So-called "Christian" Zionists

As described in a previous blog, ("Christian Zionist Crusaders" 4/24/06), so-called "Christian" Zionists are anything but Christian. That which they preach and practice is quite the opposite of the teachings of Christ. Indeed, "Christian" Zionist leaders, with their powerful mega-churches and TV empires, can be downright murderous. For instance, Pat Robertson once "advocated the assassination of the president of Venezuela" (Boston Sunday Globe 7/9/06).

Also, at the time of the 2006 Israeli invasion of Lebanon, in which Israel perpetrated its typical collective punishment policy by killing "more than eleven hundred Lebanese, most of whom were civilians and roughly a third of whom were children" (Mearsheimer and Walt The Israel Lobby and US Foreign Policy p. 306), Pat Robertson's response was to oppose a cease fire. ("Pat Robertson Laments Middle East Cease Fire" AP 8/15/06) In addition, CNN reported (1/6/06) that Robertson had claimed that Israeli Prime Minister Sharon's stroke was divine retribution for removing Jewish settlers from Gaza. However, after a threat from Israel to exclude Robertson from involvement in a proposed $50 million tourism site in Israel, Robertson apologized and then worked with the Israeli government to film a TV commercial designed to attract Christian tourists to Israel. (The New York Times 11/14/06) Certainly there are billions of dollars to be made in Holy Land tourism.

A CNN documentary "God's Warriors" (August 2007) highlights thousands of "Christian" Zionists, like a flock of dim-witted sheep, mindlessly waving Israeli flags in the luxurious Texan mega-church of John Hagee. Hagee instructs his flock that the Old Testament claims all of Palestine for the Jews, including all of Jerusalem.

Indeed, "Christian" Zionists derive not only their war-mongering ethics from the Old Testament, but their entire knowledge of Middle East history comes from the Old Testament as well. Thus, they are unaware that when the UN partitioned Palestine in 1947, (see map in Jimmy Carter's book Palestine Peace Not Apartheid p. xiii), Jerusalem was left as an international city since it is holy to three religions. The Palestinian Arabs, who have resided in Palestine for over 1300 years, built the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem in 685. It is the third most holy site in Islam. Yet the brainwashed "Christian" Zionists claim that the Old Testament commands Jews to steal all of Palestinian land. Jesus would puke.

The Bandwagon

Lurking in the background of all societies are would-be war profiteers and looters hoping for war. Since it would be too obvious for them to advocate war by themselves, they perpetually lie in wait for an opportunity to arise. In the case of Iraq, their opportunity was created by Zionist neoconservatives who disseminated fabricated intelligence to make a case for war, a war designed to benefit Israel. (See previous blogs "Why Iraq?" and "Faulty Intelligence" January 2006.) Then, the Israel Lobby, through its control of politicians and the media, promoted the war, brainwashing the American public.

Once the Zionist neocons had started up the war bandwagon, the war profiteers and looters pounced on board. The Zionists knew full well that the WMD pretext was a scam and that toppling Saddam would lead to civil war, but that is precisely what they wanted. (See previous blogs "Civil War Advocates" 4/16/06 and "Muslim vs. Muslim War" 6/4/07.) Once the American public became aware that the US was stranded in an unnecessary civil war which was bankrupting the country, the Israel Lobby shifted the blame to its accomplices, claiming the war was all about looting Iraqi oil.

Certainly, it is true that the oil bill which the Bush administration has been trying to push through the Iraqi legislature is designed to greatly profit US oil companies. Indeed, many claim that Iraqi oil is necessary in the interest of US national security. Yet no one mentions the fact that most countries, who are not joined at the hip to Israel and who, therefore, have friendly relations with Muslim countries, do not have this problem. (See previous blogs "Why They Hate Us" January 2006.) China, for instance, who buys oil from Iran, does not need to invade or occupy Muslim countries to obtain oil. Moreover, China has the wherewithal to buy this oil, whereas, thanks to the Iraq war, we are becoming more in debt to China with every passing minute.

What Really Went Wrong

The Israel Lobby promotes the thesis that the Arab/Muslim nations hate us because, through their own fault, they have a less prosperous and advanced civilization than we do. This thesis conveniently ignores the destabilizing role of Israel in the region.

When the State of Israel was established in Palestine, there was a population of Arab Palestinians there who had lived in Palestine for 1300 years. Then, over 700,000 Arabs were driven out in a process of ethnic cleansing and told they could never return. This was done so that Israel could be a Jewish State not just in name and structure, but in population as well.

Yet, a mass influx of refugees into neighboring countries is intrinsically destabilizing: witness the Iraqi refugee crisis. Many countries simply can not cope. Of course, almost all refugees dream of returning to their homeland and in fact have that right under international law. After 60 years, Palestinian refugees now number around 4 million. Refugees are destabilizing not just because of the demands placed upon the host country for food, housing, jobs, health care, etc., but also because of generated political unrest.

When one country illegally occupies another and drives out its inhabitants, these refugees have the right to fight back. Certainly if the Nazi's had driven us out of our homeland, we would not rest until we returned. Thus, the presence of displaced Palestinians within Lebanon, for instance, has brought about instability and civil wars (which are also fomented by Israel and the Israel Lobby as a matter of policy, as discussed in previous blog "Muslim vs Muslim Wars" 6/4/07). In addition, there have been two Israeli invasions of Lebanon. Indeed, another thesis promoted by the Israel Lobby is that Arab/Muslim countries understand only force. The opposite is true, which is why Israeli hyper-force has only made matters worse. The answer is not force but justice.

Abject Lies

Railroading us into war with Iraq to benefit Israel, President Bush declared that in order to win the war against terror, it was necessary to defeat Saddam Hussein, who had weapons of mass destruction. This was, of course, an abject lie, but it is what the Israel Lobby told him to say. Currently, some presidential candidates are trying to railroad us into war with Iran to benefit Israel. On the CBS Evening News, December 12, 2007, Mitt Romney said, "Iran is a nation which speaks of genocide and is rushing headlong to develop weapons that will allow them to carry it out...." "Iran speaks about giving nuclear material to other groups, not just nations, to other groups that would oppose the West." Rudy Giuliani said, "Iran is moving toward accomplishing the worst nightmare of the Cold War....nuclear weapons in the hands of an irresponsible regime, and then they're threatening the use of these weapons."....Iran "tells us they want to destroy Israel and kind of take us over as well." These candidates' statements are also abject lies but this is what the Israel Lobby tells them to say. We are supposedly trying to spread our democracy around the world, but is our version of democracy worth spreading? Time will tell.