The Jewish sect in Lebanon has since the 1930s been known officially as the “Israeli” sect. According to the Minister of Interior, this naming was a confused translation of the original French term for “Jewish” and it preceded the creation of the Israeli state. As a result, Jews in Lebanon were referred unintentionally as Israeli, confusing them with Israeli citizens. As a result, the minister is proposing a new law to rename the sect to the Jewish sect, according to an article in Now Lebanon.
For those who are unaware, in Lebanon sects are official designations. Every citizen is a member of a sect and there are 19 of them. Political participation is done through sects, and personal status laws are enforced independently for each sect.
It is an intelligent idea. In the Middle East the word “Israel” (and similar) is associated with Zionism but “Israel” is not only a state but it is a “people-religion.” There are the sons of Ishmael (Islam) and there are the sons of Israel (Jacob). In Europe, because of anti-Semitism, the word “Jewish” is still “almost” bad word but in the Middle-East it is good, since it is opposed to the word “Israeli”. Who decided to live in Lebanon, despite civil war and kidnappings of the past, is 100% Lebanese. All Lebanese must understand this. I have Lebanese friends, Lebanese Christians, Muslims and Jews. To my eyes they are all from “Libnen”.