FresnoZionism.org — ציונות פרסנו

Israelis have traditionally been suspicious of Christian attempts to proselytize in Israel. ‘Missionary’ is not a term of approbation in Hebrew. But Israelis are coming to appreciate the friendship offered by Christian Zionists. Author Naomi Leitner is an attorney in Israel.

By Naomi Leitner

It is time for Jews to get over their blanket distrust and wariness of Christianity. Times have changed and Christianity is no longer the preeminent threat that it was to Judaism over the millennia. It is time to move on and face our new enemies, rather than continually fight the last war. Frankly, I am far more fearful of the Islamic Jihadist tugging at his suicide belt than I am of even the most fire-and-brimstone Christian thumping on his Bible.

While there may be a lot to disagree with in any political movement, we need to recall that politics is the art of making alliances and forging bonds to further common causes. One can make common cause even with people with whom one disagrees on extraneous issues. We can agree to disagree on certain issues and work together on others. For instance, my theology about the fate of New Orleans is closer to that of Rabbi Kushner (When Bad Things Happen to Good People) than it is to that of Rev. Hagee – but why does that prevent a meeting of the minds on Israel’s right to exist? Politicians succeed by finding the meetings of the minds on specific issues. And that is the essence of inter-faith alliances.

Speaking of bonds and alliances: we have no other allies. Our numbers are paltry and our enemies numerous. Should we brush away the one hand extended in genuine friendship?

Technorati Tags: Israel, Christian Zionism

Israel must not accept this quietly:

(IsraelNN.com) United States Ambassador Richard Jones will boycott the Jerusalem Day celebrations marking the 40th anniversary of the reunification of Jerusalem this week, according to Israel Radio. In doing so, the U.S. is joining with the member nations of the European Union, who informed the Israeli government via a German representative that they would be avoiding the ceremonies.

The rejections reflect the international community’s concern over the possibility of offending the Palestinian Authority and Israel’s Arab neighbors, who insist that Jerusalem must become the capital of a PA state.

It’s infuriating and painful to see Israel consistently behaving as a supplicant, begging for recognition of her sovereignty. The West treats the dictatorships and absolute monarchies of the Arab nations, as well as the morally bankrupt, kleptocratic and murderous Palestinian leadership with care and respect; but Israel remains illegitimate, her capital not her capital.

In 1967 Israel defeated the Arabs in a war which was intended by them to be a war of annihilation and took back control of Jerusalem from Jordan, which had brutally expelled the city’s Jewish residents in 1948, desecrated her synagogues and cemeteries, and barred entrance to her holy places. Israel later annexed Jerusalem, offering full Israeli citizenship to her Arab residents. Where is the justice in the ‘international community’ demanding that Israel turn her capital over to the Palestinians, whose greatest contribution to history has been the perfection of terrorism as an instrument of policy?

Justice, in this case apparently grows out of a barrel of oil.

Technorati Tags: Israel, Jerusalem, Arabs

David Forman, Jerusalem Post:

Although American Jews have long told themselves that their influence on US foreign policy far outweighs their numbers, they would be mistaken to believe that their sway is unlimited. That would be falling prey to anti-Semitic propaganda that posits that the Jewish lobby wields excessive control over foreign policy – and not just regarding the Middle East…

It is not possible (and it never was) for Zionists to depend on Jewish political influence to promote the interests of Israel in the US. The truth is that

Despite their numerical inferiority, Jews have been a force in the US because of the historical link between Judaism and Christianity, expressed in the Judeo-Christian tradition that forms the basis of Protestantism and Catholicism, the major religious denominations in the US. They have garnered respect because of their active participation in the political system. Indeed, Israel has benefited greatly from American Jews’ active involvement, and counts on the Jewish lobby to advance its causes both within the administration and among the populace.

This link is under attack — Jimmy Carter’s book is a volley in this war — and the growing Arab-American minority is learning how to participate in the system, and how to maximize their influence upon it. They are learning, to a large extent by studying the approaches taken by the Jews. However, they are more focused than Jews today:

It is no longer true that American Jews vote as a bloc regarding issues related to Israel. No longer does Israel dominate their thought processes when they enter the voting booth – primarily because concepts of nation, peoplehood, ethnicity and culture play only a peripheral role in their lives…

…this stands in sharp contrast to the American-Arab community’s voting patterns. Its loyalty to Arab and Islamic causes is unyielding. Simply put, within the American-Arab world there is no debate about Middle East politics as is the case within a very diverse Jewish world.

It seems to me that pro-Israel forces in the US have been myopic in looking primarily to the Jewish community for support. One doesn’t have to be Jewish to understand that Israel is the front line in the struggle between the Western ideals of individual freedom and an Islamic conception that is wholly different, and which is aggressively trying to promulgate itself throughout the world — and particularly in the Christian world.

Christian Zionism, even if it mobilizes only a tiny portion of its huge base, has far more potential to help Israel than the so-called Jewish lobby.

Technorati Tags: Israel, Christian Zionism

Jordan’s King Abdullah will meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday in Ramallah. IsraelInsider writes:

There are unconfirmed reports that Abdullah II, head of the Hashemite Kingdom, is exploring a new confederation linking Jordan and the Palestinian Authority as a run up to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state…

The driving force for the talks from the Jordanian perspective is deep concern about instability in the Hashemite Kingdom as the Palestinian Authority descends into chaos and refugees are expected to flood into Jordan following the start of the anticipated US troop withdrawal from Iraq in the late summer. Jordan evidently believes that a confederate relationship with the PA will lure Israel into a less adversarial position with respect to the Hamas-led Palestinian government, and may even lead to its recognition and lifting of economic sanctions against it.

The reports originated with Debka, a source of uncertain reliability and have been denied by PA and Jordanian officials. Nevertheless, there are good reasons for Abbas to seek a closer relationship with Abdullah. If Israel were to leave tomorrow, either unilaterally or as a result of international pressure (something Abbas believes will happen), an entirely independent territory would likely degenerate into a Gaza-like shambles.

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