[Wall Street Journal] Michael B. Oren - In revealing his unease with the idea of Jewish statehood, Carter sets himself apart from many U.S. presidents before and after him, as well as from nearly 400 years of American Christian thought. Generations of Christians in this country, representing a variety of dominations, laymen and clergy alike, have embraced the concept of renewed Jewish sovereignty in Palestine. John Adams imagined "a hundred thousand Israelites" marching triumphantly into Palestine. "I really wish the Jews in Judea an independent nation," he wrote. In 1863, Abraham Lincoln said that "restoring the Jews to their homeland is a noble dream shared by many Americans," and that the U.S. could work to realize that goal once the Union prevailed. "It seems to me that it is entirely proper to start a Zionist state around Jerusalem," wrote Teddy Roosevelt, "and [that] the Jews be given control of Palestine." Such sentiments played a crucial role in gaining international recognition for Zionist claims to Palestine during World War I, when the British government sought American approval for designating that area as the Jewish national home. With Woodrow Wilson's imprimatur, Britain issued the declaration that became the basis of its League of Nations mandate in Palestine, and as the precursor to the 1947 UN Partition Resolution creating the Jewish state. In his apparent attempt to make American Christians rethink their affection for Israel, Jimmy Carter is clearly departing from time-honored practice. This has not been the legacy of evangelicals alone, but of many religious denominations in the U.S. and of generations of American leaders.
2006-12-28 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive