Republican National Committee Endorses Elimination of Palestine from Middle East

Not only does Newt Gingrich believe there’s no such thing as a Palestinian people, the Republican National Committee does as well.  That mean that 20 years of bipartisan agreement between political parties and the foreign policy of presidents both Republican and Democratic, has been overturned by a resolution passed by the RNC last week.  Mitchell Plitnick reports that a nice, blond-haired white Christian Republican lady from South Carolina has dipped her toe in the deep waters of U.S. Middle East policy and suddenly become expert enough at it to topple long-term consensus.  Here’s what Cindy Costa came up with as the Party’s new approach:

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the members of this body support Israel in their natural and God-given right of self-governance and self-defense upon their own lands, recognizing that Israel is neither an attacking force nor an occupier of the lands of others; and that peace can be afforded the region only through a united Israel governed under one law for all people.

You’ll notice a number of things about this piece of pro-Israel brilliance: Palestine?  Nowhere to be found.  Two states?  Ditto.  Occupation? Ditto.  Mitchell is right in noting that it essentially posits a one-state solution.  The only thing it doesn’t do is decide what to do with the millions of Palestinians living in what used to be known, before the Republicans did away with it, the Occupied Territories.  Do you expel them outright or merely force them to live in an apartheid state?

Now that the Republicans have endorsed the one-state solution, maybe we should all stop pining for the days of two-states and start devising what sort of Israel should exist in the context of this “united Israel.”  Certainly not the one Mrs. Costa imagines, in which there either are no Palestinians or they exist somewhere at the margins of society.  No, all Palestinians must be given full equality, rights and citizenship within this grand unitary state of Israel.  We also must face the prospect that these Palestinian Arabs will likely outnumber Jews within a relatively short period of time.  They might indeed eventually assume political control in a coalition with or even without Jewish support.

The rights of the minority will be protected in that event by a constitution (hopefully), so Jews needn’t worry about their rights being trampled as Jews did to Palestinians when the former were in the majority.  Thus we have to put it to the Netanyahus and RNCs of the world: what type of Israel do you want?  One that eventually will have a Palestinian majority?  Or one that will exist alongside Palestine and possibly have the opportunity to retain a Jewish majority for a much longer period of time (I’m articulating this according to their perspective and values)?

The wording of the full resolution, which can be read at Plitnick’s blog, is a paean to Christian Zionist theology, waxing eloquent about Israel’s God-given right to all the territory granted to Abraham in the Bible.  It even quotes Scripture to seal the deal.  The only thing it doesn’t do is specify how many Jews will be killed before the Rapture in order to ensure the Second Coming of Jesus Christ back to the Holy Land.

 This entry was posted on Friday, January 20th, 2012 at 1:57 AM and is filed under Mideast Peace, Politics & Society. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
 
http://www.richardsilverstein.com/tikun_olam/2012/01/20/republican-national-committee-endorses-elimination-of-palestine-from-middle-east/

Holy Land Betrayed: Our Unchristian Government

16:39 12/21/2011

By Sttuart Littlewood

Prime minister David Cameron has told Britain: 'We are a Christian country and we should not be afraid to say so.'

He was speaking on the occasion of the 400th anniversary of the King James version of the Bible which, he said, had helped to give Britain a set of values and morals that make us what we are today.
And Cameron doesn’t accept the argument about the church not getting involved in politics.  "To me, Christianity, faith, religion, the Church and the Bible are all inherently involved in politics because so many political questions are moral questions.”

True, but can our churchmen ‘do politics’? They perpetually fail to get a result even on the Church’s ‘home turf’, the Holy Land.

It’s painful to be reminded that while Israel was planning its murderous 3-week assault on the people of Gaza (including the Christian community there), which it launched three Christmases ago, the Archbishop of Canterbury was visiting the former Nazi camps of Auschwitz-Birkenau in Poland with the Chief Rabbi to show joint solidarity against genocide.

"This is a pilgrimage not to a holy place but to a place of utter profanity,” he announced. "How shall we be able to read the signs… that evil is gathering force once again?”

He needed to look no further than the prison camp that the Holy Land has been turned into by the never-ending Israeli occupation. Couldn’t he sniff the stench of profanity besieging the Gaza Strip which, some claim, Israel uses as a warfare laboratory? Hasn’t he noticed a strong whiff of evil in the judaisation of Jerusalem and the expulsion of its non-Jewish citizens?

