Recently I stumbled upon a Facebook page called "Palestinian Christians." It drew my attention because it posted a shocking eulogy glorifying arch-terrorist Yasser Arafat. Arafat is considered by many to be the father of modern terrorism. The legacy he left behind at the time of his death in 2004 was decades of brutal terror attacks against innocent civilians. As CAMERA reports:
groups under Arafat's direct or indirect command – including Fatah, Black September, Tanzim and Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade – were responsible for hundreds of bombings, hijackings, assassinations and other attacks, including the 1972 murder of 11 of Israel's Olympic athletes in Munich, the 1973 murder of the American ambassador to Sudan, Cleo Noel, and the 1985 hijacking of the Achille Lauro cruiseship (resulting in the murder of wheelchair-bound Leon Klinghoffer).
For a complete overview of Arafat's bloody legacy, see CAMERA's compilation of Yasir Arafat's Timeline of Terror.
Nevertheless, this horrific murderous legacy did not prevent our group of Palestinian Christians from eulogizing Arafat as the true hero of the Palestinian people in the following words:
Palestinian Christians: Yasser Arafat 1929 – 2004, the Freedom Fighter, the Man, the Father, the Hero, the Legend, the Nobel Peace Prize Winner, RIP. We Miss You! We Love You! We Need You! God Bless Your Soul!
The following conversation ensued in the comment thread of that initial post, which we thought was interesting enough to reprint here. At this time you may find the original thread here, though there is no guarantee that the group will not delete part or all of it at some point.
Catholics for Israel: Why do you honor the father of modern terrorism, a man with so much blood on his hands? It is hard to understand how Christians can praise a man with such a tainted legacy. You bring shame on the Palestinian Christians. If you want God to bless and keep the Palestinians Christians, you should dissociate yourself from such terrorists, not praise them. It's really sad to see how Palestinian Christians, despite all their hardships, have lost their moral compass and integrity and stooped down to honoring one of the greatest instigators of violence of the past generation.
Jacko: why do you honor the state of terrorism that was founded over the blood of my Christian family and people? a state that ethnic cleansed more than 750,000 innocent civilians thousands of them were Christians and Catholics... a state that bombed and destroyed dozens of Christian and catholic churches... a state that stole and confiscated our land and is right now stealing and confiscating more land from Christian and Catholic families in Beit Jala including a Catholic monastery and winery... a state that has murdered, inured and jailed hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians including thousands of Christians and Catholics including many clergy and nuns... a state that is committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gods name?
How dare you to call urself Catholics or even Christians when you go against the teaching of the Catholic church that recognize Zionism is an anti-Christ heresy.
You have lost all you immorality [sic] and you are no better than any other terrorists and terrorists sympathizers who murder others in God's name and claiming to be doing God a favor and helping Him reaching Hid plans, as if He is unable to do it Himself!
You need also to take some classes in humanity and history to learn to distinguish between terrorism and the right to defend and protect your family and your nation. Yasser Arafat is a Freedom Fighter and he, just like all of us, has every single right to resist the zionist satanic occupation of Jesus Land!
it's our duty as Palestinians to defend and protect ourselves and our families, and our duty as Christians to resist the evil
Palestinian Christians: Catholics for Israel: you are a shame on Christians in general and especially on Catholics. You are not real Catholics or even Christians anyways.
What's your position on stealing and confiscation Christian properties and Catholic monastery in Beit Jala to build a new Zionist colony for the newly non-Semite Zionists?
What's your position on stealing and confiscation Christian properties and Catholic monastery in Beit Jala to build a new Zionist colony for the newly non-Semite Zionists?
Catholics for Israel: wow, so many cliches, lies, distortions and exaggerations. Jacko, would you be so kind to list precisely the names and locations of the "dozens of Christian and catholic churches" that Israel has bombed? The tragedy of the Palestinian Christians is undeniable, and Israel is certainly not always without fault, but to ignore or whitewash the constant Arab aggression and denial of Israel's right to exist, to support the falsification of history, conveniently rewriting it by erasing the Jewish connection to the land and inventing a mythical "Palestinian narrative", to glorify Arafat the father of modern terrorism, responsible for the death of not only thousands of Jews but also tens of thousands of Arabs - those things are certainly not "Christian".
