Palestinian Jesus

Palestinian Jesus is the idea in Christian and Islamic thought that Jesus was not a Jew, but instead a Palestinian Arab.
Proponents
One Islamic view is that Jesus, as well as the Old Testament prophets, were Muslims because they worshiped Allah. Arab historians claimed that Jesus was an Arab. According to Israeli historian Meir Litvak, asserting Jesus is Palestinian has "virtually become official policy" for the Palestinian Authority, beginning with claims made by Hanan Ashrawi during the Oslo Accord negotiations. Litvak views this as a Palestinian attempt to take credit for Christianity and Western civilization. PA chairman Yasser Arafat was known for claiming that Jesus was a Palestinian. Al Jazeera, The Independent, and The New York Times have published articles defending the theory. The New York Times issued a correction following criticism.
Some pro-Palestinian Christians also hold this belief, speaking of Palestinian Jesus, Palestinian Mary, and Palestinian apostles. Some Palestinian Christians have claimed that Jesus was the first Palestinian shahid (martyr), which has also been asserted by Al-Hayat al-Jadida, the official newspaper of the PA. According to Litvak, it was Christians who started the "Palestinian Jesus" idea, which then spread to Muslim Palestinians. According to some critics, the claim is based in antisemitism. Litvak states that Palestinian Jesus is an attempt to blur or negate the actual Jewish origins of Jesus.<ref name="Litvak" />

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