And when the Archbishop visited the Holy Land in 2010 the Israelis prevented him seeing the horrors their thugs had inflicted on Gaza and obstructed him in his Christian mission there. But he still fraternised with their rabbinate and their President, and paid homage to Yad Vashem and the Holocaust, thus appearing to legitimise the blockade, the persecution of Muslim and Christian communities and Israel’s contempt for international law and human rights.

The Pope fell for the same propaganda trick.

The Church clearly needs the mother of all shake-ups before it’ll be capable of rolling up its sleeves and getting political.

Britain as a country may still be Christian but what about its government? Mr Cameron describes himself as a "committed" Christian but only a "vaguely practising" one. What does that mean? Are Christian principles getting in his way?

Or is he sending a coded message of comfort to friends in Tel Aviv and Washington?

For Cameron also claims to be a Zionist.

He voted enthusiastically for the Iraq war, an irresponsible and un-Christian thing to do based on neo-con lies. And look what it has cost in lives and wholesale destruction. Now he and foreign secretary William Hague are upping sanctions designed to cripple the Iranian economy and bring misery to that country's civilian population. Shades of Iraq… sadistic action once again based on mere suspicion of wrongdoing, not actual proof. Is this proper behaviour for even the “vaguest” of Christians?

The political baggage Cameron has brought with him includes a foreign secretary who has been a member of Conservative Friends of Israel since his teenage years and a minister for Middle East affairs who’s a former officer of that same fan club.

His defence secretary Liam Fox, now departed in disgrace, was dubbed "a champion of Israel within the government". He famously said: "In the battle for the values that we stand for, for democracy against theocracy, for democratic liberal values against repression - Israel's enemies are our enemies…”

How can it be right for Ministers of the Crown to make such ludicrous commitments to a belligerent foreign power that continually defies international and humanitarian law and, I hear, shoots children for amusement - according to a horrifying article by surgeon David Halpin, ‘The methodical shooting of boys at work in Gaza by snipers of the Israeli Occupation Force’? 

When Cameron became Conservative leader he proclaimed: "You need to know that if I become Prime Minister, Israel has a friend who will never turn his back on Israel." And once in Downing Street he pledged: "In me, you have a Prime Minister whose belief in Israel is indestructible...I want to be clear, we will always support Israel..."

Supporting Israel means, of course, endorsing the regime’s lawlessness and criminal ambitions.  Is that an option for a real Christian? And when will Mr Cameron have time to concentrate on Britain’s best interests in the Middle East, which is the job he was elected for?

Furthermore Britain, like all other countries that think themselves civilised, is under a solemn international obligation to make sure there’s no hiding place for the world’s vilest criminals. It’s a responsibility no Christian should shirk. However, when Tzipi Livni, who was responsible for mounting Operation Cast Lead and for the 1,400 deaths that followed, complained that a warrant had been issued for her arrest in London, Cameron and Hague immediately mangled our Universal Jurisdiction laws to create a safe haven for her and other Israelis wanted for crimes against humanity.
Having ensured that Madam Livni could safely go shopping in Bond Street, the devoted Mr Hague said: “The UK is committed to upholding international justice and all of our international obligations. Our core principle remains that those guilty of war crimes must be brought to justice.”
Cameron waxes lyrical about the King James Bible but acts as if he was brought up on the less admirable Scofield version, which has been the standard religious text on the other side of the Atlantic.

Cyrus Scofield, a convicted criminal and described by one American newspaper as “a shyster”, was commissioned to re-write the King James version by inserting Zionist-friendly notes. The idea was to change the Christian view of Zionism by creating and promoting a pro-Zionist sub-culture within Christianity.  The Oxford University Press appointed Scofield as editor, and the Scofield Reference Bible has been a best-seller especially in the US for nearly 100 years.


It introduced a new worship icon, the modern State of Israel, which did not exist until 1948 but was already on the drawing board of the World Zionist movement.

