On the dangers of 'Christian Zionism'

For those who doubt the dangers of "Christian Zionism," I recommend the writings of Rachel Tabachnick in ZEEK, the hip Jewish journal linked online to The Forward. In "Disenchanting Zionism," she writes of the alliance of right-wing Christian Zionists with Kahanists and other Israeli elements who are displacing Arab residents of East Jerusalem, among other noxious things:

“Israel, the Jewish State, is not a political entity,” describes Gary Cooperberg, the former foreign press spokesperson for Meir Kahane in his 2001 post titled “Biblical Zionism is the Only Path to Peace.” He continues, “It is the beginning of fulfillment of Biblical Destiny. It concerns not only the Jewish People, but all nations of the world. Redemption has clearly begun, and all the nations are being judged by G-d. The nation of Israel too is being judged by how it behaves. The terror we see in Israel today is in direct correlation to the failure of our leaders here to conduct national policy according to Biblical mandates.”...

Gershom Gorenberg cites Kahanist Gary Cooperberg, in his book End of Days: Fundamentalism and the Struggle for the Temple Mount. According to Gorenberg, Cooperberg sent a fax to journalists after fellow Kahanist Baruch Goldstein’s 1994 Purim massacre of 29 Muslim worshippers during prayers at Hebron’s Tomb of the Patriarchs. He stated that Goldstein’s “desperate act of love for his people… will some day be recognized by all Jews as the turning point which brought redemption upon us.” Gorenberg explains that Goldstein had told friends days before the massacre that he had a plan to stop the peace process.

John Hagee [a leading fundamentalist Christian Zionist] describes the murder of Yitzhak Rabin as part of a divinely ordained plan. “The shot that killed Yitzhak Rabin launched Bible prophecy onto the fast track,” he pronounces in his book Beginning of the End, and proceeds to describe those Jews who desire peace as “cultural or ethnic Jews who place no great importance on the religious beliefs of the Jewish people.” Hagee continues with his frequently used narrative that Israel, in its quest for “peace at any price” will “entrust its security to the Antichrist,” therefore partnering in the formation of the the “New World Order.”

It is curious that Jews who would not think of embracing Kahanism will happily endorse the partnership with Christians who promote Kahanists and their own parallel religious fanaticism. ...

Tabachnick goes on to quote a BBC interview with the current non-religious mayor of Jerusalem, Nir Barkat, who curiously uses a Biblical argument to justify new Israeli building projects in disputed East Jerusalem territory. On our recent Meretz USA Israel Symposium, we saw some of the construction projects in evidence; our guide (a progressive Zionist contracted for us by Ir Amim) noted the fresh sidewalks and other amenities for new Jewish residents, in contrast to the general neglect of infrastructure for East Jerusalem Arabs who are routinely denied permits to expand their housing stock.

By way of bringing up the social justice consciousness that still exists among some Zionists, Tabachnick also mentions that a leading Israeli protester for the rights of Palestinians in the embattled West Bank village of Bilin, Didi Remez, is an IDF combat veteran and the scion of an associate of Ben-Gurion who was a minister in Israel's first cabinet. If you have the chance, follow her link to Leon Wieseltier's caustic commentary on the embattled lives of Palestinian families today whose ancestors saved Jews during earlier hostilities.