Airbornelawyer
01-04-2005, 21:24
Get-Out-The-Vote Campaign in the Palestinian Authority, conducted by OneVoice-Palestine, is about to release a Public Service Announcement that will turn heads: it juxtaposes Sheikh Taysir al Tamimi, the Chief Palestinian Islamic Justice, and Father Attallah Hanna, the Patriarchite [sic] of the Greek Orthodox Church in Jerusalem, with Richard Gere, the film star and humanitarian. They all encourage the Palestinian people to go out and vote. Sheikh Tamimi calls it a "religious and a national commandment" to participate in the elections.
- From a website statement by OneVoice-Palestine, January 4, 2005
These martyrdom freedom fighters are the heroes of the people and we are proud of them. We categorically reject suspicious attempts to cast suspicion on their deeds. They are not suicidal, as some are claiming. Nor are they terrorists, as others are claiming. They are resisting the occupation. We support the martyrdom operations without any reservations, regardless of what skeptics and opponents of this form of resistance are saying.
- Attallah Hanna, also known as Archimandrite Theodosios Hanna, former spokesman of the Greek Orthodox Church in Jerusalem, as quoted in The Jerusalem Post, January 12, 2003.
Archimandrite Hanna, though reportedly no longer the spokesman of the patriarchate, remains an influential figure among Palestinian Christians (in the Greek Orthodox Church, an archimandrite is an official ranking below a bishop). His record of anti-Israeli, anti-American and pro-terrorist advocacy is long.
At a June 19, 2002 conference at the Zayed Center for Co-ordination and Follow-Up in Abu Dhabi, UAE, Hanna stated, "The fundamental principle endorsed by all the Palestinian political factions is to continue the intifada against the Israeli atrocities. Therefore, the Church fully supports the resistance for the sake of liberation from Israel. As you know, the political factions in Palestine agree on the continuation of the intifada, which includes different ways of struggle. Some freedom fighters adopt martyrdom or suicide bombings, while others opt for other measures. But all these struggles serve the continued intifada for freedom. Therefore, we support all these causes.… Don't expect us to keep a distance and watch. We are in the struggle whether it is martyrdom or any other means… The Muslims and the Christians are one and cannot be separated from the struggle for the liberation of Palestine. We are Palestinians and Arabs."
Hanna later denied defending so-called martyrdom operations (suicide bombings), claiming he only supported nonviolent measures. Despite this claim, he was quoted in other Arab media sources supporting such actions and stating that Arab Christians were joining Hamas (Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiyyah, or Islamic Resistance Movement), the leading Palestinian Islamist terrorist group.
After these statements were reported in Israel, in July 2002, Archimandrite Hanna was dismissed from his spokesman's position by Erinaios I, the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem. Reportedly, Hanna had refused to sign a letter circulated by the Patriarch denouncing violence in all forms. Arab representatives of the Greek Orthodox Church reportedly refused to accept this removal, and claimed they would still consider Hanna to be the church's spokesman. One, Uday Bajali of the Nazareth Community Council, claimed that Patriarch Erinaios I only dismissed Hanna to make room for more ethnic Greeks in the Jerusalem Patriarchate leadership. Another, Dr. Rauf Abu Jaber, of the Greek Orthodox Organization in Jordan, claimed that the Patriarch was kowtowing to Israel.
With the support of these other Arab Christian leaders, Archimandrite Hanna continues to present himself as spokesman for the Patriarchate while supporting terrorism.
Hanna denied the statements attributed to him by The Jerusalem Post , as quoted at the top of this post. However, a contemporaneous report from a Hamas news agency quoted him in almost the exact same words (accounting for the differences in translating from Arabic): "The fedayeen are the heroes of this nation. We are proud of them and resolutely refuse any attempt to defame their deeds. They are not committing suicide, as some claim, and they are not terrorists, as others claim – they are resisting the occupation. We unreservedly support the martyrdom operations."
Despite his denials, less than a week later he was back on the same theme. At a rally at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher on January 17, 2003, protesting U.S. action against Iraq, he stated:
We declare publicly our blessing, support, and legitimization of the brave Palestinian resistance by any means, including the brave fedayeen martyrdom operations… The names of the fida'i martyrs will be inscribed in the history of our Palestinian and Arab people in holy white letters… The fedayeen martyrdom operations aimed deep inside Israel are unique pioneer operations that deter the Zionist enemy. They have caused great damage to this enemy, which understands nothing but the language of force and thinks that only force will bring peace. We say to the enemy: "Leave our land, our Jerusalem, and our holy places. This is Arab Palestinian land, that has no connection whatsoever to the Jews and the Zionists."