American journalist Grace Halsell explained the re-hashed Biblical message: “Simply stated it is this: Every act taken by Israel is orchestrated by God, and should be condoned, supported, and even praised by the rest of us. Never mind what Israel does, say the Christian Zionists. God wants this to happen…
"Scofield said that Christ cannot return to earth until certain events occur: The Jews must return to Palestine, gain control of Jerusalem and rebuild a temple, and then we all must engage in the final, great battle called Armageddon. Estimates vary, but most students of Armageddon theology agree that as a result of these relatively recent interpretations of Biblical scripture, 10 to 40 million Americans believe Palestine is God's chosen land for the Jews.”

Ultra-literal reading of certain Old Testament texts has persuaded Zionists to believe that Old Testament promises made to the ancient Jewish tribes are transferable to the largely unrelated people that comprise the modern state of Israel. They hope for, and are obviously working towards, the final battle they call Armageddon, in which Israel’s enemies (and God’s, of course) will be defeated.  After that Jesus will return as the Jewish Messiah and King to reign in Jerusalem for a thousand years, and the Jewish people will enjoy privileged status in the world.

We see how politicians become eager stooges, but if you are as puzzled as I am how a true Christian could possibly be taken in by Zionism, a short paper on the phenomenon is available from Sadaka. 
An effective antidote is The Jerusalem Declaration on Christian Zionism, a statement by the Latin Patriarch and Local Heads of Churches in Jerusalem issued in 2006. They are in the front line. They know the score. It is summed up in a single sentence:

“We categorically reject Christian Zionist doctrines as a false teaching that corrupts the biblical message of love, justice and reconciliation.”

Merry Christmas, Mr Cameron.

- Stuart Littlewood’s book Radio Free Palestine can now be read on the internet by visiting www.radiofreepalestine.org.uk. He contributed this article to PalestineChronicle.com.

http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=17330

ARE JEWS "BROTHERS" OF CHRISTIANS?

National Prayer Network

By Rev. Ted Pike

21 Nov 11

Christian Zionists increasingly claim Jews and Christians are “brethren,” children of the same divine plan for salvation. They say Christians are indebted to Jews for preserving God’s plan and enabling our redemption. Our united heritage and purpose is called “the Judeo-Christian tradition.” The least we Christians can do is bless and defend Israel—especially in this time of unprecedented world criticism. It is even becoming fashionable for Christian Zionist leaders like Beck and Hagee to declare, “I am an Israeli!"

Evangelicals believe their duty includes shielding and obscuring the teachings of Talmud and Kabbalah, the extent of Jewish supremacist control, and the fact of Israel’s many injustices.  This suppression of truth is necessary in their minds to prevent anti-Semitism and even a second holocaust. No religion has as much to hide as Talmudic Judaism. Christian Zionists help whitewash those spiritual descendants of the ones Christ described as “whited sepulchers, full of dead men’s bones.” In this, they believe they are serving God.

But the Bible nowhere teaches this behavior. It does not encourage Christians to support a religious system which first crucified Christ (See Are Jews Today Guilty for the Crucifixion?) and today continues to militate against Him. Israel persecutes, even under threat of prison, effective evangelism of Israelis. (See Christians in Israel: An Endangered Species)

This articles summarizes the New Testament ban on blessing or claiming brotherhood with apostate Judaism.

If first-century Christians could see the way modern evangelicals worship their Jewish persecutors, surely they would think we never loved Jesus at all. We have instead joined the crowd who cried, “Crucify Him!”

Hidden Hatred against Jesus

To even be Orthodox, Jews must accept the authority of those who masterminded the death of Christ: the Pharisees. The Talmud perfectly expresses Pharisaic hatred of Jesus. It boasts that Jewish leaders had Christ crucified (Sanhedrin 43a) and claims He is now in hell. There Jesus faces His punishment

With boiling hot excrement, since a Master has said: Whoever mocks at the words of the Sages is punished with boiling hot excrement. (Gittin 56b, Somcino trans.) 

Orthodox Judaism agrees that crucifixion of Christ by the Pharisees was wise, just, and necessary and that His present torment in hell represents divine justice.

Articles at www.truthtellers.org extensively document Judaism's hatred, not only of our Lord but His mother and disciples. There can be no doubt that Judaism is fundamentally and unalterably opposed to Jesus, His mission, and His followers.

