US Christians support for Palestinians welcomed
By Hamza A. Bajwa
Over 30 evangelical leaders in the United States have called for justice by challenging the stance of pro-Israel "Christian Zionists" this week.
They have said that the adoption of an anti-criticism policy towards the state of Israel by some hard-lined evangelicals has created a bad image of many US Christians.
The pro-Israeli evangelicals have claimed a biblical justification for their absolute support which includes the denunciation of all critics while urging Israel not to evacuate its territorial annexation programme.
In response 34 prominent evangelical leaders sent their President George Bush a letter stating both Israelis and Palestinians had "legitimate rights stretching back for millennia to the lands of Israel/ Palestine" and that the creation of a Palestinian state needed to include "the vast majority of the West Bank".
They said that befriending Israel "does not mean withholding criticism when it is warranted".
Ronald Sider, president of Evangelicals for Social Action said that although the group was "committed to the security of Israel" it seeks "a solution that is viable".
He said: "We think it's crucial that the Muslim world realise that there are evangelical Christians in the US in large numbers that want a fair solution."
Sider said the letter would be translated into Arabic and distributed in the Middle East and Europe.
The Reverend Joel Hunter, senior pastor of Northland Church in Longwood, Florida, said: "There is a part of the evangelical family which is what I call Christian Zionists, who are just so staunchly pro-Israel that Israel and their side can do no wrong, and it's almost anti-biblical to criticise Israel for anything. But there are many more evangelicals who are really open and seek justice for both parties."
But evangelicals like Reverend John Hagee, founder of Christians United for Israel, responded saying: "Bible-believing evangelicals will scoff at that message."
"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."
Ismail Patel, Chair of Palestinian campaign group Friends of Al-Aqsa, welcomed the move by the "moderate evangelicals" and believed it would help Muslims and Christians collectively move towards a viable solution for the region.
"The misrepresentation of mainstream Christianity by the extremist evangelical sects has given rise to added tensions between the US and the Muslim world… It is clear that extremist evangelicals are promoting violence for their own ends and their influence on Middle East region must be tapered for there to be any chance of a peaceful ends," he told The Muslim Weekly.
He said a "viable" solution lay in a "one state solution for all its citizens - Jewish, Christian and Muslim - based on equality and democracy and the rule of law".
He added: "It is important to ensure that Christians, Muslim and Jewish people all work together to bring about a peaceful solution to the conflict, and not allow ourselves to be manipulated into divided quarters. Ultimately, we all share rights to the Holy Land."
US Christians support for Palestinians welcomed
Author