By Marney Blom
With no end in sight for the conflict in the Middle East, Israel is prepared to protect its interests in the Mediterranean, Red Sea and shores of the Gulf of Aqaba with a strong and equipped Naval defense force.
I recently visited the naval base in Haifa – home of Israel’s Missile Boat and Submarine Flotillas, and spoke with Major Elias Karem, Deputy Commander of the Logistics Fleet.
Major Karem is not your average Israeli military serviceman: lawyer, former company commander of the IDF’s officers’ training course, and current commander of the entire logistics array of the northern naval arena, Karem is also a Christian – in fact, the first Christian ever to serve in the Israeli Navy. After entering naval cadet academy at the age of fourteen, Karem, now a 33-year-old husband and father, worked his way up the ranks to Major while encouraging other Arab Israeli Christians also to consider giving back to their country. Arab Israeli military service is not mandatory, yet some of his fellow Christian compatriots have chosen to follow in Karem’s footsteps, and are today officers in the IDF.
“For me it wasn’t easy in the beginning to enlist in the navy because as a person of a minority group, I had to fight to get in. I had to fight to serve the country,” admits Major Karem. “As a citizen of this country, I think everyone has a duty to serve.”
Major Karem is one of a steadily growing number of Christians who volunteer to serve in the Israeli Defense Forces – and Israel welcomes their presence. Christian Israelis make good soldiers, and having a Christian Arab presence in the Israeli military appears to be good for Israel.
“We need people like these [Christian] soldiers in the army of Israel because they believe that is the way to defend … their home [country],” contends Ayoob Karra, former Member of Knesset, and former Deputy Minister of Development. “I think in the future, more and more we [will find] Christians [serving] in the army.”
However, those who encourage Christians to serve in the Israeli army have enflamed members of the Arab Israeli communities who cite betrayal and its potential to weaken and divide the Arab sector in Israel as grounds for concern. No one feels the scourge of opposition more than Father Gabriel Naddaf, a Greek Orthodox Arab Israeli and founder of the Israeli Christian Recruitment Forum. His life assailed with constant death threats Father Naddaf has rigged his home with 24/7 camera surveillance and is cautious when he moves about. I caught up with the church leader at his home in Nazareth.
“The Israeli Recruitment Forum emerged to encourage young Christians to enlist into the army so that [the Christian community] can better integrate into Israeli society,” said Father Naddaf. “The Christian sector should give back to the country, and play our part in the areas of security, finances, politics – in fact all aspects of society.”
Christian Israeli soldiers are not prohibited from joining any of the units of the IDF provided they are qualified. Most however enter combat units. How do Jewish soldiers feel about fighting shoulder to shoulder with Arabs Christians? As comrades in the protection of the State of Israel, Karem has experienced both mutual respect and appreciation.
More than ever, service in the Israel Defense Forces presents real risks of injury and loss of life. In facing these dangers Major Karem draws strength from his faith.
“I say in the end, everything is written by Jesus Christ above, everything is written by the Lord,” said Major Karem. “If it is written that I should risk my life in exchange to protect the civilians of Israel – if I am required to do that, I will do it.”
As Israel is being forced to think long term in relation to its national security interests, Christian soldiers serving side-by-side Jewish Israelis is proving to bolster Israel’s ability to protect itself in the increasingly hostile neighbourhood of the Middle East.
Marney Blom is news director for the Acts News Network.
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