Yet Christian Zionists passionately argue that there are more similarities than divisions between Christians and Jews. They say we are “brothers,” bound by God’s will and a common tradition.
Here's what the Bible really says:

Nowhere does the New Testament even hint that Christians have a duty to a nation of Christ-rejecting Jews--a nation whose existence defies God's oft-repeated command that He will only sanction a Jewish nation in the Holy Land if they are repentant and obedient to Him. (See List of Conditional Occupation Verses)

Christians owe no debt of spiritual gratitude to the Jewish people at large. The entire Bible records a nation usually resisting the message of a tiny minority of saints and prophets. Moses described the Hebrews as an unusually stubborn, rebellious people, repeatedly saved from annihilation only because of his intercession.

Christians owe deep gratitude to a minority of Jews in scripture who carried the torch of true obedience and faith, looking forward to Christ. The roots of Christianity descend to Jewish saints such as Moses, Joshua, Samson, Daniel, and Jeremiah. They were all disobeyed, even vilified and persecuted by the majority of Jews. Christians could not have a stronger affinity with such holy Jewish heroes. With them we do indeed share a "Judeo-Christian tradition!" But Christians should feel the strongest revulsion against wicked Jews such as the rebels of Korah, the priests who persecuted Jeremiah and the Pharisees, founders of modern “rabbinic” Judaism.  No true Christian is "brother" to them, any more than we are to Jewish supremacists today. 

What fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness, and what communion hath light with darkness? (II Cor. 6:14)

The apostle John portrays Christ-denying Jews as deceivers and anti-Christs.

many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. (2 John 1:7)

Yet today the spiritual children of Christ-reviling Jews are the very ones Christian Zionists call brothers! Jesus describes such “Jews” as the “the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie.” (Rev. 3:9) Judaism is the “church” Satan attends and supports. It is his place of fellowship.

Christians’ Real Duty to Jews

The Christian’s true obligation to Jews is to preach them salvation through Yeshua, Israel’s spiritual husband and redeemer. Christ said evangelism should begin “at Jerusalem” and spread to the whole planet. Christians should have no part of several prevalent extremes regarding evangelism of Jews.

1. Hagee’s view that Jews (especially at his CUFI meetings) are above evangelism and don’t even need to hear the name of Jesus spoken in public. Hagee may deny it, but his actions affirm the heresy that Jews have a special covenant of salvation apart from the cross. Hagee influences millions of evangelical tourists to Israel who agree to obey Jewish authorities and not evangelize Jews during their trip.
   
   
2. The opposite is the “Two Seedline" Christian Identity heresy which says Jews are below Christian obligation to evangelize. Agreeing with the Kabbalah, it says Eve had sex with Satan, that Jews are his offspring and are unredeemable.
   
   
3. A third error is "displacement theology:" virtually all prophesy was fulfilled in 70 A.D. and God is finished with Jewry in a national sense. He has replaced them with "spiritual" Israel--all who trust and obey God. (Galatians 3)

The Bible says clearly that Jews are not racially or morally better or worse than Gentiles, or more favored by God. Yet God does have unfinished business with the Jewish nation. He did not vainly promise national restoration of a repentant remnant at Christ's return. He will not be frustrated by Jewish apostasy but will receive something no convinced Jew would ever believe He could have: repentance from the Jewish people.

The Bible is absolutely clear that God's favor—to individuals, communities or nations—only comes as a result of faith and obedience. The Christian’s prayer is to see Jews rescued from a darkened religious and cultural tradition that has deeply prejudiced them against Jesus. The Bible never teaches it is the Christian’s duty to defend unbelieving Jews or Israel morally, financially, or militarily. Christians, in the years before the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D., were told to flee Jerusalem, not flock to its aid. Paul predicted wrath "to the uttermost" (1 Thessalonians 2:16) on unbelieving Jewry--a wrath that will be authorized by God not man, ultimately to bring the remnant to repentance. Thus there is a bright light at the end of the tunnel of Jewish evil. We should no more deny this than deny Israel’s current wickedness. The apostle Paul affirms the hope of the Hebrew prophets for eventual Jewish redemption: “the Deliverer will come from Zion; he will remove ungodliness from Jacob.” (Rom. 11:26)

But today, after at least three quarters of a century of injustice to the Palestinians, Israel fully deserves world criticism and withdrawal of financial support.

