Palestinian Christian Arrested By Hamas...Says ISRAEL Is Worse!
Quick Read
Summary
Takeaways
- ❖Khalil Sawyer, a Palestinian Christian, experienced constant Israeli bombings and settler control in Gaza since childhood, long before October 7, 2023.
- ❖Palestinian Christians receive no special privileges or protections from Israeli military actions; they suffer the same fate as Muslims.
- ❖Israeli occupation policies, including marriage and travel restrictions, contribute to an existential demographic crisis for Christians in Gaza and the West Bank.
- ❖A survey indicates economic difficulties and Israeli violence, not Muslim threats, are the top reasons for Christians leaving Palestine.
- ❖Sawyer prefers living under Hamas's authoritarian rule to 'apartheid Israel,' citing Israeli military brutality, settler terrorism, and a belief in 'Jewish supremacy.'
- ❖Israeli settlers and extremists routinely spit on Christians and their crosses in Jerusalem, with little to no legal repercussions, especially under the current Israeli government.
- ❖Israel's 'withdrawal' from Gaza was a strategic move to maintain control through a siege, requiring Israeli-issued IDs even for newborns, and preventing Palestinian self-governance.
- ❖The guest argues Israel intentionally fostered Hamas to divide Palestinians and justify its refusal to negotiate a two-state solution.
- ❖Systematic humiliation, including stripping and verbal abuse, is a deliberate Israeli policy to compel Palestinians, including Christians, to leave their homeland.
Insights
1Life in Gaza: A Constant Crisis Pre-October 7
Khalil Sawyer describes growing up in Gaza under continuous Israeli bombing campaigns since 2001, alongside the presence of 8,000 Israeli settlers who controlled essential aspects of life, including water and school access. Post-2007, a full Israeli siege led to severe electricity shortages (6 hours daily instead of 24) and restricted fuel access, creating pervasive challenges long before the recent conflict.
Personal testimony of living in Gaza from childhood until 2010, experiencing bombings, settler control, and the siege's impacts on daily life, including education and utilities.
2No Israeli Protection for Palestinian Christians
Contrary to narratives of 'Judeo-Christian heritage,' Sawyer states that Palestinian Christians receive no special protection or privileges from Israeli forces. They are subjected to the same bombings, blockades, arrests, and violence as their Muslim counterparts, with no 'Iron Dome' for Christians.
Sawyer recounts a Christian man beaten to death by Israeli military in the 1980s, his uncles arrested for protesting, and personal experiences of being bombed and arrested for attempting to visit holy sites.
3Israeli Occupation's Impact on Christian Demography
The Israeli occupation directly contributes to an 'existential crisis' for Christians in Gaza due to decreasing numbers. Israeli restrictions prevent Christians from marrying individuals from the West Bank or abroad and bringing spouses into Gaza, forcing many to leave their homeland.
Sawyer explains that Christians in Gaza are not allowed to bring spouses from the West Bank or other countries, leading to demographic decline, and he personally couldn't visit Jerusalem's holy sites while studying theology in Bethlehem.
4Primary Drivers of Christian Emigration: Israeli Actions, Not Muslims
A survey by the Palestinian Center for Surveys and Policies found that the top reasons for Christians leaving Palestine are economic difficulties caused by the occupation, Israeli occupation forces' violence, and Israeli settler terrorism. While a significant minority (40%) feel threatened by Islamist groups like Hamas, the majority do not feel threatened by Muslims generally. However, 65% feel threatened by Islamist groups due to their 'Islamization of the public square,' which makes Christians feel unsafe.
Sawyer cites specific findings from a survey conducted by the Palestinian Center for Surveys and Policies, detailing the ranked reasons for Christian emigration and feelings towards Muslim and Islamist groups.
