Jesus as the First Fedayee: The Legacy of Christian Palestinian Resistance

Debunking the “Muslims vs. Jews” narrative

Archbishop Hilarion with Yasser Arafat (Source: Social Media)

Hamas was founded in 1987.

Eighty-two years prior, the Christian Arab thinker Najib Azouri warned in his book The Awakening of the Arab Nation about the Zionist project in Palestine, urging all Arabs to “wake up and prepare for the fight.” He noted,

Two significant phenomena, similar in nature but opposing in intent, have emerged in Asiatic Turkey, which have gone unnoticed until now. I refer to the awakening of the Arab nation and the secret efforts of the Jews to re-establish the ancient Kingdom of Israel on a large scale. The fate of these two movements is to remain in constant conflict until one overcomes the other. The final outcome of this struggle between these two opposing forces will determine the fate of the entire world.

Twenty-two years before the founding of Hamas, Yasser Arafat launched the Palestinian revolution in 1965 under the leadership of his militant group, Fatah.Archbishop Hilarion participated in resistance activities at the highest levels, using his religious position to smuggle weapons into the occupied territories.

He famously declared, “Jesus is the first fedayee.”