Christians cannot support Israel today because Jesus is not supporting Israel. He said their house was left “desolate” and portrayed apostate Israel as a withered fig tree which He cursed to never again bear fruit. (Matt. 21:19) He said He was leaving those who rejected Him and they would never "see" Him again—never receive His advocacy or blessing—until they repent and say “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” (Lk. 13:35)

Until that day, our duty to Jews is the same as our duty to all men: to love them as much as ourselves and lead them to the love, forgiveness and eternal life of Israel’s truest friend and redeemer, Jesus.
If Christ considers the Jewish people without Him “desolate,” how can Christians consider them blessed?

---

Rev. Ted Pike is director of the National Prayer Network, a Christian/conservative watchdog organization. 

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National Prayer Network, P.O. Box 828, Clackamas, OR 97015

http://truthtellers.org/alerts/AreJewsBrothersofChristians.html

Palestinian Christians Given Short Shrift by U.S. Christian Zionists

By Scott Charney, September 25, 2011

Texas Governor and aspiring Republican Presidential nominee Rick Perry has repeatedly attracted attention with a series of pronouncements on foreign policy pertaining to Israel. This behavior stems from Perry’s affinity for Christian Zionism, a highly influential strain of thought within large swaths of the conservative Protestant population in the United States. They see Israel as fulfilling crucial elements of the end-times scenario as depicted in the Biblical book of Revelations. Christian Zionism has steadily gained the support of many influential members of the clergy, who donate large amounts of money and other efforts to support the Zionist cause, and perhaps more importantly, place political pressure on the U.S. government to support the agenda of right-wing elements within Israel. Perry in particular is known to be close to pastor John Hagee, who rose to prominence primarily due to his Zionist activism.

Christian Zionism has a great many critics, but rarely does anyone point out the cognitive dissonance the Christian Zionists are ignoring, namely that Zionism kills, injures, and displaces Christians. Though their communities have dwindled in size, tens of thousands of Christians live in the Palestinian territories. When Israel’s “security barrier” seizes Palestinian land, and Israeli settlers divert water supplies for their own use, this harms Christian well-being. When Israeli authorities prevent Palestinians from travelling, Christians cannot go to work, school, or religious sites. When Israel launches air strikes into the Gaza Strip, this kills, maims, and impoverishes Christians. Unsurprisingly, in December of 2009 leaders of the Palestinian Christian community issued a statement known as the “Kairos Palestine Document,” in which they called Israel’s policies a “sin against God,” and asked for an international boycott of Israel.

Similarly, Christian Zionists unfailingly endorse Israel’s wars, despite the damage to the sizable Christian communities in Israel’s opponents. Christians were participants on both sides of the Lebanese Civil War, in which Israel intervened by invading in 1982. In the 2006 war, Lebanon’s Christians suffered heavy casualties due to Israeli attacks. The Christian communities of Jordan and Syria are well-integrated into their societies, and while Egypt’s Christians are in a precarious position with the Muslim majority, the fact remains that any conflict with these countries would likely cause serious harm to their Christian populations, as has happened before.

Furthermore, Israel’s own Christians, numbering over 100,000, are essentially second-class citizens. While they may be better off in some ways than the Arabs of neighboring countries, the fact remains that they are treated worse than Israeli Jews in matters of education, the rule of law, immigration, housing, and other elements of civil rights. Surveys indicate a toxic environment of racist attitudes, manifesting itself in substantially worse economic indicators for Israel’s Arab citizens, Christian and Muslim alike.

The same question arose when evangelical American Christians were the staunchest supporters of the invasion of Iraq, a war which dealt severe, possibly catastrophic, damage to that country’s Christian community: Why do so many American Christians support, for religious reasons, policies that are devastating to the Christians of the Middle East? 

Scott Charney is an intern at Foreign Policy in Focus.

http://www.fpif.org/blog/palestinian_christians_given_short_shrift_by_us_christian_zionists

John Hagee is an ENEMY of all loyal Jews

Any person, such as John Hagee is a mortal enemy of the seed of Yaqob, who hopes and/or plans for and/or actively tries to help facilitate the rounding up of jews to a place where we can be more easily slaughtered in what Hagee himself described as a new halocaust so great that its casualties would vastly outnumber those victims of the World War 2 halocaust!