We are certainly against Israel's confiscation of Christian properties in Beit Jalla if this is truly happening (unfortunately, very often Palestinian claims tend to be false or largely exaggerated). For example, the claim that the Catholic Church teaches that Zionism is an "anti-christ heresy" is of course completely false. See the statement of Cardinal Schoenborn for example.
And by the way, we are "for Israel" but we are also "for" the Palestinians. We pray for God's blessing and peace upon you and wish you well. We know you have suffered much from the conflict. But we wish to encourage you to stop committing spiritual suicide with your anti-Israel attitude. Israel is the root and foundation of our faith. Do you not read the Bible? Israel appears nearly 3,000 times in the Holy Scriptures, and "Palestine" does not appear even once.
Look at what Muslims are doing to Christians all over the Middle East. Christians are being massacred all over the Muslim countries, yet you persist in blaming the only country in the Middle East where Christians have full freedom of religion and where the number of Christians are growing! (we know, we are Christians living in Israel).
Dear Palestinian Christians, stop bringing this curse upon yourselves by praising terrorists and blaming Israel. Remember that the Word of God itself says "Blessed is he who blesses you [Israel], and cursed is he who curses you" (Gen 12:3, Num 24:9). Remember that St. Paul said "as regards election [the Jews] are beloved for the sake of their forefathers, for the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable" (Rom 11:28-29). And the most important of these irrevocable gifts to the Jewish people is the land of Israel.
So let's pray together that peace, justice and blessing may come to you, the Palestinian Christians. But this blessing must begin with your own conversion from your anti-Israel hatred that is bringing a curse upon you according to the word of God. We know that Israel has made lots of mistakes and we pray also for their own conversion, and that God would give you the strength not only to forgive the Israelis but also to love them like Jesus loves His own people.
May the blessing of the God of Israel, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, come upon you dear Palestinian Christians.
Jacko: wow... so many lies, fabrications, hatred and ignorance in ur response which makes us real doubt ur loyalty and if u really a Catholic or even a Christian as most likely u r a mossad paid agent to spew Zionist propaganda to misinform and mislead naive catholic and to support the racist colonial secular Zionist terrorist anti-Christ state that was founded by terror and over the blood of my Christian family and my people.
as for a list of the churches bombed; it's a well known fact and proven by many international wel-known and credible historians including Jewish & Israeli ones that Israel has ethnic cleansed more than 2/3 of the Palestinian people in 1948, around 750,000 innocent civilians, dozens of thousands of them were Christians. Moreover, Israel has wiped off the map more 550 Palestinian villages and towns, and also many of them were purely Christians like Mujaidel, Ma'loula, Hasake, Iqreth, Ber'im... not to forget the burning and bombing of Christian churches such as the Annunciation Basilica in Nazareth, 2 Baptist Churches in Jerusalem, a Christian Alliance church in Jerusalem, the Nativity church, Saint Anthony Catholic church in Jaffa/Yaffa that was fire bombed and shooted at by a Zionist terrorist militant, Saint Barbara church, a 4th century church in the Christian village of Aboud near Ramallah... not to forget that in the last Zionist war and terror against Gaza in 2008-2009, Israel has murdered 3 innocent Christians, bombed and destroyed many Christian homes and businesses... and also all Gaza's Christians churches and schools were bombed by the Zionists
You also need to spend more time to read the Bible to know that the source of our faith was NEVER Israel... and also to learn the difference between Biblical/Spiritual Israel aka Jacob and Zionist Colonial anti-Christ Israel....Biblical Zion is NOT the same as political terrorist Zionism.
Here are just a small example of the Zionist terror against the Christians and Churches in Palestine:
Who is the Terrorist: Hamas or Israel?
Greek Orthodox Church in Lebanon bombed by Israel
Enjoy what ur Zionist masters are doing to ur "fellow" Christians & Catholics:
Catholics for Israel: It's sad to see that you prefer to continue in your anti-Israel hatred that is bringing a curse upon yourself and upon your people rather than choosing a better path. If you hate Israel so much and you think you will be much better off with the Muslims, why don't you go live in Gaza under Hamas? You know the Muslim saying "First Sabbath, then Sunday" - meaning that first the Muslims will kill the Jews, and then the Christians. What will you do then, still blame Israel?
