Evangelicals back Israel in Washington

[Scurrilous]

<snip>

"Over 4,000 Christians are gathering in Washington this week to advocate for Israel on Capitol Hill.

The fourth annual summit of Christians United for Israel (CUFI) has brought together Christian leaders and supporters of Israel from around the country, starting Monday and continuing through Wednesday.

Founded in 2006 by Pastor John Hagee, the organization is now active in all 50 states and in dozens of countries. Throughout the year it holds local events to educate Christians about Israel, build up their support and raise money for the organization and for charities in Israel.

The Christian Zionist organization cites biblical sources as imperatives for Christians to support and help the Jewish people and the State of Israel. For the first two days of the conference, participants are learning about issues relating to Israel and the Middle East. They will spend Wednesday lobbying their elected officials on Capitol Hill.

The conference features a wide range of leaders and policy experts, including Israel advocate Gary Bauer and Susan Michael, director of the US Branch of the International Christian Embassy, Jerusalem, as well as some of CUFI's religious leadership.

Most of the speakers, however, deal with Israel and Judaism. They include Rabbi Aryeh Scheinberg of San Antonio, Texas; Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi, founder and president of The Israel Project; Congressman Eric Cantor; Malcolm Hoenlein, executive vice chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations; Asaf Shariv, consul-general of Israel in New York; and talk radio host Dennis Prager. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu will also address the conference via satellite."

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Netanyahu lauds new Jewish-Christian ties on Israel

<snip>

"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the growth of Christian support for Israel is a sign of the "changing" relationship between the two religious groups.

"For centuries, the relationship between Christians and Jews was marked by conflict rather than partnership and friendship," the Israeli leader said in a speech via satellite to the Christians United for Israel conference in Washington. "But this is changing. A new chapter in the relationship between us is now being written.

"Today millions of Christians stand with Israel because they stand for freedom, millions of Christians stand with Israel because they stand for truth, millions of Christians stand with Israel because they want to see a genuine peace in the Holy Land," said Netanyahu, who received a thunderous standing ovation when he appeared initially on the video screen.

Welcoming the prime minister, CUFI founder and chairman Pastor John Hagee told him that "50 million Christians" support "Israel's sovereign right to grow and develop the settlements of Israel as you see fit and not yield to the presssure of the United States government."

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[Scurrilous]

1. TPM Photo Features: The Second Coming of John Hagee

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/photofeatures/2009/07/second-coming-hagee.php?img=1

[IndianaGreen]

2. Led by the homophobe and misogynist John Hagee

He truly belongs with the pro-settlement crowd!

[azurnoir]

3. So far right Christians

are positively enraptured with Israel?

and TIP is right on board with it?

[Violet_Crumble]

4. Nutty and Hagee - they deserve each other n/t

[azurnoir]

5. Perhaps someone should ask Hagee about this

Greek Orthodox patriarch blocks East Jerusalem land confiscation

Jerusalem – Ma’an – Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III has managed to block a recent attempt by Israel's Jerusalem municipality to confiscate 43 dunums of church property near the Beit Safafa village, officials said Saturday.

A Palestinian lawyer representing the patriarch told Ma'an that he presented an appeal against a recent decision taken by an Israeli regional planning committee within the municipality to confiscate Greek Orthodox property in order to expand streets and build public facilities.

http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=214486

[LeftishBrit]

6. Israel needs them like a hole in the head...

and most of them seem to have a hole in the head.

They don't care about Jews, except as pawns in their game of Bring On Armageddon. Dangerous nuts.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

7. I disagree.

I think the American right is the main thing standing between Israel and having to withdraw to some approximation of its own borders.

Most US Jews are reasonably liberal, and there aren't that many of them in any case. The strength of the "pro-Israel" lobby lies in these people, I suspect.

[azurnoir]

8. Their strength lies in the fact that politicians need money

and those that back whatever Israel wants this week get and that don't "back" Israel's wants do not and party affiliation does not matter, its a sort of legalized bribery system

[LeftishBrit]

9. Sorry, may not have been clear..

I meant that the American Christian Right only care about *Israeli* Jews as pawns in their Armageddon game.

Most American (and Israeli and other) Jews certainly do not share the Christian Right agenda. Israel does however need to be careful not to be tempted by the 'Trojan Horse' of 'support' from the Christian Zionists. Just as Palestinians need to be careful not to be tempted by the 'Trojan Horse' of 'support' from the xenophobic-isolationists. Not true friends, in either case.