News Brief08:09 AM

(IsraelNN.com) Roman Catholic Latin Patriarch Michel Sabbah gave a pre-Christmas address on Wednesday in which he rejected Israel as a Jewish state.  Speaking in English and Arabic, Sabbah told reporters that Israel must abandon its Jewish character in favor of a “normal state for Christians, Muslims, and Jews.” 

“If there’s a state of one religion, other religions are naturally discriminated against,” Sabbah said.  Sabbah, a Palestinian Authority Arab, did not mention the PA’s definition of its areas as Arab and Muslim.  He blamed Israel for the conflict with the PA and PA-based terrorist groups, saying, “If Israel decides for peace, there will be peace.”