Fida'i, from which fedayeen is derived, means one who sacrifices himself, usually in combat or for one's country. Saddam Hussein used the name fedayeen for his paramilitary commandos, who were supposed to sacrifice themselves for him. Fida'i has a much more specific meaning than shahid, which is usually translated as martyr. Anyone killed in battle against the enemy may be a martyr, as well as anyone who dies for his or her faith, but a fida'i, like a kamikaze, actively seeks such sacrifice.
Hanna added:
Martyrdom operations are an excellent and good way to resist the Zionist invasion of the Palestinian land. In front of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, we bless the souls of the heroic martyrs and the families of the martyrs. We demand that these families be looked after, helped, and adopted, because the occupation targets them.
In a sermon delivered during Epiphany ceremonies two days later, on January 19, 2003, he stated, among other things:
Palestine is from the sea to the river. … Just as Ramallah, Gaza, Nablus, and Jenin are Palestinian cities, so are Haifa, Nazareth, Jaffa, Ramle, Lod, Beersheba, Safed, and others Palestinian cities. We have not relinquished and we will not relinquish our historic right, and we will not agree to any concession on these cities. These are Palestinian cities that were occupied in 1948.
"From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free" is a rallying cry of Palestinian militants who do not accept Israel's existence in any form, and view the Palestinian Authority and the "two-state solution" as temporary measures until they can destroy Israel.
Hanna continued:
The Zionist Jews are foreigners in this land. They have no right to live or settle in it. They should go somewhere else in the world to establish their state and their false entity. With regard to Palestine and its beating heart Jerusalem, it was never in the hands of the Jews. It was and will forever remain Arab. Jerusalem is an Arab city and the Jews must not settle in it, be masters over it, or carry out any type of religious ritual or ceremony in it. They must leave their homes. They have no right to live on land, cities or villages that are not theirs…
We do not believe in so-called "peace with Israel" because peace cannot be made with Satan. Israel is the greatest Satan. No concession and no truce must be made. Any type of peace with this entity is concession, submission, and retreat from pan-Arab and national principles… The negotiations and the other attempts will not restore the Palestinians' rights to them. The Palestinians' rights will be restored only by resistance. What was taken by force will be restored only by force…
Resistance is the obligation of every Palestinian Christian Arab, as it is the obligation of every Palestinian Muslim Arab.
We encourage our youth to participate in the resistance, to carry out martyrdom attacks, and to participate in removing the occupation. There is a need for resistance to the occupation, and for Islamic-Christian cooperation, so that we will remove the foreign Zionist Jewish intruders and so that the gates of Palestine will open wide and all those who were uprooted or emigrated in 1967 and 1948 will return.
From this holy Church, and in the presence of all the believing clerics, we give today a prayer for the sake of the souls of our martyrs and resistors and for the sake of our heroic Palestinian people, whether living in the homeland or outside it...
- From a website statement by OneVoice-Palestine, January 4, 2005
These martyrdom freedom fighters are the heroes of the people and we are proud of them. We categorically reject suspicious attempts to cast suspicion on their deeds. They are not suicidal, as some are claiming. Nor are they terrorists, as others are claiming. They are resisting the occupation. We support the martyrdom operations without any reservations, regardless of what skeptics and opponents of this form of resistance are saying.
- Attallah Hanna, also known as Archimandrite Theodosios Hanna, former spokesman of the Greek Orthodox Church in Jerusalem, as quoted in The Jerusalem Post, January 12, 2003.
Archimandrite Hanna, though reportedly no longer the spokesman of the patriarchate, remains an influential figure among Palestinian Christians (in the Greek Orthodox Church, an archimandrite is an official ranking below a bishop). His record of anti-Israeli, anti-American and pro-terrorist advocacy is long.
At a June 19, 2002 conference at the Zayed Center for Co-ordination and Follow-Up in Abu Dhabi, UAE, Hanna stated, "The fundamental principle endorsed by all the Palestinian political factions is to continue the intifada against the Israeli atrocities. Therefore, the Church fully supports the resistance for the sake of liberation from Israel. As you know, the political factions in Palestine agree on the continuation of the intifada, which includes different ways of struggle. Some freedom fighters adopt martyrdom or suicide bombings, while others opt for other measures. But all these struggles serve the continued intifada for freedom. Therefore, we support all these causes.… Don't expect us to keep a distance and watch. We are in the struggle whether it is martyrdom or any other means… The Muslims and the Christians are one and cannot be separated from the struggle for the liberation of Palestine. We are Palestinians and Arabs."
Hanna later denied defending so-called martyrdom operations (suicide bombings), claiming he only supported nonviolent measures. Despite this claim, he was quoted in other Arab media sources supporting such actions and stating that Arab Christians were joining Hamas (Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiyyah, or Islamic Resistance Movement), the leading Palestinian Islamist terrorist group.
