He said in an interview with Nidaa al-Watan that the Christian leaders who met with the Israeli president “denounced the military actions in Palestine,” according to the outlet.
In that interview, he emphasized “the need not [to] give in to the campaigns of betrayal and intimidation of which he is the target, and to proceed instead with initiatives that serve the Church, the diocese, and the Christians in the Holy Land.”
He also said that the Vatican and his local See “express opinions on what he is or is not allowed to undertake” and said that he has “absolute freedom of action as long as he acts by the teachings and instructions of Pope Francis and Maronite Patriarch Bechara al-Rai.”
Bishop Semaan did not respond to a request for comment about whether he attended the meeting and his reaction to the complaint filed against the bishops. Neither Archbishop El-Hage nor the Maronite patriarch’s office responded to a request for comment.
John Hajjar, director of the advocacy group Middle East Christian Committee, told CNA Dec. 29 that whether or not the bishops met with the Israeli president, they should not be penalized.
The bishops have “every right” to meet with the Israeli president “to make sure that the Christians of the Holy Land are safeguarded and to look out for their best interests,” he said.
“Hezbollah is trying to politicize or Islamize the whole of Lebanese society and brand anyone a traitor who has any connection at all with Israel,” he said.
As every year, today I hosted the leaders of the Christian communities in Israel at the President’s Residence ahead of the festive season and the civil new year, with the shared hope and prayer for a year of peace and brotherhood. I wished them all a Merry Christmas.
Yet of… pic.twitter.com/HuNpXRWzt0
— יצחק הרצוג Isaac Herzog (@Isaac_Herzog) December 21, 2023
Sign of a crackdown on Christian leaders?
Phares, the foreign policy expert, said that the Christian leaders in Israel have been meeting with the Israeli president annually for decades.
“No one, including Hezbollah, has complained in the past,” he said.
(Story continues below)
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Pointing to Hezbollah’s backing by Iran, Phares said that “it looks like the orders came from Tehran” in an attempt to cut off Middle Eastern Christians from Israel.
“If it indicates anything, the threatening of Maronite bishops is a prelude to a campaign by Hezbollah to intimidate and marginalize the Christians of Lebanon, in the midst of a regional war. Hezbollah wants to sideline the community by cracking down on its leaders, including the Maronite patriarch,” he said.
Asked if the government will investigate the two bishops, Phares said: “It is a hard call for the ‘Lebanese judiciary’ though under Hezbollah influence.”
“The Christian community of Lebanon remains a large, strong, and resisting community, and represented by two important offices, the presidency and the commander of the army. However its politicians seem to have mellowed their opposition to Iran’s militia,” he said.
He said that any legal action taken against the bishops would trigger “massive reactions” by the Christian communities, which remain “large, strong, and resisting.”
“These are uncharted waters,” Phares said. “Legally the group can ask the authorities to investigate and arrest the bishops, but what may happen after could isolate Hezbollah in the midst of its war with Israel. [It’s an] explosive situation,” he said.
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