(Israel Today and The Jerusalem Channel sources:)

Father Gabriel Naddaf, a Nazareth-based Greek Orthodox Christian priest of Aramean background, and an Israeli citizen, is God’s current “poster child” in the Mideast. The charismatic priest is rapidly becoming a symbol and vocal witness of the real situation for Christians in Israel as compared to the atrocities historic Christian communities are experiencing in the surrounding Arab and Islamic nations.

Speaking before US Congressional leaders in Washington, DC, this week, Father Naddaf explained how living as a Christian in the Jewish state differs from the way Christians are treated elsewhere in the Middle East.

Speaking from his own experience in school, university and the job market, Father Naddaf said, “In the Middle East today, there is one country where Christians are affectionately granted freedom of expression, freedom of worship and security. It is Israel, the Jewish State. In Israel, Christians enjoy good education, employment, welfare, healthcare, and high socio-economic standing. In Israel, Christians have freedom, which no Muslim power has ever offered us.”

In telling American lawmakers about his own journey of faith, Father Naddaf recalled moving as a young man to the mixed Arab-Jewish city of Haifa. While meeting and working with Jews, he discovered that “the idea that I needed to be scared of Jews, or that there was something dangerous about them, was simply not true. The myth was shattered.”

Hate-filled misinformation and libels about Israel’s Jews and their intentions are fueling the current violence centering on Jerusalem, he said.

INTERCESSORS, pray fervently for this brave man of God who is spearheading a new movement among Christians in Israel to serve in the Israel Defense Forces. Pray for a great impact during his speaking tour. Father Naddaf is currently visiting the United States on behalf of The Face of Israel organization.