By Alberto Fernández, a former U.S. ambassador and contributor to EWTN News, said the prime ministerʼs claim “only makes sense within the context of him trying to look good to his own Israeli audience.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said unidentified Lebanese Christian villages asked Israel to annex them.
“Christian villages in Lebanon, some of them have actually asked to be annexed to Israel, because we protect them against the Hezbollah, Hezbollah fanatics who want to kill them, and we do the same things with Christians everywhere,” Netanyahu said during an appearance on Fox News’ show “The Sunday Briefing” on July 5.
“It’s ridiculous that [Netanyahu] would say such a thing,” said Alberto Fernández, a former U.S. ambassador and contributor to EWTN News on Middle East topics. “It’s something that only makes sense within the context of him trying to look good to his own Israeli audience. Within the context of Lebanon, it’s ridiculous.”
Fernández noted Netanyahu’s claims have been repeatedly denied in the Arab and Lebanese press. Lebanese officials have rejected Netanyahu’s claims, including senior members of the Kataeb party, and Hanna al-Amil, the mayor of Rmeich, a Christian village in southern Lebanon, according to several Arab news outlets.
“We canʼt forget that itʼs Hezbollah that keeps plunging Lebanon into war with Israel,” he said. “And one thing that Christian villagers do not want is, they may not want to be part of Israel.”
They donʼt want to be at war with Israel either, Fernández said.
“They want peace. They want to be left alone. They want to be able to live their lives and their villages and farm their land and be left alone,” he said.
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I trust this isn’t more “Jew-hating.”
Of course the Arab gov’ts are going to dispute what may have been said by the Christian towns. It is possible that Netenyahu is making it up; I think it is also possible that the issue came up and timid whispers were spoken “Annex us, please!”
.
The Jewish gov’t may not treat the local Christians all that well; I don’t doubt there is some discrimination. I don’t know. But were I a Christian, I’d rather be under the Israeli Jews than under any of the Islamic governments.
The choice shouldn’t be limited to the devil and the deep blue sea. I choose neither.
I’ve been listening to our politicians-whose plates should be more than full with domestic problems- blather on about peace, agreements and the “process” since Carter.
There have been two constants in that time-war and the oppression of Christians.