Posted on 12/03/2009 7:51:48 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
As Sarah Palin begins what at least appears to be a testing—if not a parting—of the waters in anticipation of a potential presidential run, she has waded into the murky stuff that is the Israel/Palestine quagmire.
One of the stops on her “Going Rogue” book promotional tour last week was ABC’s “Good Morning America.” Noting that the Obama administration doesn’t want Israel to build any more settlements on what it considers Palestinian territory, interviewer Barbara Walters asked the former Alaska governor/Vice Presidential candidate for her view. Palin’s response.
The politician responded, “I disagree with the Obama administration on that. I believe that the Jewish settlements should be allowed to be expanded upon because the population of Israel is going to grow. More and more Jewish people will be flocking to Israel in the days and weeks and months ahead. And I don’t think that the Obama administration has any right to tell Israel that the Jewish settlements cannot expand.”
More and more Jewish people flocking to Israel? What’s Palin’s source of information? Since 2002—the year in which the major wave of immigration from the former Soviet Union came to an end—there has been a consistent downward trend in immigration to Israel. By 2006, immigration was down to 1980s levels, during which time 9,000-24,000 people immigrated annually. And in 2008, the number was 13,681, representing the lowest ratio of immigrants to Israelis since the establishment of the State – 1.9 immigrants per 1000 residents.
Palin is perhaps not best known for her close allegiance to the facts. (See, for example, her discussion of health care reform this summer, when she claimed that bureaucrats on “Obama’s ‘death panels’” would “decide, based on a subjective judgment…whether [the old and infirm] are worthy of health care.”)
Meanwhile, her declaration that Jews will flock to Israel “in the days and weeks and months ahead”—plainly at odds with statistical trends—has an eerily familiar ring. In fact, it’s entirely consistent with the belief of “Christian Zionists” that a mass ingathering of Jews to Israel is the necessary prerequisite to the battle of good against evil at Armageddon and the Second Coming of Christ. As Pastor John Hagee, founder of Christians United for Israel (CUFI) puts it, “We are racing to the end of time,” and more Jews (who, Christian Zionists believe, will either convert or face perdition) in all of historic Palestine are a key ingredient to fulfillment of that Biblical prophecy.
Indeed, Sarah Palin’s protest that the Obama administration has no right to oppose settlement expansion loudly resonates with the same approach taken by Christian Zionists. This summer, at CUFI’s conference in Washington, Pastor Hagee addressed Prime Minister Netanyahu—who was in Israel—by satellite, proclaiming that 50 million Christians support “Israel’s sovereign right to grow and develop the settlements of Israel as you see fit and not to yield to the pressure of the United States government.”
Barbara Walters, regrettably, failed to explore Palin’s rationale for the bold assertions she made about Jewish migration to Israel and the need for expanded settlements to accommodate the attendant burgeoning population. Religious beliefs might be their source, or they might not. The explanation, though, clearly doesn’t appear in current real world conditions.
It’s troubling to think that Palin’s policy pronouncements on the Middle East might be even remotely motivated by apocalyptic beliefs. Regardless, her support for expanded settlements in the West Bank is, in fact, an aberrant position: in conflict not only with the sound “freeze settlements, two viable and secure states” policy of the Obama administration, but also at odds with the views of every U.S. administration of the past 40 years.
Expanding the settlements, if not a prelude to Armageddon, at a minimum significantly hampers, and perhaps even destroys any remaining prospect for a just and lasting peace between the Israeli and Palestinian peoples. Going rogue in the West Bank is simply too reckless to be funny, or cute.
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Michael Felsen is an author, attorney and Treasurer of Workmen’s Circle/Arbeter Ring, a 110-year old communal organization dedicated to Jewish education, culture and social justice, and is President of Boston Workmen’s Circle. More information about the group can be found at http://www.circle.org and http://www.circleboston.org.
It’s funny how they are still obsessed over her “death panels” comments. I heard someone say that Sarah Palin is living rent free in Obama’s head. I like that line.
It’s troubling to think that Palin’s policy pronouncements on the Middle East might be even remotely motivated by apocalyptic beliefs.
I had no idea the book tour was going that far afield. I take it she’s riding the plane out for that one?
Michael Felson is a fool. The Palestinians will never tolerate a ‘peace’ with Jews. Jews are dhimmi and should be beholden to all Muslims.
