Category Archives: Articles

Channel 4 distorts Middle East history

The Promise

4-part drama on Channel 4 (UK television)

This drama will, I’m sure be well produced and eminently watchable. Produced by Channel 4, It’s about a young woman who goes to Israel with a friend who’s about to do military service. Shortly before she goes, she and her mother discover a diary kept by her grandfather about his time in Palestine just after the war when the British Mandate Powers were still doing all they could to hinder the Jewish homeland that they were mandated to facilitate. (My own uncle and the father of one of my good friends were there.)

On Channel 4’s website, Lindsey Hilsum has produced a summary of the conflict in which she airbrushes out:

  • The League of Nations Mandate;
  • UN Resolution 181, its acceptance by Jewish leaders and rejection by Arab leaders
  • The Arab League’s calls for Arab Palestinians to leave their homes whilst Arab armies destroyed Israel and murdered her Jewish inhabitants – which led to the Palestinian refugee problem
  • Arab League unprovoked invasion of Israel in 1948.
  • Arab aggression against Israel from1948-1967
  • Nasser’s aggression against Israel which led to 1967 war
  • Arab aggression which led to 1973 war

Continue reading Channel 4 distorts Middle East history

Israel's fire

From our friends at Methodist Friends of Israel :

Today, 9th Dec, is the last day of Chanukah. From the Hebrew word for “dedication” or “consecration”, Chanukah marks the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem (Second Temple) after its desecration by the forces of the Seleucid King of Syria Antiochus IV Epiphanes and commemorates the “miracle of the container of oil”. According to the Talmud, at the re-dedication following the victory of the Maccabees over the Seleucid Empire, there was only enough consecrated olive oil to fuel the eternal flame in the Temple for one day. Miraculously, the oil burned for eight days, which was the length of time it took to press, prepare and consecrate fresh olive oil.

Normally a time of great rejoicing, this year Chanukah has been marred by the disastrous fire that has raged on Mount Carmel. It has not been particularly well reported in our media so many folk do not understand the full horror of the event.

There has been no reasonable amount of rain in Israel for about 8 months so everywhere is tinder dry. The cause of the fire is still being investigated. At present there are at least 2 conflicting possibilities:

Continue reading Israel's fire

Press Release: Atrocities highlight real reasons for decline

Anglican Friends of Israel is horrified by the latest atrocity committed by Islamist Jihadists against the Christians of Iraq.

The terrorists hypocritically claim that they have murdered dozens of Christians in defence of 2 Egyptian Coptic women allegedly being held against their will by their families having converted willingly to Islam.

In fact Barnabas Fund reports frequent kidnappings of Egyptian Christian women by Egyptian Muslims.   The women are then pressured or forced to convert to Islam and marry Muslim men.

The siege of Our Lady of Salvation Catholic Church is the latest atrocity in an ongoing war against Middle Eastern Christians by Islamic terrorists and highlights the absurdity of recent claims by Middle Eastern Catholic leaders that Israel’s existence is the reason for the decline in Christian numbers across the Middle East.

Anglican Friends of Israel calls for the Pope to dissociate himself swiftly from the political and theological attacks on the Jewish state by Catholic bishops, and to recall how very recently the Catholic Church apologised for its former persecution of Jews and renounced the Replacement Theology that persuaded so many Christians that hatred of Jews was acceptable.

AFI responds to Archbishop's statement

Speaking to the Governing Body of Church of Wales on 22 September 2010, the Most Rev Dr Barry Morgan offered commentary about Israeli policies in the Gaza Strip that portrays the state of Israel in an unduly harsh light and downplays the threat posed by extremists in that territory. Anglican Friends of Israel is compelled to respond to these statements and provide some badly needed context.

“Now is not the time for one-sided polemic,” said Simon McIlwaine, co-director of Anglican Friends of Israel. “As negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian leadership in the West Bank proceed we need measured and responsible commentary from our leaders.”

Anti-Semitism

At the beginning of his commentary on the Gaza Strip, the Archbishop attempts to inoculate himself from charges of anti-Israel bias by warning his audience “Now I realise, that whenever I say anything about this matter, I will be accused of being anti-Semitic, but our own Prime Minister has described Gaza as a prison camp.”

