Linda Sarsour, a well-known activist, previously accused of anti-Semitism, has argued that Jesus was both Palestinian and Jewish, claiming “multiple truths can co-exist.”
In a thread of bizarre tweets by the former co-chair of Women’s March, Sarsour claimed “Jesus was Palestinian of Nazareth and is described in the Quran as being brown copper skinned with wooly hair,” and that “Jesus was born in Bethlehem, modern day Palestine”.
Hitting back at Sarsour’s tweet was Yair Netanyahu, son of the Israeli Prime Minister:
“Are you that stupid?,” he tweeted, “Bethlehem was a Jewish city! It means “house of bread”. It’s the city where king David – the most famous king of the Jews were born! On the cross above Jesus’ head was the sign “INRI”- “Iesvs Nazarenvs Rex Ivdaeorvm”, which means in Latin – Jesus of Nazareth king of the Jews! The Bible say that Jesus was born and raised in Judea!
During Jesus’ lifetime, the land on which both Nazareth and Bethlehem were situated was called Judea — very much a Jewish territory. The term “Palestine” or “Palestina” was introduced later by Roman emperor Hadrian, who renamed the Roman province using the Latin equivalent for Philistia – a reference to the ancient arch-enemy of Israel.
In the same manner that Hadrian intended to use “Palestina” to delegitimise the Jewish connection to the Land of Israel, describing Jesus as “Palestinian”, as Sarsour has done, is another example of anti-Israel propaganda.
Seth Frantzman, op-ed editor for The Jerusalem Post, argued that efforts to suggest Jesus was in any way Palestinian are an attempt “to erase the Jewish history of the Land of Israel.”
He took issue with Sarsour’s decision to reference the Quran in her description of Jesus and argued it is possible for Palestinians to revere Jesus without rewriting his ethnic heritage:
There is no reason to repackage Jesus as Palestinian. He can be a historical figure from Bethlehem or Nazareth without being “Palestinian.” Sarsour’s attempt to reference the Quran is interesting because she seems to not mention other aspects of how Jesus is described in Islamic theology. For instance, he is seen as a messenger to the ‘Children of Israel’ and an adherent of the laws of Moses. He is linked to the line of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and the Tribes of Israel, as well as kings David and Solomon.
Folks reported my tweet that Jesus was a Palestinian. 🤣 twitter was obviously like this doesn’t violate our standards. It’s also true. Jesus was born in Bethlehem which is in Palestine. Move on.
— Linda Sarsour (@lsarsour) July 6, 2019
Are you that stupid? Bethlehem was a Jewish city! It means “house of bread”. It’s the city where king David – the most famous king of the Jews were born! On the cross above Jesus’ head was the sign “INRI”- “Iesvs Nazarenvs Rex Ivdaeorvm”, which means in Latin->>> pic.twitter.com/5aPcaGUpuP
— Yair Netanyahu 🇮🇱 (@YairNetanyahu) July 7, 2019
Jesus was Palestinian of Nazareth and is described in the Quran as being brown copper skinned with wooly hair.
— Linda Sarsour (@lsarsour) July 6, 2019
