The Palestinian Authority announced on Sunday that “the part that defines the religion of the Palestinian citizen has been erased” has been erased from identification cards.
Hassan Olwi, a director in the Palestinian Ministry of Interior, told the Chinese news agency Xinhua that the decision was made a few days ago in accordance with PA law upholding religious and racial equality.
Removing religious identity may be aimed at undermining Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s demand that Abbas recognize Israel as a “Jewish state.” After all, if Palestinian Authority Arabs are not defined as Christians or Muslims, then why Israelis should be defined as Jews, Muslims, Christians or whatever?
More interesting, “religious and racial equality” apparently does not include allowing Jews to live in a future Palestinian Authority country.
However, Hamas, views the announcement exactly in the opposite.
Hamas official Taher Al-Nunu charged that Abbas “is preparing the way for the execution of Kerry’s plan which demands that the Palestinian Authority absorb Jewish settlers into the Palestinian society as binational citizens of its proposed state,” the terrorist organization’s website stated on Monday.
