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IRD in the "Israel" lobby?
His crimes, according to the press release: a 2002 essay in which he argues that Palestinian violence, while deplorable, is understandable in the present context; the belief that the Palestinian occupation is the root cause of the violence; a call for serious concessions by Israel to the Palestinians; and a very interesting and high-blown suggestion that "the Jewish State and the Palestinian State could enter a federation with 'other neighboring countries' in which Jerusalem becomes the federal capital." Faith McDonnell, the IRD's Religious Liberties Programs director, says about Ateek:
Reverend Ateek and the Sabeel Center may be deserving of an award, but it would be an award for furthering the cause of a Palestinian State at the expense of the Israelis and the security of the region. This is entirely a matter of opinion! It is astonishing what diversity of viewpoint exists on this matter, and yet the IRD, ostensibly an organization intended to aid the "orthodox" among mainline Protestant denominations, takes the impressively confident stand that empathizing with Palestinians will be to the detriment of Israel. Michael Massing, in the next to latest issue of the New York Review of Books, said this about the "Israel" lobby [emphasis mine]:
Sometimes, the former Clinton official noted, the pressures on US policy come from domestic groups, sometimes they come from Israel, and sometimes they come from Israel using its allies in the US to influence administration policy. When Bibi Netanyahu was premier between 1996 and 1999, the former official recalls, "he made the implicit threat that he could mobilize allies on the Hill or on the Christian right if President Clinton did not do what he wanted." Later, at Camp David, "Barak made a whole lot of calls when he felt he came under too much pressure--calls to allies in the Jewish community, and to politicians." McDonnell's press release could serve only two purposes, in my opinion: (1) to continue to pile scorn on liberal elements on the Anglican Communion, and (2) to solidify the IRD's position within the traditionally (at all costs) pro-Israel stance of most of the Christian right. Either way, it serves no useful purpose. Visit the Sabeel website if you want the other side of the story.
IRD in the "Israel" lobby? | 13 comments (13 topical, 0 hidden)
IRD in the "Israel" lobby? | 13 comments (13 topical, 0 hidden)
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