WE ADVISE THAT JEWS OF EVERY SECT REFUSE TO LEND ANY  SUPPORT TO OR ASSOCIATE WITH OR EVEN FELLOWSHIP WITH JOHN HAGEE, HIS ASSOCIATES OR HIS "MINISTRIES"! EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE TELLING THE WORLD THEIR EVIL PLAN, YET SOMEHOW, JUST LIKE THE RATS OF THE PIED PIPER, THE WORLD STILL IS FLOCKING TO SUPPORT AND FOLLOW HAGEE'S EVIL ANTI-SEMITE ENDEAVORS AND THIS AMAZINGLY EVEN INCLUDES MANY OF OUR HEBREW BRETHREN, MISLED AS EASILY AS POOR BLIND MEN!

HAGEE EVEN COMES RIGHT OUT AND ADMITS THAT HE INTENDS TO "USHER IN THE KINGDOM" THIS WAY, YET THE MAJORITY OF THOSE WHO HEAR SOMEHOW FAIL TO BE HORRIFIED BY IT!

I can not grasp how they hear the part that says "Let us help you jews repatriate to Israel" yet they fail to hear the diabolicale motive behind the effort, although Hagee makes no secret of the fact that it is his belief he can "usher in" (hasten the coming of) " the Kingdom" by rounding up all the jews he can in one place, Israel, to make us ready for slaughter when the Anti-Christ of Revelation comes to exterminate us in what Hagee describes as the halocaust that will rival all other halocausts, in order to thus hastening the return of the Moshiakh! That is Hagee and the other "christian zionists" diabolical plan!

Why is nobody openly denouncing Hagee for this except for us and certain good apologetics teachers such as Professor Craig Hawkins or Hank Hanegraaff and the like and why are the vast majority of Trinity Broadcasting Networks broadcasters and executives supporting the proposed "Hagee-sponsored Halocaust" (as I will call it)? This anti-semite cult-like thing they call "Christian Zionism" is an abomination to all Hebrew people with any good sense at all!

And Israel is not even Zion! It never was! Originally, ZION IS THE NAME OF THE ARK OF THE COVENANT and NOT OF A PEOPLE OR OF AN EARTHLY CITY! And since the Ark is now in Aksum, then THAT is the current "Land OF" Zion, not Iyeruselam! Not the land called Israel! How can one call themself a "zionist" when they act like they are totally clueless about what the term "Zion" actually even means?

THAT is our official view of John Hagee and "Christian Zionism".



Teru Minilik
Current head prophet for Bete Israel Masihawi Abeshawi
Abbot of the Abyssinian Nazarite Order



http://www.myspace.com/beteyisrael/blog/361719756

IFCJ buys 100 bomb shelters for Israel

International Fellowship of Christians and Jews purchases shelters for $1 million to be placed in areas targeted by Gaza rockets in recent months

Ynetnews

Published:  09.04.11, 07:46 / Israel Activism

Responding to the escalation of attacks on southern Israel, the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (IFCJ) is purchasing 100 bomb shelters for $1 million to be placed in areas targeted by terrorists in recent months.

“We are saving lives any way we can, wherever we can,” said Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, IFCJ founder and president. “The generosity of our donors throughout the United States and Canada makes it possible for Israelis — who must live with the threat of war and terrorist attack — to be protected while going about their daily lives.”

Improving Conditions

IFCJ donates NIS 6M to struggling hospitals / Ynetnews Donation to buy MRI machines, build safeguarded medical facility in north. 'Periphery hospitals don't have equipment to treat those affected by war,' Rabbi Eckstein says Full story

The mobile bomb shelters will be placed near schools and other public areas so they can be reached quickly in the event of an attack. After hearing a warning siren, people usually have only 15-20 seconds to get to the nearest shelter.

The prefabricated concrete bomb shelters will be installed as quickly as possible in at least 12 southern cities targeted by recent rocket attacks, including Ofakim, Ashkelon, Beersheba, and Ashdod.

Each shelter costs $10,000 and will accommodate approximately 28 people. There are at least 1 million people in need of access to emergency shelters in southern Israel.

In early August, Israel suffered one of its worst terrorist attacks in recent years. In a coordinated three-stage attack, eight Israelis were killed and another 30 injured. In the days that followed, more than 100 rockets were fired into Israel by terrorists from Hamas-controlled Gaza, killing one person and sending hundreds of thousands of Israelis fleeing to public and private bomb shelters throughout the country, if and where they exist.

Rockets and missiles continue to be launched into civilian areas on a near-daily basis.

