But during our chat, he told us.

You are so lucky to be here. As an Arab I cannot leave Israel, or not even Jerusalem!

We were surprised by what he said. And then he said the Israeli government doesn’t give them any documentation, such as ID or passport. He said he could go to school but there’s no freedom of movement, and that he’d like to see other relatives.

I was saddened to hear this. So I prayed for this for many years. Then I was confused… why can’t Arabs leave Jerusalem if there are other Arabs in Israel? I didn’t think he would lie to tourists, but was there any misunderstanding? Finally, years later I found something.

Citizenship, Green Card and Blue Card

From an article, I finally understood what the Arab boy meant.

After the Sixth Day War in 1967, Israel took back East Jerusalem, which included Temple Mount, Western Wall (Kotel), and Jewish quarter. The power shifted, but what about the residents?

Options were given to local Arabs. If they’d stay in the same place, then Blue Card the permanent resident would be given. If they wouldn’t accept being ruled by Israel, then they would relocate to West Bank, and then they would receive Green Card.

Blue Card is a permanent resident card.  Rights to social welfare, healthcare, and local election are given. Most Arabs and Armenians in East Jerusalem hold such card. They are not citizens and they don’t have an Israeli passport.

Green Card is the status for Arabs in West Bank. They need to receive a permit from Israeli government if they wish to enter Israeli territory. But they can go to Jordan directly.

Permanent Residency is NOT Permanent

But the Blue Card (permanent residence permit) is not really “permanent”. For example, if an Arab with a Blue Card marries an Arab with Green Card, the Israeli government will not issue another Blue Card for the other spouse. So what happens is they will move move to the West Bank or somewhere else. And the Blue Card can be revoked. If someone is linked to terrorist activities, then the status can be revoked. (Which is reasonable for any country)

In these 50 years, 14,000 Blue Cards have been revoked. In many cases, a terrorist commits an attack and then the entire family will be “exiled” to the West Bank.

I think I understand why after the separation wall was built in 2003, yet we still see terrorist activities in Israel.  It makes sense now because these Arabs are not the Arabs of 1948, these are Arabs from East Jerusalem!

There are other circumstances in which the status can be revoked. If someone with Blue Card lives outside Jerusalem or leaves Israel for too long for work or study, the status can be evoked. The Ministry of the Interior has responded that the definition of “too long” is “7 years”.  So I finally understood this is probably what the boy meant by why he couldn’t leave Jerusalem. He doesn’t know if he leaves Jerusalem, will he have a chance to return? No one wants to lose the right to live in Jerusalem, so he said he couldn’t leave.

Why Don’t They Become Citizens of Israel?

But isn’t it unfair that Arabs in East Jerusalem cannot become Israeli citizens? In fact, they are all eligible to apply for citizenship…. if they are willing. But that means giving up on their political ideologies. Most of them believe that sooner or later Palestine will take Jerusalem back, and they still despise the Jews.

20% of the Israeli population are Arabs, so that’s about 1.6 million people. On Israeli ID card, there is a column for indicating your race, for example, Jew, Arab, Druze etc. Arabs citizens have the same rights and obligations as Jewish citizens. There are 16 (or 17) Arab representatives out of 120 in the Knesset.

Although the war of 1948 and the Sixth Day War in 1967 are only 20 years apart, the second generation of Arabs in East Jerusalem still don’t recognize Israel. Politically they deny Israel, and many of them hold Jordanian passports. Although it is more convenient to travel with Israeli passports, only a few of the would “betray” the tribe. By accepting citizenship, it means recognizing the legitimacy of Israel’s ‘occupation’ to East Jerusalem.

To be a citizen of Israel, one needs to vow to be loyal to the Jewish state and pass basic Hebrew test. This is a standard immigration process, but it is hard because you have different political beliefs.

And by the way, Arabs in Jerusalem forbid each other selling property to Jews.

There are 300,000 Arabs in Jerusalem, only 12% of them hold Israeli citizenship.

Are they happy with Blue Card?

Ironically, Arabs in East Jerusalem don’t mind Israeli government. In a survey on 1039 Arabs in 19 neighborhoods in East Jerusalem, over a third of them admit they would rather be citizens of Israel than to a ‘new founded state of Palestine’, if they’re is ever one. And if the place they live becomes a part of that new state, would they move to a new city in order to become a citizen of Israel? Shockingly 40% of them say yes.

So life isn’t bad under Israel’s rule.

In fact, over 44% Arabs in East Jerusalem have monthly income over $1400. This amount is similar to Arabs in other areas in Israel, and far better than Arabs in West Bank of Gaza. Half of these Arabs don’t want to lose freedom of speech.

So they are hoping that they can have dual nationality- losing nothing in between.  Economics, quality of life, perks, health care, education, and safety etc. If they have to choose, perhaps a passport of Palestine isn’t as important.