It is the people who make-up the imagined nationality called Palestinians who do not belong in ancient Judea. Most of them originated from the surrounding Arab states during the 19th and 20th centuries.
Beyond the fact that “death panels does not appear in the bill, she was right and this twerp is wrong. An example of what Palin was talking about was the recent announcement that women will just have to tough out the breast cancer thing. Doctors will not longer have to read medical journals: they can just download stuff from government boards. That death panels already exist in places like the Nerherlands, England, and even Oregon.
More and more Jewish people flocking to Israel? What’s Palin’s source of information? Since 2002—the year in which the major wave of immigration from the former Soviet Union came to an end—there has been a consistent downward trend in immigration to Israel. By 2006, immigration was down to 1980s levels, during which time 9,000-24,000 people immigrated annually. And in 2008, the number was 13,681, representing the lowest ratio of immigrants to Israelis since the establishment of the State – 1.9 immigrants per 1000 residents.
Palin is perhaps not best known for her close allegiance to the facts.
Obviously, the author of this screed thinks that belief=fact.
Talk about desperate!
Or that its political claims are based on what is in the Bible. It is noteworthy, of course, that the Palestinians even deny what is well-known to secular historians, that Herod’s Temple existed.
I suppose this dimwit excuse for journalist thinks people are brain dead and cannot recognize his jibberish! Gawwdddd these people think we can be fooled with their words.
Their growth rate HAS slowed, but dumbarse, it hasn’t stopped! The country is about the size of freaking New Jersey for pete’s sakes, The Dixie Chicks wouldn’t be expecting wide open spaces there! It already has a population of 7 million people!
It makes me want to push and shove these so-called journalists on their butts and tell them to KNOCK IT OFF!
Unless there is a net migration out of Israel, Palin is correct and this writer is a moron.
Never mind that it is an article of faith that a mashiach will restore the Davidic monarchy, rebuild the Temple, and ingather all the exiles into 'Eretz Yisra'el. Nosiree, that "messiah" stuff is all chr*stian propaganda. [/Sarcasm]
Idiots. Unfortunately, there were anti-Fundamentalists here on FR harping and ding-donging about the "end times," as they always do (evidently they don't think there's any other rationale to support Israel).
This guy is not only twitterpated with Obama and afflicted with Palin derangement syndrome, but he is yet another Jew who wants to be done with the embarrassment of Israel and those awful Christian Zionists who support it.
I just spewed a cold, carbonated adult beverage through my nose on that one. Thanks.
LOL That's a good one. I'll have to remember it.
And best of all, we who are the Bride of Christ, the CHurch, the Redeemed of THE LORD will get balcony seats to watch this all come to pass.
I'm with Sarah Palin.
I have no doubt that this guy and his organization are big supporters of Soros and JStreet.
"How dare Christians support Israel!" I have no doubt that this is one of those who would try to keep people calm, so they could be orderly loaded into cattle cars for the "long journey home."
Mark
her support for expanded settlements in the West Bank is, in fact, an aberrant position: in conflict not only with the sound “freeze settlements, two viable and secure states” policy of the Obama administration,
I could tell before this but to call the policies of
the obama administration sound was the final straw.
Another Obama sniper cutting down on Sarah,
damn I’m getting tired of this.
Her support for expanded settlements in the West Bank is, in fact, an aberrant position: in conflict not only with the sound “freeze settlements, two viable and secure states” policy of the Obama administration, but also at odds with the views of every U.S. administration of the past 40 years.
Expanding the settlements significantly hampers, and perhaps even destroys, any remaining prospect for a just and lasting peace between the Israeli and Palestinian peoples.
Hey Felson:
Lasting peace between Israeli and "Palestinian peoples" is not in current real world conditions.
More and more people would flock to Israel
if it were safe to go there, if one didn’t
have to worry about rockets and suicide bombers,
wacked out Islamic crazies, or annialation by
fanatic Islamic states.
Sarah was only speaking the truth.
[Doctors will not longer have to read medical journals: they can just download stuff from government boards.]
The Senate Republicans had an amendment voted down today that would have FORCED all the ObamaCare insurance plans to use medical board/peer-reviewed policies for medical choices, NOT government boards/panels. The Dems voted it down 58-42.
Explain to me why you wouldn’t want to have doctor’s answering to doctor’s, NOT government boards!?!?!?!
That puts her in agreement with Netanyahu. And with me.
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