WARNING: This is a high volume ping list
Posted on 10/03/2004 1:04:02 PM PDT by yonif
Led by American evangelist Pat Robertson, thousands of Christian pilgrims gathered in the Holy Land on Sunday to express support for Israel, with hundreds joining a mass prayer session in a Jerusalem park.
The solidarity mission came at a time of high tensions. Israel launched a broad offensive in the Gaza Strip last week following a deadly rocket attack on the southern town of Sderot. More than 50 Palestinians and five Israelis have been killed in the fighting.
The tourists, many from the United States, said they were not frightened by the violence, saying they hope to boost Israeli morale during their visit. Israel has come under tough international criticism during four years of fighting with the Palestinians.
The support was warmly welcomed by Israeli officials, including lawmakers and government representatives who attended Sunday's prayer session.
More than 4,000 people joined this year's annual pilgrimage, about 25 percent higher than the past three years, according to organizers with the International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem.
The visit comes during Sukkot, or Feast of the Tabernacles, a seven-day Jewish holiday the commemorates the 40 years biblical Israelites wandered in the desert after the exodus from Egypt. The holiday is celebrated by some Christians who want to connect with their religion's Jewish roots.
Blowing rams' horns and exclaiming "Hallelujah," hundreds of pilgrims - including visitors from Norway, England and Germany - gathered in downtown Jerusalem to pray for peace and celebrate Israel's unification of the city.
Israel captured east Jerusalem, home to Jewish, Muslim and Christian holy sites, in 1967. It considers the entire city its "eternal capital," despite Palestinian claims to make east Jerusalem the capital of a future state.
"The Bible says that the time to bless Zion has come, and I believe that we have come to bless Zion," Robertson, a prominent American religious broadcaster, told the crowd.
"We have come from all the nations of the earth to say to the people of Israel we are your friends," he said. "We believe that you were called by God to possess this land."
Evangelical Christians are strong supporters of Israel, believing that the return of the Jews to the Holy Land is foretold in the scriptures and heralds the return of the messiah.
While the pilgrims are warmly welcomed in Israel, the belief of some in a final, apocalyptic battle between good and evil in which Jesus returns and Jews either accept him or perish - causes obvious discomfort among Jews.
His passionate address under a hot sun was met often with applause and calls of "amen!" Several pilgrims held their hands in the air during the prayer segment of the gathering.
The politically conservative Robertson, who has made critical statements of Islam in the past, called Israel's Arab neighbors "a sea of dictatorial regimes." He criticized their "suppression of individual liberty and a fanatical religion intent on returning to the feudalism of eighth-century Saudi Arabia."
The Israeli government has forged a close alliance with conservative American Christians in recent years. Evangelical groups have contributed millions of dollars to Israel and lobbied in support of the Israeli government in Washington.
Most of the pilgrims were spending at least 10 days in the country, visiting biblical sites in northern Israel's Galilee, touring Jerusalem's Old City, and being baptized in the Jordan River.
Some also toured Jewish settlements in the West Bank to express their solidarity with residents who have frequently been targeted by Palestinian militants.
Marilyn Henretty, 66, and an Anglican from Annandale, Virginia, blew a long ram's horn throughout the prayer session. She said she was not afraid to be in Israel with the ongoing fighting.
"God said my feet must be in Jerusalem at this feast," said Henretty, a retired public affairs worker at the U.S. Commerce Department.
Outside, Avi Bardugo, a 33-year-old ice cream vendor, looked on with interest as the pilgrims filed out of the park. Many asked him for directions to Jerusalem hotels.
"This helps morally and psychologically," he said. "They are encouraging Israel despite the international criticism."
Ping.
amen Pat!!
This is interesting. My aunt and uncle from the UK are in Israel with a church group right now, not related to Pat Robertson's tour. They might have met up with this large group since they would all be going to the same sites.
heck, if I had the time away from work (and the spare change), I'd love to
take the Medved-led tour:
http://www.yallatours.com/israel/18_medved/index.shtml
(from link at www.michaelmedved.com)
WARNING: This is a high volume ping list
Hey Yonif if you miss the coverage I think Pat Roberston taping for his 700 club program COUNT ON IT
Rack Pat and his group
Thank you Pat and others
Pray for the peace of Jeruselum - ping.
Yerushalayim shel zahav -- blessings to those pilgrims who are visiting her.
I have to admit that this is a good idea.
Hell, I guess even a stopped watch IS right twice a day.
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