How Evangelicals betray Christians in the Holy Land

Palestinian Christians have been disappearing from the Holy Land for decades, even though this region is where Christianity began. So what’s going on?

Dena Takruri goes to Bethlehem to ask the Palestinian Christians who remain. She only speaks to Trinitarian Christians, of which she finds the Roman Catholics and the Lutheran Church. For many Christians, it would be a whole issue when Bethlehem would be a city without Christians. But more people are going to live outside Palestine, and leave the congregation in Bethlehem letting them wonder if there would still be Christians in 20 or 30 years time. This when we know that around 1900 11% of the population was Christian. That’s now down to less than 2% in all of Israel and the occupied territories. In Bethlehem today 12% is Christian, feeling themselves also living under oppression. The pastor telling that the quality of life is very difficult.

The pastor in the video says

“Maybe we get it wrong about Palestine and Israel. And it is through misconception that this is a conflict between Jews and Muslims, as if we’recaught in the middle.

We may not forget those Palestinian Christians were part of the Palestinian Movement for Liberation.

1:35 Why have so many Christians left Bethlehem? 2:21 How Israel’s occupation affects Christians 5:53 What the West gets wrong about the Holy Land 7:17 This Christian family is fighting Israel to keep their land 11:18 A pastor’s prayer to end the occupation

We think the only working solution would be to come to a two-state solution or a federation of states, like we can find such federations in the European Union (Switzerland, Germany and Belgium).

But first of all, right-wing extremist Jews will have to be persuaded to return the wrongfully confiscated property to its rightful owners (Palestinians).

Second, the Israelis will have to tear down the dividing wall that was built and should help rebuild the previously destroyed cities.

We should not overlook the fact that there are also plenty of Jews, Muslims, Christians and non-believers who are against the current rule of the right-wing government which over the years has created an apartheid regime and fostered hatred by harshly oppressing a particular people (the Palestinians).

Continuing the video above Dena Takruri looks at the biggest supporters of Israel in her own country, the United States of America, who are not necessary American Jews. She finds there the American Evangelical movement, which fights for Israel without looking at the facts, and supporting the ones who are suppressing the Palestinian Christians.

For millions of American evangelical Christians, supporting Israel is a core part of their faith. Not all evangelical Christians believe that God gave Israel to the Jewish people, but the ones that do so, their voices are often the loudest and most influential. John Hagee on the Title deed to the land of Israel says it is

recorded in the Bible, which give the Jewish people a clear and unclouded title to that land forever.

He even goes so far to say

“It belongs to them only.”

Though nowhere in the scriptures is said that the region which Israel claims to be her land, they would be the only owners there.

According to those Christian Zionists the Bible commands them to support and defend the modern-day state of Israel. Like other Christians they are convinced that the founding of the State of Israel in 1948 was in accordance with Bible prophecy.

They believe Israel needs to exist, so that the “end times” prophecies and return of Jesus Christ are guaranteed. For those American believers, the eschatological “Gathering of Israel” is a prerequisite for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, which they want to see happening soon.

Those Americans, often right-wing Americans, are like their right-wing Jewish counterparts, not willing to accept that other people would be allowed to claim pieces of land in Israel. Some forget that this would also mean they are not allowed to come to live over there. Though, there are American Evangelicals and fundamentalists who went to live in Israel and try to convert Jews to their Trinitarian Christianism. some of them even harass certain Jews and especially the Jews who believe and follow Christ, but keep worshipping the Only One True God, the God of Christ Who is the God of Abraham.

But what does that support, from those American Evangelicals, mean for people who share their religion but live under Israeli occupation?

Dena talks to Palestinian Christians, like Sharon Sanders, about the evangelical Christian Zionist movement. Lots of organisations, like hers (CFI = Christian Friends of Israel) specifically raise money for Israeli settlements, even when they are made on lands that belonged to others. Lots of money goes so to the occupied West Bank, which is illegal under international law.

“We’re talking about millions of dollars and political support that is used to my oppresion.”

says the Lutheran Palestinian pastor Munther Isaac who lives in Bethlehem.

Illegal Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank

All believers in God should remember what the Bible tells about the necessity of keeping relationships in line with the commandments of God. An occupation that is now over 50 years old, means several Palestinians have never known freedom.

When you support a specific state who has racist policies and is enforcing an apartheid state, that would be unbiblical in my mind, right?

Rightly questions John Munayer, a Palestinian theologian.

American Evangelicals may say they use the same Bible, but they really do not read or study that whole Bible, but take some parts of it to use as a weapon against people who think differently than them and against those Christians and Muslims who live in Palestine.

Luckily we may find that not all American churches support the attitude of the American evangelicals and how Israel treats the Palestinians. Several are in support of Palestine.

American churches in support of Palestine

Evangelicals believe wrongly that when Jews fully control the land, Jesus will return to earth and rapture Christians to heaven, so that it shall be for them a time of ecstasy and joy, excitement and glory, them not being around for the tribulation period. Nowhere it says in the Bible that Christians would be saved, not having to live in the time when the end comes over the world. The evangelical pastor Greg Laurie let his followers believe

If you’re a Christian, you will be not around for the tribulation period. You’ll be safely in heaven.

We are afraid that is not Biblical. The Bible warns us for the coming difficult time which all people living at that time shall have to endure, believers as well as non believers. We shall not be able to escape the great tribulation. In case a Christian would still be alive when World War III begins, he or she shall see the horror of that war. There are also people going to survive that greatest war of all. Therefore, Jesus shall call the living and the death to him to be judged. The surviving Christians make a good chance to join those believers who are restored to life. Those who died before shall not be in heaven already. No, they first shall have to come, like everybody, in front of the judgement-seat of Christ.

0:50 What is Christian Zionism? 1:49 Why this American Christian has devoted her life to helping Israel 2:40 Christian Palestinians react to Christian Zionists 4:06 What some evangelicals believe the Bible says about the “end times” 7:01 Who’s behind the most powerful Christian Zionist organization? 9:04 Why do Christian Zionists support Israel’s oppression?