Benjamin Netanyahu’s ‘Jewish’ Christmas Message Gaffe
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offered his holiday blessings to the Christian citizens of Israel on Tuesday, in which he stressed the importance of the community’s contribution to the Israel Defense Forces – accidentally stopping just short of uttering the word “Jewish” state.
The video, released in Hebrew on the prime minister’s official channel, was widely distributed to Christian communities around the country. Calling them “loyal citizens”, Netanyahu commended the efforts of those active in recruiting Christians citizens to serve in the army.
The prime minister stopped himself in the nick of time from saying the word “Jewish” and instead quickly said “the state and our society.”
President Shimon Peres issued his own holiday blessings, wishing the Christian community a Merry Christmas accompanying a youth choir with a rendition of Jingle Bells.
“It is my pleasure to bring you the greetings of the whole people of Israel, a holiday for one religion is a holiday for the whole county,” Peres said. “As a state, we are responsible for your safety, freedom and holy sites and for your feeling as free and equal citizens that carry with them the hope that unites us for peace and a better world.
“The Lord is doing what he can but we must do what we need to do, to follow his wish and our destiny, to live in peace. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.”
Meanwhile, Netanyahu issued a holiday greeting on YouTube to “our Christian friends around the world.”
“We celebrate Christmas with you, we know the importance you attach to our common heritage, to the State of Israel and to the city of Jerusalem, where so much of our common history was forged,” Netanyahu said. “We have a great past, we have common values, we have the desire to seize a common future of security, prosperity and peace.”
Peres also issued a greeting, joking that it was almost a white Christmas in the country that saw a major snowstorm two weeks ago.
“A holiday for one religion is a holiday for the whole county,” Peres said. “As a state we are responsible for your safety, freedom and holy sites and for your feeling as free and equal citizens that carry with them the hope that unites us for peace and a better world. The Lord is doing what he can but we must do what we need to do, to follow his wish and our destiny, to live in peace.”
Thousands of tourists and Christian pilgrims gathered in Bethlehem for Christmas Eve.
The Patriarch of Jerusalem, Archbishop Fouad Twal, during his midnight mass sermon at the Church of the Nativity, called for a “just and equitable solution,” for the Palestinians in their call for a Palestinian state. He also called on Christians not to forget “the prisoners and their families who hope for their release, the poor who have lost their land and their homes demolished, families waiting to be reunited, those out of work and all who suffer from the economic crisis.”
“We are invited to be optimistic and to renew our faith that this land, home of the three monotheistic religions, will one day become a haven of peace for all people,” he said.
The service was attended by attended by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton.
Pope Francis prayed for “a favorable outcome” from the peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians during his Christmas Day address Wednesday from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica.
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