Arab lawmakers slam Israel's plan to enlist more Christians

Arab lawmakers on Tuesday criticized Israel's plans to raise the number of Christian conscripts for the Israeli army, calling it a divisive policy for the Arab community in the country.

The remarks came after the Israeli Army Radio revealed on Tuesday that voluntary conscription notices will be sent to all Christian Arabs of enlistment age in the coming days, instructing them to report to recruitment stations for preliminary screening.

Basel Ghattas of the Balad party told the radio station that his party is staunchly against the move, while urging all young Arabs to protest the conscription notices by mailing them back or burning them.

The conscription of Christian Arabs has become a flash point for frictions and parliamentary feuds as the number of those who volunteer for service has steadily risen in recent years. Currently, those who enlist voluntarily face bureaucratic hurdles. According to Army Radio, while an average of 40-50 men enlisted each year in the past, the figure has doubled this year.

"The fact that the government institutions will now officially tap the young man and call on him to enlist, constitutes a fundamental change that carries a social and political statement," Army Radio said, emphasizing that enlistment is voluntary and that the military believes it could see the number of recruits rising to 1,000 yearly.

"Within a year we will see them trying to enlist everyone," Ghattas alleged.

Father Gabriel Nadaf, a Greek Orthodox priest from northern Israel who has come under fire for openly encouraging Christian youth to enlist in the army, welcomed Tuesday's news.

"I bless this important and historic move," Nadaf, whose youngest son was physically assaulted in his hometown of Nazareth days before he was due to enlist last December, told Army Radio.

"The Israel Defense Forces saw fit to prove that the Christian community is part of Israeli society, and integrate it into society as citizens with equal rights and obligations," the cleric said, who has received death threats and has been subjected to verbal abuse from opponents.