You conveniently omit the fact that the ARABS launched the 1948 war and committed their own share of massacres (every day I go by the memorial stone of the Hadassah convoy massacre when 79 civilians, mostly doctors and nurses, were ruthlessly gunned down by Arabs). You also conveniently "forget" the 8,000 rockets launched by Hamas against Israeli cities that caused the tragic 2009 Gaza war.
I don't know why you see "hatred" in our response. We love the Palestinian people and wish them well. Everyone knows that there are Jewish extremists and some serious problems in Israeli society - and it's fine to condemn them. But to condemn the various *incidents* is not the same as just hating Israel like you do.
As for your rejection of Israel as the foundation of our faith, this is like cutting off the branch of the tree upon which you are sitting. Remember what St. Paul writes in the NEW Testament: "They are Israelites, and to them belong the sonship, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises; to them belong the patriarchs, and of their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ." (Rom 9:4)
What is "Christian" about your FB page? It's just a forum of anti-Israel hatred and venom. There is very little about it that is edifying or positive. Don't you see that you are cursing yourself and your own people by attacking and hating the Jews who are "beloved for the sake of their forefathers. For the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable" (Romans 11:28-29)
As for the Israelis "denying access to the Holy Sepulchre" - this is a complete joke. I was there. The reason why they set up roadblocks is because there are so many people trying to get to the church that they would get crushed to death if there were no restrictions. If this farcical accusation is an indication of the other articles you cite, I would have a hard time believing any of them!
You are very good at hurling insults, but not very good at replying to the facts. What exactly are the "lies" and "fabrications" or expressions of "hatred" in our previous posts? And how do you explain that the cardinal responsible for the Catechism of the Catholic Church agrees that the return of the Jews to their land is a fulfillment of biblical prophecy?
Once again, we plead with you to stop bringing a curse upon your own people and upon the Palestinian Christians. Repent from your anti-Israel hatred! Choose LIFE and BLESSING for the Palestinians by blessing and loving the people of Israel. As hard as this might be, this will do infinitely more for your people than all the anger and hatred that you are expressing now. You know the Lord is calling you to forgive and to love your enemy. DO IT! Renounce your way of hatred and choose life and blessing for the sake of your people and your children!
Jacko: Bla Bla Bla... typical Zionist propaganda that no one believes in anymore, even Israelis and Jews do not buy it as we all know better... you asked for a list of Zionist crimes against Christianity, and I see that u did not even comment on them or even condemned such satanic terrorist acts or showed sympathy to the victims of the Zionist crimes and terror... which proves that u r not a catholic or even a Christian; but as I said it before you are a mossad paid agent that is using naive Catholics to misinform and mislead them and have them to support the anti-Catholic and anti-Christ state that was founded by atheists, Christ-deniers and terrorists over the poor of the poor indigenous Palestinians and Christians of Jesus Land
James: Zionism is anti-Judaism and anti-Christ! it's heresy
Mansur: The jews of Jesus's time are not the same Jews of today. The israel of 2000 years ago is not today's israel. The name was stolen and used to get people to support the modern state. "God's Chosen people" who are they? What is Israel of the bible? these are two very important questions to answer. God's chosen people are people who believe in God and not a religious group or an ethnic group. Israel of the bible 
refers to the people of God in the entire world and not a state that was build on the blood of palestinians. The modern state of Israel does not follow the word of God. Many of its citizens are secular jews and do not believe in the God of Abraham. We the palestinian christians are the first people to receive the message of the lord and we have been faithful to that message through ages. Why do we not support the modern state of Israel "if the bible says so"? because the modern state of israel is not the israel of God. The Israel of the lord is his church and people all over the world and not a state that was build against the very basic fundamentals of both Judaism and Christianity.
refers to the people of God in the entire world and not a state that was build on the blood of palestinians. The modern state of Israel does not follow the word of God. Many of its citizens are secular jews and do not believe in the God of Abraham. We the palestinian christians are the first people to receive the message of the lord and we have been faithful to that message through ages. Why do we not support the modern state of Israel "if the bible says so"? because the modern state of israel is not the israel of God. The Israel of the lord is his church and people all over the world and not a state that was build against the very basic fundamentals of both Judaism and Christianity.Christian Zionism differs from church doctrine, due in part to its being developed by anti-state church clergymen and theologians in England. Today its views find significant support among the charismatic, Pentecostal and independent Bible churches in Protestant fundamentalism. Christian Zionists often view mainline Protestant, Orthodox and Catholic denominations with hostility and have at times considered the World Council of Churches and related bodies to be tools of the Antichrist. In the Holy Land, Christian Zionists have been hostile toward Palestinian Christians and generally detest Muslims as evil forces worshipping another God. Recent comments by Christian Zionists such as Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson and Franklin Graham (the son of evangelist Billy Graham) have added to the suspicion with which many Muslims view the Christian West.
