ISRAEL

Whilst I have been watching religious programmes from America I have been impressed by the support given by evangelicals to the support of Israel. Pat Robertson, the presenter of CBN, has for long been a strident supporter, and indeed recognised for such support by the Israeli government, but others like John Hagee are emerging equally supportive in American Evangelicals for Israel.

This kind of support does not arise in Britain, where there seems to be at best an equal balance between Arab nations and Israel, to outright hostility, especially it appears from BBC reporters, some of whom make no secret of their Israel dislike.

Occasionally we have Bishops and other clerics visiting Israel, as one Bishop did, and who expressed publicly his outright opposition to the diving wall placed around the country. Such statement was particularly inappropriate from someone in his position, when he does not have to experience the hostile attacks by people living there. There are a group of clergy who are vociferous in their open outrage against Israel.

I find this hard to understand. We worship a Jewish God and Saviour; we read and live by a book written by 39 Jewish men, inspired by the God Israel. So why are we attacking Israel? It is not Israel who are firing unprovoked rockets.

If we should study history, just over the last 50 years for example, we see this little nation, who took over a swamp filled untilled land, and made it into a fertile delight with 14 million trees. Against vastly superior military might, they conquered and scaled the Golan Heights, a feat which could only have been achieved by the support of the Almighty God.

In addition to its religious significance, the land of our Lord’s birth and life, it has contributed much to the world’s benefit. In the fields of science, medicine, finance and the world of entertainment they have dominated and have more Nobel prize winners than any other nation.

Israel has few nations as friends. Europe has shown where its favour lies; Britain is lukewarm, and America which has been Israel’s staunchest ally, seems to have cooled somewhat since the present President took office.

Surely it is our Christian duty to pray for this small nation, a beacon of democracy surrounded on all sides by peoples intent on destroying it. We should also pray for a peaceful solution, which would enable all the nations in that area to be able to live and let live.

God has said in Holy Scripture that He would never abandon His ancient people as long as the earth existed. There are those leaders in the Middle East who do not seem to recognise this, we in the West should.