he do this after the Jihad massacre of nonviolent journalists and cartoonists there? Especially horrifying if this is the case.
gravenimage says
I looked this up–this condemnation of Charlie Hebdo came a couple of weeks after the massacre at that magazine. No condemnation of *that* atrocity. Just appalling–so a cartoon is worse than mass murder. How appalling.
https://www.pravmir.com/orthodox-archbishop-slams-new-charlie-hebdo-cover/
By the way, this cover just had a cartoon of Prophet Muhammed holding a sign saying “Je Suis Charlie” and shedding a tear for the murderous actions of his followers–supporting the magazine. I thought this was very restrained–if unlikely, given how Muhammed’s character and actions are described.
Apparently Hanna considers the idea that Muhammed might not have applauded this mass murder in his name to be offensive.
Paul Burns says
Before 1964, anyone referring to “Palestinians” was talking about Jews, anyone else were just “Arabs”.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
He’s an example of an “islamo-Christian” – a term Hugh coined years ago to describe Arab Christians who expressed their pride in their ethnicity by championing, w/o actually converting to, islam. Essentially, since islam is the ultimate vector of Arab supremacy, they see it incumbent on themselves to support islam to display their Arab bona fides
As I noted to Spiro separately, there is also the small fact about these 2 men belonging to different sects of Christianity, which may well have differing attitudes towards Jews
bagsgroove says
Why the hell is a moslem allowed in Christianity. Kick the devil’s spawns out !
somehistory says
Exactly. Like the Apostle John wrote, “If anyone does not bring this teaching, never allow him into your homes.”
Being a Christian is far more important than one’s ethnicity. Jesus said His friends are those who ‘obey His commandments.’ And that applies no matter the ethnicity or race of the one being obedient.
gravenimage says
True, Infidel. Sadly, some Christians have lived under dhimmitude so long that they actually embrace the savagery of their persecutors. Ugly and perverse stuff.
Wellington says
A total dhimmi. How pathetic.
Spiro says
As an orthodox Christian myself I’ll say this archbishop speaks for himself not all orthodox Christians
࿗Infidel࿘ says
He doesn’t speak for you, but he presumes to speak for all Christians – Orthodox or not. Mike Huckabee is a Southern Baptist and a former pastor, so the last thing he can be challenged on is scripture. As a result, he’s of a different sect from Archbishop Hanna, who ought to know that there is more than one sect of Christianity
Spiro says
He only speaks for himself unless he’s delusional enough with his pride to really think he speaks for all orthodox Christians much less for all Christians
I would like to know what church he is in communion with
gravenimage says
Yes–disgusting. Most Christians. including most Orthodox Christians, do not think like this.
mgoldberg says
The archbishop might well remember that the national reality of Israel and Zion go back some 3300 yrs and mentioned some 150 plus times in the Tanach of the Jews in the scriptures.
somehistory says
So many times, and not to mention all of the references to how the God of the Bible, The God of the Jews feels about His chosen people and the land He gave them.
St Croix says
Not to mention the archaeological proof–lots of it, and more is discovered every other day. Cities, inscriptions in foreign lands, like ancient Babylon, now under Arab control–which date back millennia and mention Israel, or Judah, or the kings of same. Egyptian writings as well, about battles with kings of Israel, besides the coins, pottery, and actual towns and cities.
Christians SHOULD know more than most! As Netanyahu recently said, of course the Jews have been here for thousands of years! Jesus threw the money-changers out of the temple, that was 2000 years ago, where do they think that was? Which temple? Where? In Nepal?!
Ha ha, I thought he had a good point there!
The actual evidence is overwhelming. But these people who have a head full of nonsense do not want FACTS.
Tom Franczak says
Not to worry, archbishop. They’ll eat you last.
Andrew Blackadder says
Speaking with a young black American girl recently who told me that Palestine existed long before Israel and that muslims lived there before the Jews arrived….
It puzzles me as to where such ignorance of History comes from, so I asked her to name the First and perhaps the Last Prime Minister or President of Palestine, or any political figure, she went blank, okay I said, tell me the name of the currency of Palestine, blank face, okay how about the language, the religion a tradition or one of the main cultural facts, anything…
Her reply was to ask me if I was a Trump supporter…
Ya cant fix this kind of stupid, you really cant…
WPM says
Yes in the progressives mind all history even things that are known facts for a thousand years are tied to Trump. The Nazi,s in Germany in the 1920-to1945 Trump, the Roman Empire TRump ,the British Empire Trump of the 18 century ,the American French and Indian war Trump ,now the fact the Jews have been living in Israel for over three thousand years. Yes ignore the fact Islam did not exists before the 9 century , over two thousand years ago you where either a Jew or a pagan living in the region .If you support historic facts based on records ,coinage, history recorded by pagan Romans who ruled that land who had no love or favor for the Jews who recorded the facts on who lived there .Before the Romans ,the Greeks who traded and wared with some of the rulers in that area .Even the pagans who keep records from the time and traded and wared with the Jews who lived there.
crown says
“Speaking with a young black American girl recently who told me that Palestine existed long before Israel and that muslims lived there before the Jews arrived….”