Here, the Archbishop raises a central issue of the Arab-Israeli conflict – anti-Semitism – in a very offhand way. While Most Rev Dr Morgan does affirm Israel’s right to defend itself against rocket attacks from Hamas, he fails to acknowledge that that Hamas is an explicitly anti-Semitic organization that at the very least seeks to exercise a veto over the Jewish right to self-determination.

Hamas’ anti-Semitic ideology pre-existed the blockade, which has been lessened in recent weeks by the Israeli government. Hamas’ attacks against Israel are not merely motivated by a desire to end the blockade, but to deprive the Jewish people of their ability to enjoy a national life of their own.
Clearly, anti-Semitism plays a significant role in fomenting violence against Israel in the Middle East. Israel’s adversaries throughout the Middle East speak about Israel and Jews as a cancer on the body politic in the Middle East.

Anyone intent on offering a word of peace must acknowledge and lament – if not condemn – this reality. Sadly, the Archbishop does not, but instead deals with the issue of anti-Semitism in a flip manner.

Palestinian Responsibility

The suffering of the people living in the Gaza Strip is genuine and indeed, Israel does bear some measure of responsibility for this suffering. Israeli journalists have long documented the suffering of the Palestinians .

The Archbishop’s commentary about the Gaza Strip, however, portrays Palestinian misdeeds as rooted entirely in Israeli policies. He states “the longer things continue as they are then moderate, ordinary Palestinians become more resentful and are in danger of being radicalised.”

The process of radicalisation began long before the blockade he condemns. Palestinian textbooks and newspapers have been portraying Jews as monsters for years. Anti-Jewish blood libels appeared on state-run television in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip before, during and after the negotiations at Camp David which ended in violence at the start of the Second Intifada in 2000.

The Archbishop describes the devastation in the Gaza Strip without acknowledging the role Hamas played in bringing the destruction about. Hamas has used schools, mosques and even hospitals for military purposes which under international law renders them legitimate military targets.

History has shown that isolating tyrannical regimes such as Hamas results in civilian suffering. The Church of Wales has laudably attempted to minimize this suffering, but so has the State of Israel allowing an increased flow of goods into the Gaza Strip in the weeks prior to Archbishop Morgan’s statements.

Ultimately, the responsibility for the disruption of daily life in the Gaza Strip lies with Hamas. By way of comparison, daily life in the West Bank, which has not been the source of rocket attacks, is improving – with Israel’s cooperation.

Life in the Gaza Strip under Hamas control has proven to be violent and unpredictable. Hamas has murdered its political opponents, threatened its critics and stolen humanitarian aid shipped in from outside. It has even stolen fuel intended for hospitals. The Archbishop mentions none of this, but instead blames the suffering in the Gaza Strip entirely on Israel. The Archbishop also inaccurately asserted that “no building supplies are allowed into Gaza.” In fact, a shipment of building supplies as allowed into the territory just days before the Archbishop offered his commentary. These supplies are intended for the repair of a waste treatment plant in Gaza City.

“The Archbishop is right to be outraged at the suffering and privation endured by the inhabitants of the Gaza Strip,” McIlwaine said. “He is wrong, however, to place the blame for this suffering entirely on Israel.”

Despite the difficulties, the situation is clearly improving.  The increased flow of goods into the Gaza Strip from Israel has made smuggling goods from Egypt unprofitable. In fact, goods are now flowing from Gaza into Egypt through the tunnels. Reuters states that ‘A United Nations report in August said the volume of supplies to Gaza now averaged 1,006 truckloads a week, up 80 percent since June.’ Clearly, conditions in the Gaza Strip had improved dramatically weeks before the Archbishop leveled his criticism.

Ignores Israeli Experience

The Archbishop also endorses the Kairos Palestine Document issued on 11 December 2009 and a resolution recently enacted by the Methodist Church in England which state “that the key hindrance to security and a lasting peace for all in the region is the occupation of Palestinian territory by the State of Israel.”