After these statements were reported in Israel, in July 2002, Archimandrite Hanna was dismissed from his spokesman's position by Erinaios I, the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem. Reportedly, Hanna had refused to sign a letter circulated by the Patriarch denouncing violence in all forms. Arab representatives of the Greek Orthodox Church reportedly refused to accept this removal, and claimed they would still consider Hanna to be the church's spokesman. One, Uday Bajali of the Nazareth Community Council, claimed that Patriarch Erinaios I only dismissed Hanna to make room for more ethnic Greeks in the Jerusalem Patriarchate leadership. Another, Dr. Rauf Abu Jaber, of the Greek Orthodox Organization in Jordan, claimed that the Patriarch was kowtowing to Israel.
With the support of these other Arab Christian leaders, Archimandrite Hanna continues to present himself as spokesman for the Patriarchate while supporting terrorism.
Hanna denied the statements attributed to him by The Jerusalem Post , as quoted at the top of this post. However, a contemporaneous report from a Hamas news agency quoted him in almost the exact same words (accounting for the differences in translating from Arabic): "The fedayeen are the heroes of this nation. We are proud of them and resolutely refuse any attempt to defame their deeds. They are not committing suicide, as some claim, and they are not terrorists, as others claim – they are resisting the occupation. We unreservedly support the martyrdom operations."
Despite his denials, less than a week later he was back on the same theme. At a rally at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher on January 17, 2003, protesting U.S. action against Iraq, he stated:
We declare publicly our blessing, support, and legitimization of the brave Palestinian resistance by any means, including the brave fedayeen martyrdom operations… The names of the fida'i martyrs will be inscribed in the history of our Palestinian and Arab people in holy white letters… The fedayeen martyrdom operations aimed deep inside Israel are unique pioneer operations that deter the Zionist enemy. They have caused great damage to this enemy, which understands nothing but the language of force and thinks that only force will bring peace. We say to the enemy: "Leave our land, our Jerusalem, and our holy places. This is Arab Palestinian land, that has no connection whatsoever to the Jews and the Zionists."
Fida'i, from which fedayeen is derived, means one who sacrifices himself, usually in combat or for one's country. Saddam Hussein used the name fedayeen for his paramilitary commandos, who were supposed to sacrifice themselves for him. Fida'i has a much more specific meaning than shahid, which is usually translated as martyr. Anyone killed in battle against the enemy may be a martyr, as well as anyone who dies for his or her faith, but a fida'i, like a kamikaze, actively seeks such sacrifice.
Hanna added:
Martyrdom operations are an excellent and good way to resist the Zionist invasion of the Palestinian land. In front of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, we bless the souls of the heroic martyrs and the families of the martyrs. We demand that these families be looked after, helped, and adopted, because the occupation targets them.
In a sermon delivered during Epiphany ceremonies two days later, on January 19, 2003, he stated, among other things:
Palestine is from the sea to the river. … Just as Ramallah, Gaza, Nablus, and Jenin are Palestinian cities, so are Haifa, Nazareth, Jaffa, Ramle, Lod, Beersheba, Safed, and others Palestinian cities. We have not relinquished and we will not relinquish our historic right, and we will not agree to any concession on these cities. These are Palestinian cities that were occupied in 1948.
"From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free" is a rallying cry of Palestinian militants who do not accept Israel's existence in any form, and view the Palestinian Authority and the "two-state solution" as temporary measures until they can destroy Israel.
Hanna continued:
The Zionist Jews are foreigners in this land. They have no right to live or settle in it. They should go somewhere else in the world to establish their state and their false entity. With regard to Palestine and its beating heart Jerusalem, it was never in the hands of the Jews. It was and will forever remain Arab. Jerusalem is an Arab city and the Jews must not settle in it, be masters over it, or carry out any type of religious ritual or ceremony in it. They must leave their homes. They have no right to live on land, cities or villages that are not theirs…
We do not believe in so-called "peace with Israel" because peace cannot be made with Satan. Israel is the greatest Satan. No concession and no truce must be made. Any type of peace with this entity is concession, submission, and retreat from pan-Arab and national principles… The negotiations and the other attempts will not restore the Palestinians' rights to them. The Palestinians' rights will be restored only by resistance. What was taken by force will be restored only by force…
Resistance is the obligation of every Palestinian Christian Arab, as it is the obligation of every Palestinian Muslim Arab.
We encourage our youth to participate in the resistance, to carry out martyrdom attacks, and to participate in removing the occupation. There is a need for resistance to the occupation, and for Islamic-Christian cooperation, so that we will remove the foreign Zionist Jewish intruders and so that the gates of Palestine will open wide and all those who were uprooted or emigrated in 1967 and 1948 will return.
From this holy Church, and in the presence of all the believing clerics, we give today a prayer for the sake of the souls of our martyrs and resistors and for the sake of our heroic Palestinian people, whether living in the homeland or outside it...