Yes, this would be what I call AOC syndrome. Something that AOC has perfected. That is, assuming a professorial air, while spouting the most abysmally ignorant nonsense.
AOC syndrome, unfortunately, has reached epidemic levels among young people.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
It might also have been useful to find out whether she was anti-Russian. If she was, it would then have been worth pointing out that there is a small bit of land b/w Ukraine and the Dniester river called Transnistria. That territory has more attributes of a country, even though no other country recognizes it. It has its own currency, postage, flag, coat of arms, vehicle registration, constitution, army & police force. That’s more than what can be said about the Palis, who don’t even use Jordanian currency but rather Israeli Shekels
somehistory says
For all who need a laugh…the first one is a hoot
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/editorial-the-latest-political-cartoons-from-the-creators-syndicate/ss-AA1uM6m6?ocid=msedgntp&pc=HCTS&cvid=82fc54fb53dc4d9ba80f0536c9700331&ei=46#image=1
OLD GUY says
Just another bag of HOT AIR.
memi says
Not “typical Arab Christians” but terrorist-supporting “priest” who hasn’t ever understood or read ecclesiastic History of his own religion!
Yes, indeed, “Philistia and Philistines are mentioned in the Bible, but where is the continuity between them and the “Palestinian” people of today? Can the archbishop produce it? Why not?”
I do not believe that the so-called archbishop can produce the “evidence” as it simply does not exist!
“Palestinians” comes from the Greek word Philistines and we all know its meaning. The so-called palestinians did not exist in biblical times and Jerusalem itself was inhabited by Jews and Christians as well as minority Muslims. Of course, the Islamist “minority” by knife and cannons exterminated, as is their official modus operandi, all Christians from the region and this goes for almost all the Islamist countries in the region. In Egypt, Churches are guarded with soldiers to protect them from fanatic islamists.
In a letter to the brutal German occupational forces protesting the deportation of Greek Jews to Auschwitz Greek Orthodox Bishop Damaskinos wrote back to the Germans when they ordered him to give up names of 300 Jews and threatened to hang him (as the Turks did the Patriarch of Constantinople) wrote back to the Germans (see Holocaust Museum, Thessalonica, Greece)::
‘There is neither Jew nor Greek’ and thus condemns any attempt to discriminate or create racial or religious differences. Our common fate both in days of glory and in periods of national misfortune forged inseparable bonds between all Greek citizens, without exemption, irrespective of race..”
And also he quietly ordered the churches under his jurisdiction to distribute Christian baptismal certificates to Jews fleeing the Nazis, thus saving thousands of Romaniote Jews in and around Athens. Damaskinos advised his priests to do everything they could to help the Jews and to hide those for whom it was not possible to forge baptismal certificates”
This ignorant phony “Orthodox” priest doesn’t know the history of his own religion!
memi says
More than 50 years after the end of the Holocaust, the first ecumenical patriarch of the Orthodox Church to directly address it called German Nazi persecution” he singular icon of our century’s evils” and said “ISRAEL WAS THE GUARANTOR of the Jewish people’s existence.”
Patriarch Bartholomew, speaking then at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum also noted the failure of many Christians _Orthodox and others to oppose the German plan to exterminate European Jews.” The bitter truth for so many Christians of that terrible time was that they could not connect the message of their faith to their actions in the world,” he said. Of course, we all know how the Catholic Church disregarded its obligation to protect Jews!
Bartholomew was the head of the Greek Orthodox Church worldwide and considered the ”first among equals” of the leaders of 15 autonomous, ethnic Orthodox churches. An ethnic Greek whose patriarchate has been based in Istanbul since it was known as CONSTANTINOPLE (Byzantine Empire) and was the center of the eastern Christian world, Bartholomew served as a mediator of the various churches and, as such, is acknowledged as a spiritual leader of the world’s more than 400 million Orthodox Christians.
Bartholomew’s statement came during his month-long visit to the United States in 1997, home to some six-million Orthodox Christians, most of whom are of Greek or Russian descent as well as Arabs..
Robert Spence’s book “The EMPIRE OF GOD–How the Byzantines Saved Civiliation” should be read by this uninformed cleric so that he could perchance catch up on his “religious history” and realize that the “palestine” he envisages never existed but is now, tragically, home to terrorists and Islamist troglodytes. We should be sending him both a copy of the Bible and Spencer’s book to inform his sermons!