History

In the late 1970’s and 1980’s, a large number of academicians and Christian and Muslim clergymen began to observe the phenomenon of religious fanaticism among some Palestinian Christians and Muslims. This prompted them to meet and discuss this dangerous phenomenon which could undermine the entire society if rational men do not deal with it. Accordingly, several meetings were held to study this phenomenon and to define its roots and causes. Those who met together emphasized that the occupation is a main factor in creating sectarian and divisive trends (divide and rule). The civil war in Lebanon which began in 1975 had an effect on the emergence of religious fanaticism here and there in Palestine specially because Israeli and Western media focused on religious dimensions and that the Lebanese war is a war between Christians and Muslims. It should be noted that religion was not a reason for this war. However international and Middle Eastern interests found in Lebanon the suitable place to get the entire country involved in this war which had many causes among which are the political and economical causes.

Here we should not forget the effect of the Iranian Revolution in 1979 on the whole region when Islamic movements began to grow in a noticeable way. Among these movements were fanatic movements which aroused doubts and questions among a number of Arab Christians in the Arab East.

On the other hand, Zionist Christianity began to infiltrate more and more in our Arab East and it established institutions to serve its interests and the interests of Israel by strengthening the role of the media they have, by establishing the International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem and by rallying thousands of Zionist Western Christians to demonstrate on Jewish religious occasions in Jerusalem and by expressing their absolute support for Israel and its policy specially in the Occupied Territories. Also the contribution of “Zionist Christianity” in raising funds from the West and donating them to settlements or the building of settlements aroused the grudge of many Muslims and Christians in the Arab East in general and in the Holy Land in particular, for they saw in the activity of Zionist Christians a provocation of religious, human and national values.

What we mentioned are parts of other reasons which motivated a number of Christians and Muslims to work together in order to confront what is happening on the Palestinian land, to raise the awareness of the citizens and to alert them to the conspiracies contrived by the occupation and its media and by a large number of Westerners and their media which aimed to create sectarian and divisive conditions with which the Palestinians would get preoccupied with instead of dedicating their time to solving their political, social and economical issues.