As Israel’s March 17 election nears, some Israeli Christians are using the race as an opportunity to draw more attention to their community. Bolstered by a recent change in Israeli law that allows Christians to self-identity as a distinct ethnic group, members of that faith are seeking to let their voices be heard.
“We as Christians want to live here together with the Jews, and we have own our issues and needs without any connections to the Arab [political] parties,” Shadi Khalloul, a candidate for the Knesset with Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman’s Yisrael Beiteinu party, told JNS.
Israel is home to one of the few remaining growing Christian communities in the Middle East. Yet the Israeli Christian population of 161,000, with most living in Jerusalem or the Galilee region, is still relatively small compared with its Jewish and Muslim counterparts in the country.
For many years, most Christians in Israel identified with Arab culture and played a role in the promotion of pan-Arab nationalism as a way to forge closer bonds with Israel’s Arab Muslim community. But in recent years more Israeli Christians have sought to separate themselves from the Arab community by promoting their own unique religious and cultural heritage, while also seeking closer integration with Israeli life—including volunteering for military service.
Israel is the birthplace of Christianity. The Christian connection to the land pre-dates the Arab-Islamic invasions of the 7th century CE. Today, as a result of this longtime heritage, Israeli Christians generally have a cosmopolitan and global outlook, with higher levels of education and economic standing than many of their Muslim and even Jewish counterparts.
“That’s why we have decided to say ‘enough is enough,’ and we need our own identity in politics and to increase public awareness about us,” Khalloul said.
Many Christians have long participated in Arab parties, and in this election many may vote for the new United Arab List, an alliance of several smaller Arab parties. Some polls suggest that the joint Arab party may gain up to 14 Knesset seats, making it the third or fourth-largest party in the next Knesset.
Khalloul does not believe the majority of Israel’s Christians will vote for the United Arab List.
“They have nothing to do with Israeli Christians. This party is only for Arab Muslims and the majority of Christians will definitely not vote for this party,” Khalloul said.
Last year, the Israeli government took a controversial step in recognizing Christians as a minority group independent from the larger Arab community, which is mostly Muslim. As part of this process, Israeli Christians can now register on their identity cards under the “Aramean” ethnicity, which draws on the distinct history of the region’s Christians and is rooted in the Aramaic language and culture.
(JNS)