Why don’t Christians in East Jerusalem become citizens of Israel?

I have no idea. I think most Chrisitans would jump for the oppurtunities though. But maybe I’ll find out one day.

Let me share this video that I found! (Original video at the end the post) This is a real story!

Let’s get started! The first stranger

Todd White with cool hair and his team was in Israel. They wanted to visit the Dome of the Rock but they only had 24 hours to see if God could do the impossible for them. On their way to the Old City, they met a man who had trouble walking. So Todd stopped, prayed for him in the name of Jesus. After a simple prayer, this stranger even asked Todd to pray for his knee too.

Then Todd said, ‘hey you are healed’.  The man was like ‘I must be dreaming’~ Because he was walking without pain!

Todd explained to him, “That’s because Jesus’ life is within me, Jesus healed you.” And Todd said, “Are you Muslim? I’m Christian. I love you.”

Then this man in yellow shirt left, he was walking fine!

In the Old City….

Todd happily entered the Muslim quarter in the Old city of Jerusalem (See “Free Palestine”?) He prayed for the sick, and words quickly spread. People started to come for prayers.

A Mysterious Twist?

An hour later, someone called him, “You have the gift of healing?”

Todd said, “Yes. Is it lungs? “。

“Are you doing pictures? ” The man didn’t answer the question and asked this. Todd said yes.

Interestingly the man didn’t mind, and he signaled Tod to follow him….?

Near the way of sorrow, Todd was brought to this man’s house. And there was a sick man, his father-in-law. He has pains at his chest. Todd prayed. They were all happy. 

Then Todd brought up his desire of visiting the Dome of the Rock. The man said, “It’s impossible for Christians to go inside…” Todd said, “That’s what everyone says. But how can I go inside?”

The man studied Todd and sicne he was blessed by Todd (that means his father-in-law experienced healing), so he wanted to bless Todd too,

So he would try connecting to the one man who might be able to get Todd and his team inside the Dome of the Rock. So they walked about 20 minutes to see if this other man would be willing to help.

And here they were at a courtyard, the man greeted his friend, and just when he was about to introduce Todd…..

Wow! It’s You???

……!!! You??!!!! So this man’s powerful friend was this man in yellow shirt, whom Todd met even before he entered the Old City! The first man that Todd prayed for!  They were both so excited! It’s you!!! 
 

So these two Muslims who knew each other before experienced God’s healing through a Christian, started to plan on how to get Todd into the Dome of the Rock. They decided to meet at 10am the next day!

Entering the Dome of the Rock

The next day, these two men (in the same clothes) kept their promise and showed up. They took the risk in taking them into the Dome of the Rock, and stayed with them the whole time!

Inside the mosque, Todd felt the love of God the creator. We are all broken, and dirty, yet He accepts us and is willing to restore relationship with us. He truly felt God’s love is for everyone of us!

Unexpectedly, the guide at the Dome of the Rock offered to show them the Well of souls under the foundation stone. This totally satisfied the desire of Todd! He prayed here and worshipped God! 
 

And then he prayed in the name of Jesus, right here and out loud! Wow! And nobody seemed to pray! This is impossible!  It’s God who made this seemed easy! 

An Experience No Money Can Buy

These two men were so happy for the success. Joy is clearly seen on their face. “It was easy!” “God opened the doors easily for us!”

And the man in yellow shirt made a good point, “There were so many people out there who wanted to go in. Even if they pay thousands of dollars, they cannot have this experience!”

Pastor Philip Mantofa

Then the scene switched to Pastor Philip Mantofa. He shared a powerful message. Don’t boast your faith. Jesus is the only way, truth and life, and I’m not trying to be politically correct, this is simple, and I’m willing to die for this statement. But don’t judge other faiths. You can only convey this message through love.

Why did they Help Todd?

These two men, hopefully their lives are protected as this video is circulating. The man just felt there was a voice inside that told him to help Todd. As simple as that!

Things to Think About

1. Every prayer Todd made was simple. It wasn’t a formaility, but the authority that Jesus gives him. So when he prayed, the sick was healed. When he released, the sickness left.

2. To let Muslims experience love, it’s not what you said but the vibe you send. So the point is this person must be filled by the love of God.

3. When the gift of healing is manifested, people with sickness, even with different faiths, will want to be close to the source of healing.

4.All ‘impossibilities’ and ‘unsolvable problems’ are nothing in God’s eyes. We are all in process, trying to learn how to love one another.

5. Be firm in your faith, but interact with others in love instead of arguments. When there’s love in your life, it will shine on your face that others can see.

6.When the Spirit of God takes action, words cannot explain but even people from different faiths can tell this ‘comes from God’. And they will be joyful for the experiencing God.

7. We are all sinners before God, so there’s nothing to boast. But God accepts us as He loves every one of us. So there is really no winner before every soul has restored relationship with God.

Link to the Video