With national security funds being diverted to defense needs and security for schools, officials at Israel’s Ministry of Defense asked Rabbi Eckstein for emergency assistance to purchase more bomb shelters for public areas.

Security programs for Jewish institutions

Since the Lebanon War, the IFCJ has funded the renovations or construction of 2,114 bomb shelters in the north and south regions hit by missile and rocket attacks.

“Our mission is to help the people of Israel in whatever way we can,” Rabbi Eckstein said, “beginning with their need for physical security and sustenance.”

The IFCJ also has committed more than $10 million this year to fund other security efforts in Israel. These include fortification of hospital trauma units where attack victims are treated; assistance to Israel Defense Forces soldiers, including those without families or whose families are in need; and helping soldiers with post-military education and job training programs.

Earlier this year, the IFCJ also provided funds for the renovation of 14 public bomb shelters in Beersheba, and earmarked $450,000 for renovating or building operation command centers in 14 municipalities in terrorist-targeted regions in the north and the south.

A number of municipalities also have received fire and security vehicles, thanks to IFCJ donors, most of whom are evangelical Christians.

As part of its mission to help Jews in need throughout the world, the IFCJ also supports security programs for Jewish institutions in Turkey, Morocco, the former Soviet Union, and other regions where Jewish schools, synagogues, and communities have been the target of terror attacks and bomb threats.


http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4115749,00.html

WATCH: John Hagee at Glenn Beck event: “I am Israeli!”

Monday, August 22 2011|Ami Kaufman

Glenn Beck kicked off his “Restoring Courage” week in Israel last night with a pep rally at the ancient ampitheatre in Caesarea. On Wednesday Beck will hold the main event, inside the Old City of Jerusalem.

Last time I was at Caesarea was for an Ehud Banai concert, my idol. And before that for an off-Broadway production of “A Chorus Line”.

All three shows sent shivers down my spine, yet for very different reasons.
Having Glenn Beck, John Hagee, thousands of pumped, middle-aged and above evangelicals, a few hundred settlers and an Israeli choir singing Holocaust hymns – all on your home turf – can frighten even the bravest of souls.

It was a fairly solemn event. There were the preachers, the Glenn Beck WaterWorks (“I cry so much!) and the Amens. But things only really started to pick up when they brought out Rabbi Shlomo Riskin, from the settlement of Efrat – who in my humble opinion is a wasted talent. This guy should be running a mega-church in the bible belt. Efrat is way too small for him.

But it was Pastor John Hagee who brought the Roman pillars down, with his fiery speech invoking the memory of JFK and making every one in the crowd scream “I am an Israeli!”. Here’s an excerpt of that unforgettable moment:

And here is an excerpt of Rabbi Riskin’s speech, with a teary-eyed Beck introducing him:
And here is Jon Voight, who came all the way to Caesarea to talk about Israelis who know the bible so well and dig things up all the time. Which is true. I’m going downstairs after I post this to do some digging myself.

And here’s Haggee’s speech in full, if he happens to be your cup of tea.

And here is an excerpt of Rabbi Riskin’s speech, with a teary-eyed Beck introducing him:

And here is Jon Voight, who came all the way to Caesarea to talk about Israelis who know the bible so well and dig things up all the time. Which is true. I’m going downstairs after I post this to do some digging myself.

And here’s Haggee’s speech in full, if he happens to be your cup of tea.

http://972mag.com/watch-john-hagee-at-glenn-beck-event-%E2%80%9Ci-am-israeli%E2%80%9D/


Ami Kaufman was chief night editor for Haaretz, for the prominent Israeli financial daily Calcalist, and correspondent on Israeli affairs for 93.6 RAM FM. His interest in food and cooking led to culinary studies and a brief stint in the restaurant business.

Ami lives in Bat Yam with his wife and two daughters. In his spare time he blogs at Half & Half.

Brainwashed Christian Zionist extremists support for Israel

Christian Zionist Group Criticized for Unconditional Support of Israel

The Christian Post > World|Tue, Jul. 17 2007 08:57 AM EDT

 

By Ethan Cole | Christian Post Reporter

WASHINGTON – A well-known, outspoken group of Christian Zionists is being criticized by an ecumenical organization of churches for its “uncritical” support of Israel, as it kicked-off the first day of its annual gathering in the nation’s capital on Monday.