Israeli experience indicates otherwise. Israel’s withdrawal from the Gaza Strip in 2005 was met the following year with the kidnapping of Corporal Gilad Shalit (who is still being held) and by thousands of rocket attacks. Moreover, during the Second Intifada, many of the suicide bombers that killed Israeli civilians originated from those areas of the West Bank from which Israel had withdrawn its soldiers in the 1990s.

By endorsing the Kairos Palestine Document, the Archbishop is affirming a text that speaks of Palestinian terrorism as “legal resistance.”

The Archbishop also ignored the attacks that led to the construction of the security barrier. The barrier does indeed cause great problems for Palestinians in the West Bank, but it also stopped the suicide attacks originating from this territory.

“In his statement, the Archbishop asserted no one denies Israel’s right to defend itself,” McIlwaine said, “but that’s what the International Court of Justice did when it called on Israel to dismantle the barrier.”

Troubling Theology

Possibly the most troubling aspect of the Archbishop’s statement is his demand that Israel must behave in a morally pure manner because of its status as a Jewish state. The Archbishop asserts that if the modern state of Israel “claims to be the homeland for the ancient Jewish people of God [it] must take seriously this vocation as the paradigm nation where justice and wisdom are seen to be done.”

To buttress his claim, the Most Rev Dr Morgan invokes a essay by Archbishop Rowan Williams titled “Holy Land and Holy People.” Unlike Archbishop Morgan’s testimony, Archbishop Williams acknowledges that the ability of modern Israel to serve as a paradigm nation is hindered when it is subject to relentless hostility. The 2004 essay states “Without stable and agreed borders, neither internal stability nor the universal service of external witness to justice can be sustained. The land becomes a prison, not a gift. The state of Israel has had to sustain its existence against enemies who would not grant its right to exist.”

Archbishop Morgan insists that Israel’s legitimacy is contingent on how well it adheres to the demands of being a “paradigm nation.” This is patently discriminatory. Such demands are targeted at no other nation in the world, especially not the Palestinians.

“The landscape of the Anglican Communion is littered with activists and commentators who have allowed their legitimate concern for the Palestinian people drive them into making some very one-sided and discriminatory remarks about Israel,” McIlwaine said. “We can do better.”

The Church of England's Palestinian narrative

A response from Anglican Friends of Israel

In July 2010 the Church of England updated the list of resources which formed part of the appendices for its 2001 report DEMANDING PEACE: A CHURCH RESPONSE TO THE AL-AQSA INTIFADA.   This list included books, organisations and travel companies was compiled for use by clergy and lay people wanting to understand the conflict both from a historical and contemporary context.
A brief glance at the list reveals an almost uncritical acceptance of the Palestinian narrative – Palestinian victimhood and Israeli aggression.  Most organisations and books listed present Palestinians as having neither agency nor responsibility over their circumstances.  Arab anti-semitism and Muslim aggression towards Arab Christians is ignored and Jewish Israelis presented as colonial interlopers whose presence is the cause of the conflict.
One might think that a Christian Church would sympathise with Israel, the one small island of freedom in a sea of despotic states, the one Middle Eastern with a free press and vibrant public discourse, the one nation in the Middle East that attempts to enshrine in law the rights of women, homosexual people and minority religions.
Sadly that would be a mistake.  Archbishop Williams may claim that he supports the right of Israel to exist.  But the majority of organisations and authors on this resource list don’t share his view.
Perhaps, too a Christian Church should take seriously the overarching Scriptural theme that God would one day bring His covenant people back to their Promised Land from the four corners of the earth.
But Archbishop Williams has dismissed that approach as aberrant .  And his description is mild compared to how some of the authors on the booklist describe Christians who take their Scriptures seriously.
Below is a sampling of what an Anglican dipping into this cauldron of resources might find.  It makes distasteful reading.
It is time for Anglican leaders to admit that Israel, besieged by regional enemies, exists under a state of war brought about by Arab aggression.
They should understand that criticising Israeli actions and policies whilst remaining silent about Arab aggression and anti-Semitism is hypocrisy – particularly in the context of far greater human rights abuses elsewhere in the region and in the world.  The sheer disproportion of criticism against Israel is beyond reason.
Finally they should acknowledge that their criticisms of Israel are directed solely at her Jewish citizens, not Christian or Arab Israelis who are assumed to be victims of the Jewish state as well.
And they should beware, reflecting on centuries of institutional Christian anti-Semitism, and how long such institutional racism can take to be purged.
Christian organisations that embrace uncritically the so called ‘Palestinian narrative’ of the conflict and its history

Living Stones – founded by late Professor Michael Prior, hater of Israel and opponent of Israel as a homeland for Jewish people.
Pax Christi – whose website promotes the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, whose members help organise demonstrations in which marchers carry placards proclaiming ‘We are all Hizbollah now!” and whose members have tried to drive the Jewish Israeli shop ‘Ahava’ out of business.
Quaker Ecumenical Accompaniers.  Quakers – supposedly pacifist – regularly permit their premises to be used by jihadist speakers and their supporters for demonising Israel.
Amos Trust (Just Peace for Palestine) which – amongst other distortions – airbrushes out the millennia-old Jewish roots in the region portraying Jewish Israelis as interlopers and colonialists and at the same time ignores Arab aggression towards Jews.
Sabeel – Naim Ateek’s organisation which promotes the Palestinian narrative within the framework of Liberation Theology.
Non-Christian Palestinian Organisations

The Palestinian Centre for Rapprochement between people has a media arm, International Middle East Media Center which describes those who recently murdered four Israeli civilians as they travelled to their homes and wounded two more as ‘Palestinian Fighters’.
Jewish organisations that oppose Israeli defence policies

Jews for Justice for Palestinians – implacably opposed to any form of Israeli defence against Arab terrorism
Btselem – an Israeli organisation which interprets all Israeli defensive actions as aggression whilst minimising Israel’s concerns about continuous Arab aggression.  NGO Monitor reports that ‘in April 2010, B’Tselem staff member and NGO activist Lizi Sagie resigned after the organization came under pressure for statements made on her personal blog, including: “The IDF Memorial Day is a pornographic circus of glorifying grief and silencing voices,” “Israel is committing Humanity’s worst atrocities…Israel is proving its devotion to Nazi values…Israel exploits the Holocaust to reap international benefits.”’
Rabbis for Human Rights – promotes a narrative of Palestinian victimhood and Jewish injustice, ignoring Arab aggression and Israeli security concerns.
Christian organisations that attempt a balanced approach

Forum for discussion of Israel and Palestine – some excellent articles.
Prayer for Peace.org – Tony Higton attempts a balanced approach and has an admirably detailed history of the region which denies neither Jewish nor Arab history in the Holy Land.
International Centre for Bethlehem  now called Diyar – whilst attributing Palestinian problems to ‘the occupation’  (and understandably silent about the pressure placed on Palestinian Christians by their Muslim neighbours and authorities) Diyar does acknowledge that Palestinians must see themselves as having agency to improve their lives rather than wallow in victimhood.
Musalaha.org – does admirable work promoting honest and painful dialogue between Messianic Jewish and Arab Christian communities.   Makes a real attempt at impartiality although their newsletters quite often focus upon Palestinian perspectives of injustice and victimhood rather than the Arab aggression which is a major factor at the heart of the conflict.
Books

Most of the books on the list present only the Palestinian narrative.   This is not the balanced approach that we expect from  the Anglican authorities. One notable exception is The Palestine-Israeli Conflict’, Rabbi Prof Dan Cohn-Sherbok & Dr Dawoud El-Alami .

This is the only example of any resource which gives a voice to an Israeli who dissents from the Palestinian narrative.

Anglican leaders claim they have left Supercessionist (Replacement) Theology behind.  Yet this booklist recommends several authors whose approach to the conflict is framed firmly within the paradigm of Replacement Theology, such as:
Stephen Sizer  (2)
Naim Ateek  of Sabeel
Colin Chapman (2)
Michael Prior  (see previous notes)
It even recommends a book by the discredited ex-bishop of Jerusalem Bishop Riah, currently under investigation for the misappropriation of $1.5 million paid in school fees.
The list includes several books that insult Christians who support the Jewish people’s right to self-determination on their ancient homeland and/or view the restoration of the Jewish people to the land convenanted to them by God, characterising them as heretics and warmongers.