THE MARONITES OF ISRAEL

Maronites wish to regain ancestral lands in Galilee  

Community also works to preserve its heritage, teach youth its traditional language of Aramaic.
Today the Maronite Church is subject to the authority of the Roman Catholic Church and its adherents number a little over 3 million, including more than 1 million in Lebanon, where they make up nearly a quarter of the population, and were a majority late into the second half of the 20th century. 

... the Maronites of Jish view themselves as a distinct ethno-religious group, apparently seeing themselves as neither Arab nor Palestinian, rather as Aramaic or Maronite citizens of Israel. 

...  the Maronites of the Galilee are a population in flux, cut off from their brethren in neighboring countries. They continue their assimilation into Israeli society while trying to ensure that their customs carry on into the next generation. Those in Jish are also waging an ongoing battle with authorities to regain land near Kibbutz Bar’am, the one-time location of the Maronite village of Kafr Bir’am. Today, around half of the Maronite residents of Jish trace their heritage to Kafr Bir’am, residents say. 

... According to Jish native Dr. Elias A. Suleiman, a lecturer from Bar-Ilan University’s Department of Middle Eastern Studies and supervisor of Jish’s schools, the majority of Maronites “reject Arab identity in favor of a distinct Maronite one... They live as citizens and will continue to live here, and if the Palestinians establish their state, no Maronite from Israel will move to live there.”

FASCINATING. MORE PROOF THAT THE HOLY LAND IS TRULY NOT ARABIAN IN CHARACTER BUT JEWISH AND ARAMAIC.

JEWS AND CHRISTIANS BOTH LIVED IN THE HOLY LAND UNDER ROMAN-PAGAN OCCUPATION.

THEN, THE HOLY LAND WAS OCCUPIED BY MUSLIMS - AND TURKS.

ONLY AFTER WW1 - ABOUT A THOUSAND YEARS LATER - WAS TURKISH AND MUSLIM OCCUPATION ENDED.

AND ONLY WHEN THE STATE OF ISRAEL WAS DECLARED DID THE ANCIENT SERIES OF OCCUPATIONS END.

FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE ROMANS CONQUERED THE KINGDOM OF ISRAEL, ISRAEL WAS AND REMAINS SELF-RULED AND NOT OCCUPIED.

(EXCEPT FOR THE PLACES THE ARABS AND THE LEFT CALL OCCUPIED - AS IF THEY WERE OCCUPIED BY JEWS! HAH!)

PEACE IS VALUABLE AND CONCESSIONS FOR PEACE ARE GOOD - BUT ONLY IF THEY BRING PEACE.

SO FAR, EVERY SINGLE CONCESSION ISRAEL HAS MADE HAS BEEN MET WITH ONLY MORE WAR.

LAND FOR PEACE - AS IT HAS PLAYED OUT SO FAR - IS AN UTTER FAILURE, A FARCE - A ONE-WAY TICKET TO ISRAEL'S ERADICATION.

I SAY: NOT ONE MORE INCH UNTIL AFTER ALL THE ARABS UNCONDITIONALLY ACCEPT ISRAEL'S EXISTENCE.


PEACE FIRST, THEN LAND DEALS.


AND LET'S HELP THE MARONITES, TOO. BUT NOT JUST IN ISRAEL: IN LEBANON AND SYRIA!