Israeli Christian IDF Soldiers Celebrate Christmas

Greek Orthodox Father Gabriel Naddaf Celebrates Christmas with Isaeli Christian IDF Soldiers

Breaking Israel News  noted this “Heartwarming Christmas Story, IDF Welcomes More Pro-Israel Christian Arabs:”

As Christmas approached, an Israeli priest is spearheading a program to dramatically increase the number of Christian Arabs enlisting and serving in the Israeli Defense Forces. The Israeli Christian Recruitment Forum, led by Greek Orthodox priest Father Gabriel Naddaf of Nazareth, aims to double the number of Christian Arabs enlisting and serving in the Israeli Defense Forces.

The Forum, which is supported by the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, has seen a huge jump in numbers since it began its work. It saw a 50% increase from its founding year in 2012, in which only 40 Christian drafted to the Israeli army, to 2014, when over 100 drafted. In March of 2015 alone, 102 Christian Arabs entered the IDF due to the work of the Forum.

Israeli law does not require minorities in the Jewish State to serve in the IDF, so all of the Arab Christians recruits are choosing to volunteer. A notable exception has always been the Israeli Druze community, which is proudly Zionist and has served in the IDF since the state’s creation in 1948. Now, Father Naddaf hopes that some of the 165,000 Arab Christians in Israel will follow in the Druze’s footsteps.

Father Gabrief Naddaf, a Greek Orthodox Priest from Nazareth refers to the 165,000 Arab Christians in Israel as Israeli Christians. We have followed his Zionist efforts urging Christians in Israel to volunteer for the IDF. He is the head of the The Israeli Christian Recruitment Forum. When founded in 2012 there were 40 Christian volunteers in the IDF. There years on there are now over 102. This past Monday he met with IDF Christian volunteers at a Forum sponsored Christmas party. Naddaf spoke at the UN Human Rights Council in September 2014 on behalf of UN Watch telling this questionable UN body dominated by Organization of Islamic Country members that “Israel is the only country in the Middle East where Christians are Safe.” In fact it is the only country in the Middle East where the Christian population is growing and has full rights of citizenship. As noted in this Breaking Israel News report:

While Christians are often persecuted for their religious beliefs in the Middle East, to the point of kidnapping and wholesale murder in the case of the Islamic State, Israel’s Christian population is free to worship as it wishes. It is also one of the best-educated populations in the country.

Watch this You Tube video of Father Naddaf’s UN Watch presentation in September 23, 2014 before the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland: