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July 08, 2004
Israel, the Republicans, and the Religious Right
As many of you no doubt know, a significant portion of Republican support for Israel is a result of Christian fundamentalism. This isn't about any fondness for Israel as such, or for Jews in general, but rather because of fundamentalist apocalyptic beliefs. They think that the end of the world is coming, and as part of this they think that there has to be a state of Israel in existence. That Israel, according to their (somewhat tortured) reading of the Revelation of John, will be destroyed, and the Jews will all convert to Christianity as a result. (Simplistic, but no more simplistic than the economic views of the GOP.)
I've been arguing with Alex about this for some time. He seems, in my opinion, entirely too comfortable with a Republican Party that bases its support of Israel not on the grounds of traditional Democratic support but rather on weird right-wing Christian grounds. I can't imagine being comfortable with this group of Christian Zionists, which include some of the most reactionary elements of the Religious Right.
But let's leave that aside. Let's look at the consequences of an Israel policy based upon Christian millenarianism. Consider, for example, the story of Eliot Abrams and the Christian Zionists. Abrams, the NSC's top man on the Middle East, had to go sit down with a bunch of fundamentalists to assure them that if the Israeli government withdrew from Gaza it wasn't a violation of the Covenant or something, and that there weren't any important religious sites in Gaza. The group he met with -- the "Apostolic Congress" -- believes that if Israel withdraws from Gaza Jesus won't come back.
Look, there's no question but that any sort of peace settlement is going to involve Israel giving up any claim to Gaza. (Most Israelis don't even want Gaza.) But here's a significant portion of the President's base saying that they can't support Gaza withdrawal proposed by the Sharon government.
The fact is, leaving aside the Christian Zionist beliefs about the "complete Israel" (and a literal reading of the Bible would mean that Israel would not only have to control all of the current state, including the West Bank and Gaza, but most of Jordan and much of Syria) there's an important point to consider here. The majority of Israelis want peace. Most Americans want peace in the region. These people, the people the Bush Administration is sucking up to, are actively opposed to peace.
Remember, they want Israel to exist so it can be destroyed. A secure Israel at peace with its neighbors isn't what they want. They want an Israel surrounded by enemies. They want Israel to try and control the full extent of the ancient claim, and then for the Arabs to invade Israel and destroy it. That this isn't good for Israelis, or anybody else, doesn't enter into it. They're trying to force a prophesy to come to pass. Millions will die? Heck, they want the whole world to be destroyed.
Now, does this sound like a group of people you want on your side? Of anything?
Posted by Mac Thomason at July 8, 2004 10:25 AM
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Comments
Did you have to explain it so succintly? I was perfectly happy with everyone else's obfuscation. Jeez, no sleeping for me tonight.
Posted by: Vicki at July 8, 2004 02:45 PM
Damn, Mac. I hope this is humor, because otherwise you have officially joined the foil hat brigade.
Posted by: Tatterdemalian at July 9, 2004 10:21 AM
I'm not saying that all Republicans think that way, or even that most Republicans think that way. But some do, and are pretty unapologetic about it. They aren't, by and large, the people in the power structure, but they're a large piece of the Republican base.
Posted by: Mac Thomason at July 9, 2004 10:39 AM
I know there are some. But I think you need to give me stats if you're going to claim they're a large part of the Republican base, Mac. I don't believe they are. I think they're a small fringe.
I've written about how uncomfortable these folks make me. It tends to bring on some acrimonious debate, because then people start in on the "What, you don't like Christians?" thing, and the debate devolves from there.
Posted by: Meryl Yourish at July 10, 2004 10:25 PM
That fundamentalists/evangelicals are a large portion of the Republican base -- that it would be hard for the Republicans to get elected to anything without them -- is pretty well known. I guess the question is how many of that group are really serious about the whole "Israel has to be intact so it can be destroyed in the apocalypse" thing. That I can't say. I'll say that a lot of the leaders of the fundamentalist fringe, including Falwell, Robertson, and LaHaye, are in that group.
Posted by: Mac Thomason at July 11, 2004 12:11 AM
Well, I can tell you that now, when I watch Falwell and Robertson, they no longer tell me I'm going to hell because I'm Jewish.
In fact, I have to admit to watching Robertson's news sometimes, because it's the only pro-Israel station besides Fox. If I'm channel-surfing and that news is on Israel, I tend to stop and breathe a sigh of relief.
I really don't think, though, that the Rapture freaks are W.'s base. I mean, you live in Alabama--how many do YOU know?
Posted by: Meryl Yourish at July 12, 2004 11:16 PM
Well, most of the people I know these days are black, so whatever their beliefs about the end of the world they aren't part of the Bush base. But there are a fair number of Rapture/Left Behind types around here. Like I said, I wouldn't say that they're the entire base, but they're out there.
If you find yourself liking Robertson too much, read one of his books sometime.
Posted by: Mac Thomason at July 13, 2004 09:37 AM