LETTER: ‘There is no longer a chosen people'

SIR – In response to your Israeli correspondent, Mr Maerton Davis, wherein he refers to ‘land of Israel given to the Jews by God,’ I respectfully quote from a 2010 Vatican synod which was attended by 170 synod fathers from all of the different churches of the Middle East and surrounding areas.

Archbishop Butros, who headed the Synod commission, stated ‘the Holy scriptures cannot be used to justify the return of Jews to Israel and the displacement of the Palestinians to justify the occupation by Israel of Palestinian land. 

We Christians cannot speak of the promised land as an exclusive right for a privileged people of Jewish faith. 

‘This promise was nullified by Christ. There is no longer a chosen people, all men and women of all countries have become the chosen people.’ 

Mr Davis omitted to mention that Jesus of Nazareth was a Christian, baptised by John and crucified on the insistence of Caiphas, Annas and the Sadducees. 

In the words of Tel-Aviv Professor Sands, the Jews in Israel today are not the descendants of the biblical Hebrews. 

They do not share a common ethnicity, DNA or culture of the 56,000 Jews who inhabited, in peace, the Holy Land up to the 1920s. He logically states that the Arab Palestinians are the true descendants of the biblical Hebrews.

Mr Davis writes, misrepresenting facts, ‘the Arabs did not accept any UN resolution.’ I believe David Ben-Gurion, speaking to Nahum Goldman, president of the World Jewish Congress, explained that very succinctly, ‘if I was an Arab leader, I would never make terms with Israel. That is natural: we have taken their country. 

‘There has been anti-semitism, the Nazis, Hitler, but was that their fault? They see only one thing: we have come here and stolen their country. Why should they accept that?’

Mr Davis also states ‘civil rights is not the fault of Israel.’ I think Illan Pappe, renowned Jewish historian, might throw light on that when he wrote ‘we have to try and explain not only to the world but also to the Israelis themselves, that Zionism is an ideology that endorses ethnic cleansing, occupation and now massive massacres.’

A state that takes such steps is no longer distinguishable from a terror organisation, far removed from the concept of democracy and human rights.

Sadly, as long as America remains strong and its leaders able to carry the Jewish baggage, peace with justice will not prevail. 

Israel will continue with its occupation, ethnic cleansing and apartheid against the Palestinians as it has done since 1948.

Yours sincerely, 

Daniel Teegan, 

Union Hall.