'Israel cannot recruit Christian soldiers'

The Israeli army has recently held meetings in Nazareth to recruit soldiers, where the majority of the population is Christian and Muslim. The Israeli Ministry of Defence held a meeting with the Nazareth Illit Mayor Shimon Gaspo with three Christian men to discuss the issue. Nazareth Mayor Ramiz Jaraisy told Arabstoday that this authoritarian strategy to recruit Christians for the army will certainly fail, similarly to what happened in the late fifties and mid eighties. He said these actions would only cause a sectarian strife in the community. Jaraisy said: “Our people and our civil and religious leaders reject this recruiting plot, officially known as civil service. “The authorities are treating our people as a separate group, and yet they want us to be part of an army for a Jewish state! We should respond to this plot as one entity to show them that they have failed.” The Council of Arab Orthodox has dismissed a for having taken part in a conference recruiting Christian youths for the Israeli forces. The community council argued that other communities refused to serve in the army, like the Druze community for instance. The Israeli army is trying to lure future soldiers, saying that the Christian minority needs to be defended, said the statement. The council is calling for the whole population of Nazareth to boycott the recruitment. The council is also urging parents to be vigilant with their sons for them not to be convinced to enroll in the Israeli army.