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Israel Caught In Sanctions Crossfire

(New York Jewish Week) James D. Besser - Why is the push by main-line Protestant churches to punish Israel with economic sanctions happening now, just as the Middle East seems poised for a new peace process? Some analysts say Israel has been caught in a crossfire resulting from an internal Christian dispute. John Green, a University of Akron political scientist who studies the religious right, said the main-line Protestants "really dislike conservative Evangelicals - and their support for Israel is an easy target. Also, there is in many of these circles a deep antipathy to Bush and that carries over into Israel as well." The main-line Presbyterians - once the nation's political elite, a dominating force in politics - "have lost political capital, so now what they're going after is the sworn enemies who have usurped their political role," said Rabbi Gary Bretton-Granatoor, interreligious affairs director for the Anti-Defamation League. And they're attacking those seen as aligned with their Christian foes, including Israel and its supporters. The same Presbyterian meeting that started the divestment wheels turning also passed a resolution stating that "Christian Zionism does not represent the majority of American Christians and the faith of the Presbyterian Church (USA)," said Kenneth Goldstein, a University of Wisconsin political scientist.
2005-03-04 00:00:00
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