Mike Huckabee on evangelicals’ support for Israel:
“There’s great division within the American Jewish Community about the level of support for Israel,” he went on. “I think they all support Israel, want to see it succeed. But you’ll find people all over the board about whether they think ii ought to have … absolute control over its border and whether they should give up land for peace and just how many countries can oversee Jerusalem at one time.”
“I don’t find that kind of dichotomy generally within the Evangelical community,” Huckabee said. “It’s pretty adamant: There ought to be one city. It ought to be a Jewish state. And it ought to be secure. So maybe one of the hard things is to convince some of our Jewish friends that Evangelicals are the best friends they’ve got — because I think generally, that’s the case.”
My former boss is completely correct that evangelicals are Israel’s best friend. But I think the reason that is the case is largely misunderstood (and no, its not all about eschatology). I’ve been intending to write a post explaining my insider’s theory of why modern evangelicals have a special attachment to the Jewish people. (Hint: It has something to do with the Bible—but more with the front of the book (e.g., Chronicles) than with the back (Revelation).)
(Via: The Weekly Standard)
August 21st, 2009 | 8:23 pm
Israel should be careful not to confuse Evangelical support with American support. It needs to pay attention to the low tide mark of support among the American people and political class. For example, the high tide of support from the American executive branch under Bush-Cheney was destined to fade. The low tide level is what matters.
August 22nd, 2009 | 10:45 pm
[...] Huckabee: Evangelicals More Supportive of Israel Than Jews – Joe Carter [...]
August 24th, 2009 | 7:33 am
I think the question boils down to this–60+ years ago the new state of Israel was formed, and I believe it had the support of world opinion, at least Western opinion, at the time. Thus, the existence of Israel was established with our consent.
Now we find a large percentage of our people sympathetic to the faction (the Palestinians and most other Arabs) whose defining political position is the destruction of Israel. Not cooperation, not side-by-side living, which demonstrably would improve the lot of the Palestinians, but always the destruction of Israel.
We then urge Israel to “negotiate in good faith” with these people. We give a career terrorist who for decades fanned the flames of the “destroy Israel” attitude the Nobel Peace prize (Yasser Arafat.) We try this and that “peace process” (always a process, but never truly peace), and wonder why Israel is suspicious.
Where is the justice or even the common sense of all this? How can we push for negotiations, without first demanding that the one side abandon its implacable position of destruction of the other side?
August 25th, 2009 | 10:45 am
Looking forward to it!
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