Catholics for Israel: Jacko prefers cheap insults to rational discourse, so there is not really anything more worth saying to him, except that of course we condemn the incidents he mentions - at least those that are true. Some are isolated incidents that were condemned by the Israeli government and the majority of Israelis (burning of NT in Or Yehuda, shooting in church in Jaffa, attack on Baptist church); others are tragic accidents of wars provoked by Hezbullah and Hamas (Lebanon, Gaza), and others are complete bogus (Israel blocking access to Holy Sepulchre). We can only hope for Jacko to repent from his hatred so that he may stop being a curse to his own people, and choose instead forgiveness and reconciliation so that he may instead be a blessing to the Palestinians.
Mansur's position is the classic idea of 'replacement theology', the idea that the Church has replaced Israel as God's chosen people. The Catholic Church now clearly rejects this false teaching, as clearly expressed in Nostra Aetate 4. Affirming God's eternal election of the Jewish people is not a idea that is limited to dispensationalism, it is also the clear teaching of Scripture and of the Catholic Church.
Many Palestinian Christians, including many of the clergy, still embrace the heresy of replacement theology because they think that supporting Israel means to support injustice against them, or to approve of every single action carried out by Israel, or to be generally against the Palestinians. These claims are completely false - at least in our case: as "Catholics for Israel", we love the Palestinian people and wish the best for them. We also think that some actions of the Israeli government, army or individuals are wrong, and have no problem in criticizing them in some cases.
Unfortunately, many Palestinian Christians are completely fixated on their own agenda of Palestinian liberation theology. They hijack the Gospel to achieve political aims, while at the same time constantly spewing anti-Israel venom and hatred (like Jacko). In other words, they are Palestinian first, and Christians second.
Mansur's position that "Israel" is in fact the Church cannot be substantiated in any way by Scripture. The NT uses the word "Israel" over 70 times, and in all cases (except one or two which are ambiguous), "Israel" always means the Jewish people - never the Church. God's election of Israel never depended on whether Israel was faithful to God or not: the prophets constantly condemn Israel for their sins, but NEVER do they say that God has definitely rejected them. The Church is grafted into the root of Israel, as St. Paul writes (Romans 11), and he warns us not to become arrogant against our root, Israel, because if we do, God can cut us off from grace.
This is in continuity with Gen 12:3 and Num 24:9: He who blesses Israel will be blessed; he who curses Israel will be cursed. Jacko is a sad example of the latter: full of hatred and anger against Israel and hardly reflecting the love of Christ at all, unable to engage in rational discourse and only capable of hurling insults.
Mansur continues with some bizarre claims that are unfortunately quite common among Palestinian Christians. Although false and quite unprovable, they find it necessary to constantly repeat them in order to substantiate their delegitimization of Israel:
"The jews of Jesus's time are not the same Jews of today" - how should this be proven? Apart from a trickle of conversions throughout history, it is clear to any serious historian that the Jewish people have been extremely strict in keeping and protecting their identity throughout the ages. And once again, the fact that they have tragically rejected Jesus does not cancel out God's election or his purposes for His people. The Jewish people remain the Jewish people.
Mansur also claims that "we the palestinian christians are the first people to receive the message of the lord" - with all respect, this claim is nonsense. The first Christians were all Jews - JEWS! Just read the Acts of the Apostles. There was no such thing as "Palestinian Arab Christians" in the first century in the land of Israel - but rather Jews, Samaritans, Romans... and then later Byzantine (Greek) Christians. Arabs came much later.
Enough said. Again, we wish the best to our Palestinian Christian brothers, but find it very sad that they continue to sabotage their own cause by disrespecting and undermining God's eternal covenant with Israel, the root upon which their own faith is grounded.