Leader Bishara Shilyan Political position Centre-left | Founded 10 July 2013 Knesset 0 / 120 | |
Ideology Arab Christian interests,
Pro-Two-state solution | ||
The Sons of the New Testament (Hebrew: בני ברית החדשה, Bnei Brit HaHadasha) is a political party in Israel.
History
The party was established in 2013 with the aim of representing the interests of Arabic speaking Christians in Israel. The party encourages full integration of Arabophone Christians into Israeli society, the two-state solution, and enlistment of Arabophone Christians into the Israel Defense Forces. It was founded by Bishara Shilyan, a 58-year-old sea captain from Nazareth. One of the reasons for founding the party is the belief that the existing Arab parties predominantly serve Muslim interests. Israel's Arabophone Christians are predominantly Melkite Greek and Roman Catholic and represent a minority within the broader Arab population of the country.
The party's founder, Shilyan, has also said he wants to build a 30.5 metres (100 ft) tall statue of Jesus (modeled on Rio de Janeiro's Christ the Redeemer statue) on top of a mountain in Nazareth. He said the purpose of the statue would be to prevent Nazareth's Christian heritage from being eroded. The town's Christian population has been steadily decreasing relative to its Muslim population.