Good for these Evangelical leaders:
In recent years, conservative evangelicals who claim a Biblical mandate to protect Israel have built a bulwark of support for the Jewish nation — sending donations, denouncing its critics and urging it not to evacuate settlements or forfeit territory.
Now more than 30 evangelical leaders are stepping forward to say these efforts have given the wrong impression about the stance of many, if not most, American evangelicals.
On Friday, these leaders sent a letter to President Bush saying that both Israelis and Palestinians have “legitimate rights stretching back for millennia to the lands of Israel/Palestine,” and that they support the creation of a Palestinian state “that includes the vast majority of the West Bank.”
They say that being a friend to Jews and to Israel “does not mean withholding criticism when it is warranted.” The letter adds, “Both Israelis and Palestinians have committed violence and injustice against each other.”
The letter is signed by 34 evangelical leaders, many of whom lead denominations, Christian charities, ministry organizations, seminaries and universities.
Of course, there are still some Evangelical leaders who argue that Israel should have unfettered power and control over almost any area it pleases because God said so.
“God gave to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob a covenant in the Book of Genesis for the land of Israel that is eternal and unbreakable, and that covenant is still intact,” he said. “The Palestinian people have never owned the land of Israel, never existed as an autonomous society. There is no Palestinian language. There is no Palestinian currency. And to say that Palestinians have a right to that land historically is an historical fraud.”
Sure, if you believe that “history” means “what is politically expedient for me to say God said.” And his requirements for autonomy are… interesting. Does he mean that because there is no language called “Palestinian” that Palestinians don’t have rights to the land they live on? Surely he knows that Palestinians do, in fact, verbally converse and do speak a common language… right? Sadly, I’m not so sure.
While right-wing Evangelical leaders might ramble on about Israel’s right to every piece of land the Bible ever mentioned and cheer-lead a situation that has left Palestinians living as refugees for decades, keep in mind they aren’t doing it out of pure Christian altruism and love for Jews. No, they have their own reasons for supporting Israel’s dominance:
Mr. Hagee and others are dispensationalists, Mr. Weber said, who interpret the Bible as predicting that in order for Christ to return, the Jews must gather in Israel, the third temple must be built in Jerusalem and the Battle of Armageddon must be fought.
Which is a fantastic basis on which to make international policy, no?