Thousand of Christians will be gathering in Washington, D.C. on Friday, 11 October 2002. The occasion is the "Road to Victory" conference, being held by the Christian Coalition and other Christian groups. The purpose of the event is to show support for the nation of Israel. Featured speakers include House Republican Whip Tom DeLay, CBN founder Pat Robertson, former Ambassador Alan Keyes, Senator James Inhofe, M.K. Binyamin Elon, Jan Willem van der Hoeven, Clarence Wagner, among others. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are scheduled to address the event via satellite.



Out of all the speakers who would show support for Israel, why are Christians inviting former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu? It doesn't seem to make much sense that a man who gave away the second most holiest city in Israel to Israel's sworn enemies would be able to lend much credence to a rally supporting Israel.



In a nation fighting for its survival, the Bible holds one of the clearest accounts of Israel that can be found. The nation of Israel owes its very existence to the G-d of Israel. It was He who founded the nation and it is He who has kept it during the long exile. It is also He who declared that Israel would not be counted among the other nations. In his book, "A Place Among the Nations", Mr. Netanyahu tries to pretend that Israel can become just like the rest of the nations. In the updated version, "A Durable Peace: Israel and Its Place Among the Nations", he makes the statement "... if there had not been a Jewish state after the Holocaust, there would have been no Jewish future." This is the statement of a man who has no faith in G-d or understanding of history. The Jewish future depends on G-d, not a state. Who does Mr. Netanyahu think kept Israel for 2,000 years during the Diaspora?



After giving away Hebron, Mr. Netanyahu's own mother asked him what his brother Yoni had died for. [Yoni Netanyahu died in the raid on Entebbe in 1976 while rescuing Israeli hostages.] One brother loved the land and died for it; the other didn't seem to care and gave it away.



I believe the reason for inviting Mr. Netanyahu is clear. He is a "good draw". Even though there are many well-known supporters of Israel on the guest list, perhaps Mr. Netanyahu helps to assure a good attendance. However, I am quite positive Israel is more interested in seeing true supporters than just seeing a large number of people coming to hear someone who has actively sought to divide the very land they live in.



____________________________________________________________

Lee Underwood is the Editor of the Tzemach News Service