 

The National Council of Churches USA (NCC), a coalition of 35 denominations representing 45 million members, says many Christians have a different opinion of Israel than Pastor John Hagee’s Christians United for Israel (CUFI).

Among the points of contention is CUFI’s “uncritical” support for the State of Israel based on a literal reading of biblical apocalyptic texts, argues NCC.

“John Hagee’s message differs greatly with what theologians have taught for centuries,” said Dr. Antonios Kireopoulos, NCC’s associated general secretary for International Affairs and Peace, in a statement.

And “CUFI stands apart from the historic Churches still present in the Holy Land,” he added. “All of these Churches serve Palestinian Christians, who are adversely affected by the policies supported by Hagee and CUFI. As a result of these policies, Christian communities in the Holy Land are diminishing and are threatened with extinction."

Pastor John C. Hagee is the founder and senior pastor of the Cornerstone Church in San Antonio, Texas – a non-denominational evangelical church with over 18,000 members. He has received numerous recognitions for his vocal support of Israel, believing that Jews continue to be favored by God by grace despite their unbelief in Jesus.

Hagee rejects the replacement theory which says that the new covenant presented in the New Testament given to the Church replaces the old covenant given only to Israel.

While the NCC noted that its members also support Israel, it is critical of the Israel-occupied Palestinian territories. NCC advocates for a two-state solution of a secure Israel alongside a Palestinian state.

“Only a just solution will bring peace to the Middle East,” said Kireopoulos.

A fairly new critic of Israel, who previously had a history of strong support, has also been expressing her opposition to Christians giving “blind support” to the country when it is wrong.

Award-winning talk show host Janet Parshall has criticized Israel’s parliament for condemning groups that share the Gospel. The Knesset Christian Allies Caucus – a group in the Israeli parliament that seeks to build cooperation between the parliament and Christian leader – does not associate with groups that share the gospel of Jesus Christ.

In addition, an Israeli political party had introduced a legislation in the Knesset which would punish someone for sharing the Gospel in Israel for up to a one-year prison sentence.

“I thought, wait a minute, we can’t just blindly support Israel,” she said, according to OneNewsNow.com.

Parshall subsequently withdrew from speaking at a Jerusalem conference sponsored by the Knesset Christian Allies Caucus.

Christian Zionists are often characterized by “a kind of blind support that says no matter what Israel does, Israel can do no wrong,” noted Parshall.

“I don’t believe that of our government and I certainly don’t believe that of the Israeli government. And friends tell friends, in love, when they see things that they think are wrong,” she added.
Christians are arguably Israel’s strongest and most vocal supporters in the world with American evangelicals making up 1/3 of American tourists that visit Israel, second only to American Jews.
CUFI is hosting its 2nd annual Israel/Washington DC Summit July 16-19. Pro-Israel churches, ministries, and individuals will hear from speakers such as Sen. Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut, former speaker of the house Newt Gingrich, and former Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. The gathering will also include a lobby day on Capitol Hill for participants to meet their representatives to press for support of Israel.

http://www.christianpost.com/news/christian-zionist-group-criticized-for-unconditional-support-of-israel-28481/

American Christians Ready To Sell Out Their Faith and even kill for permission to settle in the West Bank

Posted by Diego On Sunday, April 17, 2011 

The Palestine Post reports that The Israeli media has revealed that 1000 Christian Americans have submitted applications for Israeli citizenship and permission to settle in the occupied West Bank. In return, they have said that they will convert to Judaism and serve in Israel's occupation army. 

According to a report in the Hebrew newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, a group made up of hundreds of US citizens presented their request to the Israeli MP Lian Shem Tov. 
 
During her meeting with the group's representative, Baruch Abramovich, who is active in Judaizing Christians and taking them to Occupied Palestine, the MP pledged to assist the Americans and support their application to the Israeli government.
According to Abramovich, this group has "no political ambitions, but wants to be part of Israel".  He added that, "bringing these Americans would contribute to the development of the West Bank as part and parcel of the State of Israel, and to the development of the economy and even the Israeli army."

The newspaper reported that Shem Tov has presented the American project to the so-called Shomron Regional Council and exerted efforts to push the idea. She has also organized a meeting between the Council and the group's representatives to discuss the request in detail.

http://windowintopalestine.blogspot.com/2011/04/american-christians-ready-to-sell-out.html