Israel probing priest who supports Christian army recruitment

Israeli police say they are investigating a Greek Orthodox priest who has been lauded by Israel for encouraging Palestinian Christian military enlistment.

Police say Father Gabriel Naddaf has been under investigation for more than a year. Police did not reveal the nature of the charges. A gag order on the case was partially lifted Monday.

Naddaf has been a darling of Israeli nationalists for promoting the recruitment of Palestinian Christian Arabs into Israel's military, which generally is taboo.

He had the honour of lighting a torch at Israel's Independence Day celebrations in 2016.

At the time, an Israeli news program quoted anonymous people as claiming Naddaf had sought bribes for helping Palestinians obtain Israeli permits. He has denied the accusations.

National service is compulsory in Israel for all Jewish-Israelis and the minority Druze community.