5Israeli System Worse Than Hamas Rule
Sawyer asserts that he would rather live under Hamas's authoritarian and brutal regime (despite being jailed by them three times) than under 'apartheid Israel.' He argues that as a Palestinian Christian, one is subject to being killed by the Israeli military at any point, stripped naked, beaten, and denied rights, regardless of religious identity. Israeli settlers are described as even more extreme, believing Christians are enemies due to their theological views.
Personal testimony of being jailed by Hamas, but also being stopped, stripped naked, and beaten by Israeli military in the West Bank, despite having a cross tattoo. He details settler attacks on Christian towns like Betahur and Taiba.
6Israeli Impunity for Violence Against Christians
There is virtually no justice for Christians attacked by Israeli settlers or forces. Sawyer recounts an incident where settlers attacked an elderly Christian woman, but her two sons, who defended her, were arrested by the Israeli military. In Jerusalem, Jewish extremists daily spit on Christians and their crosses, particularly in the Armenian quarter, with no arrests, a situation exacerbated by the current Israeli security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, who allegedly believes it's a religious duty.
A specific story from the town of Perz where an elderly Christian woman was attacked by settlers, and her sons were arrested for defending her. Daily spitting incidents in Jerusalem's Armenian quarter are cited, with no arrests.
7Israel's Continued Control Over Gaza Post-Withdrawal
The claim that Israel 'left Gaza' is false. Israel's 2005 withdrawal was strategic, aimed at expanding settlements in the West Bank while maintaining a full siege on Gaza. Israel continues to control every aspect of life, including issuing national identity numbers for newborns, controlling fuel, food, and education material access, and restricting travel, effectively using Gaza to demonstrate that Palestinians 'cannot run a state' and to keep them divided.
Sawyer explains that Israel still issues national identity numbers for all Gazans, controls borders (like Rafah crossing), and has historically bombed electricity generators and restricted essential supplies.
8Humiliation as a Tool for Displacement
The systematic abuse, stripping, and rude treatment by Israeli forces are deliberate acts of humiliation designed to convey 'we are the lords of this land, and you are foreigners.' This policy aligns with a stated plan by an Israeli minister (Bitel Slaughter) to instigate conflict and push all Palestinians out unless they accept 'Jewish supremacy,' ultimately aiming for ethnic cleansing.
Personal experiences of being stripped and verbally abused by Israeli soldiers, who explicitly stated, 'This is the land of Israel' and demanded obedience. Reference to Bitel Slaughter's 'decisive plan' from 2017.
Lessons
- Actively seek out and critically evaluate narratives about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, especially those from indigenous Palestinian voices, to challenge prevalent biases.
- Investigate the impact of Israeli policies on all Palestinian communities, including Christians, beyond the focus on security concerns.
- Support organizations and initiatives that advocate for the human rights and self-determination of Palestinians, including their right to access holy sites and live free from occupation and humiliation.
Quotes
"We are killed just like our Muslims brothers and sisters there. And that didn't start even with the second antifa. But even before that in 1980s... a Christian man, an orthodian guy in Gaza in the 80s was beaten to death for walking next to a protest in Gaza."
"I would still prefer to live under Hamas despite all of that to live in apartheid Israel."
"Many times they are even go farther to say Christians are more of an enemy because Christians do not believe in in monotheism. They don't believe that God is one. From their point of view, the trinity is a is a heresy."
"There is a real issue with Israel and there is uh in my in my mind there is a clear system of Jewish supremacy where if you're Jew you get all the rights if you are not a Jew you get uh uh no rights."
"Israel has been so much invested in in Hamas like this is this is your own making. You literally made up Hamas to rise against the PLO. So you divide the Palestinians and that you turn them into extremists and then tell the world look they're bad. We can't we can't have peace with them."
"What they're telling you and they say it sometimes in Hebrew, uh the words I translate literally, we are the lords of this land. That's the words they use all the time. And you are foreigners here."
"All of this uh humiliation, all of this uh operation etc. has one goal and one goal only to have the Palestinians gone."
Q&A
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