Christian Zionists and the Israeli Army Rabbinate: Ethnic Cleansers?
An article in the Miami Herald last week (March 20), which also appeared in the left-leaning Israeli English language daily Ha'aretz, reported Israeli soldiers being given religious sanction by the army's rabbinate to attack Palestinian Gazans with the fervor of holy warriors on a religious crusade.
Literature passed out to soldiers by the army's rabbinate "had a clear message - we are the people of Israel, we came by a miracle to the land of Israel, God returned us to the land, now we need to struggle to get rid of the gentiles that are interfering with our conquest of the land," the soldier told a forum of Gaza veterans in mid-February, just weeks after the conflict ended.
The good news is that this was disturbing enough to many of these soldiers to make a issue of it. What it highlights, however, particularly when combined with the rising star of right wing politicos Benjamin Netanyahu and Avigdor Lieberman, is that what has always been the center piece of Christian Zionist discourse is increasingly coming to dominate Israeli discourse, as well. The army rabbinate's literature could, in fact, have been written by John Hagee or Mike Evans or any number of Christian Zionists who have always claimed that the land upon which the ancient Israelites built their state continues to belong to the world's Jewish population by divine fiat; all of it, including Gaza.
Biblical Zionism is the firm belief that God chose the Jewish people and bequeathed to them as an everlasting possession the Land of Canaan. . . . Christians must take courageous action to support the return of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel in all its parts . .
</STRONG>- Proclamation of Fourth International Christian Zionist Congress
Despite this belief Christian Zionists have rarely gone where the army rabbinate went. They studiously avoid speaking about "getting rid of" gentiles. The fact that they are gentiles themselves may have something to do with this. But it is also indicative of the ethical dilemma that lies at the heart of Christian Zionist discourse.
As biblical literalists in the most wooden expression of that term Christian Zionists read the prophetic promises of the Hebrew scriptures as uncontestable evidence that God has given the ancient land of Canaan to the Jewish community as an eternal possession. This is non-negotiable, which means that those "gentiles" who currently live on the land within biblical boundaries have no right to be there. At the same time Christian Zionists, being literalists in their reading of the Gospels, recognize that the slaughter of innocents and forced deportation of people from their homes is problematical. They are caught, in other words, between the rock of biblical literalism and the hard place of Christian compassion. And how do they resolve this? By ignoring the dilemma it poses - preferring to say simply (and simplistically): "The land belongs to the Jews" and leave it at that, hoping that political events will work themselves out in their own timely manner (with the help of their militant Zionist heroes).
It's time to call Christian Zionists out on this, to ask the obvious question: do you believe in ethnic cleansing or not? A simple yes or no answer is all that is required here. John Hagee, Mike Evans, Joel Richardson, Pat Robertson: do you believe Israel should "get rid of" the Palestinians, doing a thorough and violent cleansing of the West Bank, Gaza strip and Golan Heights? Do you or don't you? If you don't - please let us know what you do believe. Remember what the Bible says about fence sitters??
John Hubers
Institute for the Study of Christian Zionism
An article in the Miami Herald last week (March 20), which also appeared in the left-leaning Israeli English language daily Ha'aretz, reported Israeli soldiers being given religious sanction by the army's rabbinate to attack Palestinian Gazans with the fervor of holy warriors on a religious crusade.
Literature passed out to soldiers by the army's rabbinate "had a clear message - we are the people of Israel, we came by a miracle to the land of Israel, God returned us to the land, now we need to struggle to get rid of the gentiles that are interfering with our conquest of the land," the soldier told a forum of Gaza veterans in mid-February, just weeks after the conflict ended.
The good news is that this was disturbing enough to many of these soldiers to make a issue of it. What it highlights, however, particularly when combined with the rising star of right wing politicos Benjamin Netanyahu and Avigdor Lieberman, is that what has always been the center piece of Christian Zionist discourse is increasingly coming to dominate Israeli discourse, as well. The army rabbinate's literature could, in fact, have been written by John Hagee or Mike Evans or any number of Christian Zionists who have always claimed that the land upon which the ancient Israelites built their state continues to belong to the world's Jewish population by divine fiat; all of it, including Gaza.
Biblical Zionism is the firm belief that God chose the Jewish people and bequeathed to them as an everlasting possession the Land of Canaan. . . . Christians must take courageous action to support the return of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel in all its parts . .
</STRONG>- Proclamation of Fourth International Christian Zionist Congress
Despite this belief Christian Zionists have rarely gone where the army rabbinate went. They studiously avoid speaking about "getting rid of" gentiles. The fact that they are gentiles themselves may have something to do with this. But it is also indicative of the ethical dilemma that lies at the heart of Christian Zionist discourse.
As biblical literalists in the most wooden expression of that term Christian Zionists read the prophetic promises of the Hebrew scriptures as uncontestable evidence that God has given the ancient land of Canaan to the Jewish community as an eternal possession. This is non-negotiable, which means that those "gentiles" who currently live on the land within biblical boundaries have no right to be there. At the same time Christian Zionists, being literalists in their reading of the Gospels, recognize that the slaughter of innocents and forced deportation of people from their homes is problematical. They are caught, in other words, between the rock of biblical literalism and the hard place of Christian compassion. And how do they resolve this? By ignoring the dilemma it poses - preferring to say simply (and simplistically): "The land belongs to the Jews" and leave it at that, hoping that political events will work themselves out in their own timely manner (with the help of their militant Zionist heroes).
It's time to call Christian Zionists out on this, to ask the obvious question: do you believe in ethnic cleansing or not? A simple yes or no answer is all that is required here. John Hagee, Mike Evans, Joel Richardson, Pat Robertson: do you believe Israel should "get rid of" the Palestinians, doing a thorough and violent cleansing of the West Bank, Gaza strip and Golan Heights? Do you or don't you? If you don't - please let us know what you do believe. Remember what the Bible says about fence sitters??
John Hubers
Institute for the Study of Christian Zionism
