FROM: Clarence H. Wagner, Jr., International Director -
Jerusalem
DATE: December 21, 1999
Special Report: Gallup Poll: Israeli View of Christians
Positive
(Jerusalem) A Gallup
Poll reveals stunning surprises on Israeli
attitudes regarding Christians and Jews.
The eye-opening
results of a major nation-wide Israel Gallup Poll
were released in December by Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, founder and
president
of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews at a press
conference in Jerusalem on December 21, 1999. IFCJ is a
Chicago-based
organization which fosters Christian understanding and support
for Israel,
at a press conference in Jerusalem. Its $6.5 million annual gift
is the
single largest contribution in recent years to the United Jewish
Communities (formerly UJA) and the Jewish Agency for Israel,
supporting
aliyah (immigration) and other humanitarian programs in Israel
and the
former Soviet Union. Almost all of these funds come from
evangelical
Christians.
Also speaking was
Clarence H. Wagner Jr., International Director of
Bridges for Peace, who has worked to support Christian-Jewish
understanding
for the past 22 years, and Johann Lukoff, Director of the
International
Christian Embassy - Jerusalem.
General trends
ascertained by the Gallup Poll, carried out
nationwide during the first week of December amongst 479 adults
throughout
the country, demonstrated:
1) Israeli Jews are generally positive toward Christians and
Christian
support for their nation.
2) Nonetheless, Israelis have extremely little first-hand
familiarity with
Christians
3) Israelis are far less threatened by Christian missionary
intentions than
is often perceived.
Key Gallup Survey Findings:
* 3 out of 4 Israeli Jews cannot identify the date of Christmas.
Only 27.2%
saw "special significance" in this date.
* At the same time, 44% attach no meaning to December 31st, the
eve of the
new millennium.
* 2 out of 3 Israelis don't have a single Christian friend and
62% are not
even personally acquainted with one Christian.
* Israelis welcome the planned visit of the Pope to their country
in the
year 2000 by a ratio of 5 to 1.
* 3 out of 4 Israelis are enthusiastic about US Christians
visiting the
Holy Land. Only 1 in 6 are negative.
* Israelis believe that US Christians feel closer to Israelis
than to the
Palestinians.
* Israelis feel personally closer to any assimilated American Jew
than to
an active US Christian supporter of Israel, (although this varies
dramatically in category analysis of secular vs. ultra-Orthodox
attitudes,
younger generation vs. older generation).
* Israelis overwhelmingly welcome American Christian financial
contributions to their society.
* Were Jesus to return today, on the eve of the millennium, far
more
Israelis believe He would be a Christian preacher than a Jewish
Rabbi
(although 5% say he would probably seek a Knesset seat!)
* The vast majority of Israelis believe that most US Christians
are:
A) Friendly & supportive of Israel
B) Not avowed missionaries or anti-Semites
C) Not ignorant about Jews & Israel
* 87% of Israelis have never experienced any Christian missionary
efforts.
* More than 9 out of 10 Israelis do not personally know a single
Jew who
has converted to Christianity.
"Frankly, we were not certain what kind of results to expect
from this
Millennium Eve opinion survey," explained Rabbi Eckstein,
"We had a gut
feeling that the people of Israel shared many of our own core
perceptions
and values, and the Gallup experts have clearly vindicated this
belief.
"Most Israelis know very, very little about Christians. What
they do know,
they appreciate and feel an affinity toward," the Orthodox
rabbi continued.
"I took special pride that Israelis genuinely welcome with
open arms
overseas Christian contributions.
Clarence Wagner, giving a reaction to the poll results as a
representative
of the Christian community, gave the following statement:
I am a representative of the evangelical Christian
community, and the
International Director of Bridges for Peace who has live in
Jerusalem for
the past 23 years. This community has hundreds of millions
of adherents
worldwide.
As a community which
sees the Bible as our basis of faith and
practice, the evangelical community are the most outspoken
of Christian
groups on behalf of Israel and the Jewish people worldwide.
We affirm the
Abrahamic covenants and Israel's right to live in peace within
secure
borders.
As such, there are
numerous evangelical Christian Zionist groups,
such a Bridges for Peace, who sponsor extensive projects in the
former
Soviet Union and in Israel to assist Israel during this exciting
time in
her history.
It is this community
who contributes most of the funds to Rabbi
Eckstein's organization, the International Fellowship of
Christians and
Jews, which helps Jewish people to travel from the CIS to Israel
for
immigration.
We view this Gallup
poll with great interest and have looked
forward to this day to see how this poll would reflect Israeli
Jewish views
towards Christians.
On the one hand, we
are pleased that Israelis are enthusiastic
about Christian pilgrims coming to the land, that most Israelis
believe
that Christians are basically friendly and supportive of Israel,
that we
are not considered avowed missionaries or anti-Semites, that we
are not
considered ignorant about Jews and Israel, and that Israelis
appreciate the
financial contributions of Christians to aid new immigrants and
Israelis
alike.
However, we are
saddened that most Israelis do not even know a
Christian, and that when asked which Christian group was most
friendly
towards Jews and Israel, the evangelical community was listed
near the
bottom of the list.
Annually, the
evangelical community contributes tens of millions of
dollars to assist new immigrants and Israelis; we make up the
largest
percentage of Christian pilgrims to the land of Israel; and we
sponsor
Christian Zionist pro-Israel events in Israel and around the
world.
Therefore, these
numbers tell us that we need to redouble our
efforts to help the average Israeli know that there is a segment
of the
Christian community who are very much in support of them as a
community and
a nation.
Given the overt
Christian anti-Semitism that has blemished most of
the past 2,000 years of Christian history, we believe that it is
important
that Israelis, and the Jewish community worldwide, realize the
great
changes in Christianity in their favor.
We look to the new
Millennium as an opportunity to strengthen these
efforts and ties with Israel and I am calling upon all Christians
and Jews
to seek avenues for interfaith activities to foster greater
understanding
and for a stronger alliance.
-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
WHO ARE WE?
For those who are new to the list,
Bridges for Peace is a Christian
charitable organization, headquartered in Jerusalem, Israel.
Since 1977, we
have been working to build Christian-Jewish understanding and
support for
the people and land of Israel. We do this through twelve
different aid
projects to help the people of Israel, while disseminating
information
about Israel and teaching Christians about the Hebraic roots of
Christianity. We have national offices in Israel, the U.S.,
Canada, the
U.K., S. Africa, Japan, Brazil, Australia and Puerto Rico.
We
also invite you to look at our WEB SITE at:
http://www.bridgesforpeace.com
**********************************************************************
Date: 31 December 1999, 04:15:47 EST
From Judean Voice ( jsid@dorsai.org)
Subject: Abortion in Israel
ABORTIONS IN ISRAEL: MORE THAN A MILLION VICTIMS IN 50 YEARS
(by Binyamin Zev Kahane)
This article is dedicated to one of the most shocking, yet
relatively
undiscussed subjects - abortions in the State of Israel. The
organization Efrat, which works with wonderful msirut nefesh to
increase the number of births of Jewish women in Israel asked us
to
write about the subject of abortions for Parashat Shmot. We are
happy
to comply. In fact, he who remains quiet concerning the issue of
elective abortions becomes a partner to this atrocious mass
murder.
As society increasingly depicts elective abortions as an
expression of
"progress" and "women's rights", the
statistics regarding it have
become more and more staggering. According to Efrat, more than
1,000,000 children have been killed since the establishment of
the
state. Yes, a genuine holocaust - and very few care. According to
a
recent study, 60% of women who gave birth at Hadassah Hospital in
Har
HaZofim admitted that they underwent an abortion "out of
convenience"
in the past. When the former Minister of Health, Dr. Sadan took
it
upon himself to fight against this phenomenon, playing a short
film
for the members of the Israeli Knesset depicting the abomination
of
abortions in Israel, and comparing this legal mass murder
to the
Holocaust in Europe, the Knesset members jumped out of their
skin.
What enraged them so? The murder of the fetuses? Of course not!
What
shocked them was the fact that Dr. Sadan made the comparison of
abortion to the Holocaust. He was forced to step down and
relinquish
his duties.
Perversion of Morality
What is particularly fascinating, though, is the entire leftist,
liberal approach to the subject. From their point of view, the
more
one supports abortion, the more "enlightened" that
person is. You may
ask: How does mass murder sit so well with humanitarian,
enlightened
types? It's quite simple! You see, the killing of a fetus is an
expression of "freedom over one's body",
feminism, and progressive
society! And what about the fetuses right to live? That is not
relevant to the modern and progressive types.
While every decent person would agree that child abuse is
abhorrent,
it suddenly becomes legitimate and even fashionable to kill a
child in
his mother's womb. Technically speaking, harming a child one
second
after he leaves his mother's womb is demented, but killing it a
second
before leaving his mother's womb is "freedom over her
body". This
gross perversion of morality is the result when morals are
dictated by
man and not God. Not long ago, it was even reported that in
certain
gynecological clinics that perform abortions, dogs eat the
remains of
the baby after it has been grated from its mother's womb.
***********************************************************************
The Jerusalem Post Internet Edition
(January 5, 2000)
From the weblink:
http://www.jpost.com/Editions/2000/01/05/News/News.1013.html
US may offer Israel defense treaty
By David Makovsky
WASHINGTON (January 5) - The Clinton administration is
waiting to hear whether Prime Minister Ehud Barak is
interested in a US-Israel defense treaty as part of an
overall peace package among Israel, Syria, and the
Palestinians, according to sources familiar with US
thinking.
The US does not want to propose the idea to Israel if
it feels it will be turned down, the sources said.
Yet, there is an assessment that President Bill Clinton
would support the idea if this would clinch peace
deals, win public support in Israel for a referendum,
and gain public backing in the US. There is also a
belief among sources on Capitol Hill that the idea will
also win backing from conservative Republicans, who
like the idea of putting relations with Israel on a
footing based more on military cooperation rather than
foreign aid. A defense treaty requires ratification by
two-thirds of the Senate.
The sources said a US-Israel defense treaty would be in
keeping with Barak's repeated public commitments that
peace with Syrian will bolster, not diminish Israeli
security. Since the first Oslo agreement was signed in
1993, Clinton himself has repeatedly publicly pledged
to "minimize the risks of peace" to Israel.
Since the Six Day War, US officials have entertained
the theoretical possibility of a US-Israel defense
treaty as part of a comprehensive peace.
The idea of a US-Israel defense treaty was raised in
December 1995 by then prime minister Shimon Peres, who
spoke to US officials of the need for a "Clinton plan"
as part of a peace with Syria. As envisioned by Peres,
such plan would include a US-Israel defense treaty and
a regional security pact involving the US, Israel, and
those Middle East countries which have made peace.
At the same time, there has been opposition to a
defense treaty from elements in the Israeli security
establishment. It has been focused on questions of
whether such a treaty would constrain Israel's freedom
to maneuver militarily, since an Arab retaliation could
automatically trigger US intervention. Some also wonder
whether such a defense treaty would also constrain
Israeli arm sales to countries such as China, which
have disturbed Washington.
A leading opponent to such a treaty has been former
national security adviser David Ivry, recently
appointed ambassador to the US.
With the talks with Syria still going on, it may take
considerable time before Barak's views on this highly
sensitive subject can be ascertained.
It remains unclear whether a treaty would constrain
Israel's maneuverability, defense sources in Washington
counter. They point out that factors constraining
Israel are based on broader geopolitical forces,
unrelated to Israel's contractual responsibilities.
Sources in Washington said enhanced defense cooperation
with the US was one of three pillars guiding Defense
Ministry Director-General Amos Yaron during his
meetings at the Pentagon two weeks ago. Yaron
established a working group with Franklin Kramer, US
assistant secretary of defense for international
security affairs, to discuss Israeli defense needs in
the event of a Golan deal.
The two other pillars that Yaron discussed were
military redeployment and early warning and mobile
strikes against Syria in the event of a surprise attack
by Damascus.
State Department spokesman James Rubin denied reports
that Yaron brought an appeal for a security package
totaling $17 billion. Defense sources insist that Yaron
put no price tag on the ideas that he put forward
during his Pentagon talks.
Officials did confirm a Ha'aretz report that Yaron did
mention the possibility of two new wings of Apache
helicopters, Black Hawk helicopters, new Hercules cargo
planes, three AWACS planes, tanker aircraft, and a
ground station for downloading real-time information
from US satellites.
*********************************************************************
FROM: Clarence H. Wagner, Jr., International Director - Jerusalem
Weekly News Update and Prayer Focus from Israel
Week Ending: January 7, 2000
1) IRAN CALLS FOR ISRAEL'S DESTRUCTION
2) FATAH LEADER CALLS FOR VIOLENCE AGAINST ISRAEL IF NECESSARY
3) WEAPONS IN PALESTINIAN CAMPS IN LEBANON FOR USE AGAINST ISRAEL
4) THIS IS "PEACE"?
5) FIVE PERCENT LAND WITHDRAWAL
6) PM BARAK MEETS GOLAN SETTLERS COUNCIL
7) GOLAN COMMITTEE LETTER TO PRIME MINISTER EHUD BARAK
8) JERUSALEM: ON THE BRINK OF PARTITION
1) IRAN CALLS FOR ISRAEL'S DESTRUCTION
Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called on December
31 for the destruction of Israel, saying it was the only way to
solve the
problems of the Middle East. Khamenei's remarks came as millions
of
Iranians held rallies across Iran to protest Israel's control
over
Jerusalem. "The hands of the U.S. are fully stained with the
blood of
the Palestinians," Khamenei told hundreds of thousands of
Iranians in
his Friday prayer sermon at Tehran University. He said
there is only
one possible solution to unrest in the Middle East, "namely
the
annihilation and destruction of the Zionist State." (TNT,
January 1,
2000)
2) FATAH LEADER CALLS FOR VIOLENCE AGAINST ISRAEL IF NECESSARY
The Fatah organization aligned with Palestinian Authority (PA)
Chairman Yassir Arafat on Monday marked its 35th anniversary with
celebrations throughout Judea, Samaria, Gaza and Jerusalem. In an
attempt to show that eastern Jerusalem is an integral part of the
PA,
Orient House (the PA administration building), hosted an event
marking
the day. Hussam Shahin, the Jerusalem Fatah leader stated that
"If
Israel does not accept the peace, the armed struggle will
continue."
(IsraelWire, January 4, 2000)
3) WEAPONS IN PALESTINIAN CAMPS IN LEBANON FOR USE AGAINST ISRAEL
RASHIDIYEH (AFP) - Weapons in Palestinian refugee camps in
Lebanon are for use in the war of resistance against
Israel, the head
of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's mainstream Fatah
faction in
Lebanon said on January 2.
"... all options for the conflict with Israel will
remain open
as long as Israeli settlers remain...Jerusalem is
despoiled, and 60
per cent of our scattered people cannot return to their homes in
Palestine," Sultan Abul Aynain told a rally marking the 35th
anniversary of Fatah's first operation against Israel.
Senior Palestinian Liberation Organization official, Farouq
Qaddumi, said in a visit to Beirut in December that the
Palestinians'
"light arms" would be handed over to Lebanon at the end
of peace
negotiations. "We gave up our heavy weapons to the
Lebanese state in
1991 but the light arms will stay in the camps until the peace
talks
(with Israel) end," he said. (by Waleed M. Sadi, Jordan
Times, January
3, 2000)
4) THIS IS "PEACE"?
Hizb'Allah terrorists warned Israel December 31, that they would
usher in the New Year with more suicide attacks against Israeli
soldiers in south
Lebanon. In a scathing speech to a rally of more than 1,000
supporters, Hizb'Allah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah said peace
deals
between Arabs and Israel would not bring stability to the Middle
East
or legitimacy to the Jewish state. "There is no solution to
the
conflict in this region except with the disappearance of
Israel,'' he
told the crowd. ". . . And on this last day of the century,
I promise
Israel that it will see more suicide attacks, for we will write
our
history with blood," Nasrallah declared. (TNS, January 1,
2000)
5) FIVE PERCENT LAND WITHDRAWAL
The five percent land withdrawal
of Israel from Judea and
Samaria, originally scheduled for November 15, 1999, began on
January
5. An agreement was signed in a modest ceremony in Tel Aviv the
previous evening, giving the green light for the implementation
of the
withdrawal and the turning over of more land to the Palestinian
Authority. Included in the package are six abandoned IDF
positions,
one in Judea near Tekoa (near Bethlehem) and the remaining five
in
Samaria. The withdrawal also includes nature reserve lands in the
Judean Desert. Two percent of the withdrawal includes areas
currently
designated area "B", under Israeli security and PA
civil control.
These areas will become area "A", under total PA
control. Three
percent of the package is areas currently area "C",
under total
Israeli control, to become area "B." (IsraelWire,
January 5, 2000)
6) PM BARAK MEETS GOLAN SETTLERS COUNCIL
Prime Minister Ehud Barak met with the
Golan Heights Settlers
Council on January 2, before leaving for the Virginia summit. The
Prime Ministet said that he has no illusions of the reality
in which we live in the Middle East and that the true guarantee
for
the State of Israel's continued existence are not signed
agreements,
but defense, strategic and economic power supported by the global
power of the United States and the internal strength of Israeli
society.
Therefore,
the Prime Minister said that he would only sign an
agreement that strengthens Israel's security and bring a safer
future
for our children. (Communicated by Prime Minister's Media
Advisor,
January 2, 2000)
7) GOLAN COMMITTEE LETTER TO PRIME MINISTER EHUD BARAK
The
Golan Residents Committee advised Prime Minister Ehud
Barak that they would petition the Supreme Court if Barak commits
to
concessions on the Golan.
Eli Malka,
Chairman of the Committee, Golan Regional Council
Chairman Yehudah Wolman and Kazrin Local Council Chairman
Sammy Bar
Lev sent a letter to Prime Minister Ehud Barak, along with
copies to
President Clinton and the Attorney General, in which they
reminded him
that he does not have the authority, under the law to make any
commitment to relinquish any territory in the Golan Heights.
According to the Law of Authority and Justice of 5759, the
Government
of Israel is forbidden to relinquish via any way sovereign
Israeli
territory that is subject to the laws, jurisprudence and
authority of
the State of Israel, without a decision accepted by a majority of
61
Members of Knesset and the carrying out of a national referendum.
The law prohibits such a
concession via convention or agreement
or any other way including commitments regarding the future or
conditional commitments.
The
authors of the letter warned the Prime Minister that a
commitment to relinquish territory in the territory of the Golan
is
not legal and does not hold. If there will be such a
commitment, the
three announced, they will appeal to the Supreme Court. For
additional
details contact Avi Zeira, Golan@golan.org.il
(IMRA, January 2, 2000)
8) JERUSALEM: ON THE BRINK OF PARTITION
Hamis
Abdullah lives in one of the suburbs of Beit Hanina
within the municipal boundaries of Jerusalem. Two years ago he
saw workers
from the municipality installing a sidewalk next to his house.
Kabir
Othman, from another Jerusalem village, Beit Safafa, noticed
around
the same time that someone was replacing a leaking sewage pipe
next to
the village's grocery store. In Jabel Mukaber, in southeast
Jerusalem,
the residents watched wide-eyed as another intriguing event
unfolded:
fancy sidewalks, with purple-scarlet tiles, appeared almost
overnight
in their village. But the illusion that these Jerusalem
residents, who
for 30 years had been almost totally neglected by the Israeli
authorities, were now getting a bit of attention quickly faded.
In some ostensibly inexplicable way, the rise
of Ehud Barak to
power brought about a freeze in budgets that were earmarked to
reduce,
if only by a little, the vast, decades-long disparities in
infrastructure between the city's eastern and western sections.
Reports in the past few days have reinforced the feeling among
the
Arabs of East Jerusalem that the almost total stoppage of
investments
in basic infrastructure work in their neighborhoods is not
accidental.
Whoever agrees to talk with the Palestinian Authority, officially
or
unofficially, about granting it civilian control in neighborhoods
of
East Jerusalem - which would be essentially the same as the
situation
in Area B (Israeli security and Palestinian civilian control) -
is
effectively talking about partitioning the city, if not today,
then
tomorrow.
Does
anyone delude himself that granting civilian powers in
East Jerusalem neighborhoods - whether under the name of
"boroughs" or
"decentralization" or any other name - will end there?
Look at Abu
Dis, just east of Jerusalem and part of Area B. Abu Dis is the
formal
model that Prime Minister Ehud Barak's peace teams want to apply
in
Arab neighborhoods of Jerusalem, too.
The only
trouble is that in Abu Dis, where the Palestinians
have been granted only "civil" powers, all the PA's
security mechanisms are
already operating, and there is nothing that really
differentiates it
from Area A (full Palestinian control). From Abu Dis, the
Palestinian
security units extend their arms into Jerusalem, long before
anyone
has permitted them to operate in the city.
Just last
month, the PA's security units arrested three
clerics in the city: Sabri Abu Diab from the mosque at Ras al
Amud; Issam
Amira from the mosque at Beit Safafa; and a third cleric from
Hizma.
Their "crime" was that they had criticized Yasser
Arafat. Israel under
Barak, who pledged never to let Jerusalem be divided, continues
to
allow a government within a government to function in the city.
In
almost every sphere, there are government authorities in East
Jerusalem that parallel those of Israel. The Palestinian security
forces operate even on the Temple Mount, the heart of the
conflict.
The PA's man there is Issam Abu Libada, who is registered as a
guard,
but in practice acts, together with a few of his colleagues, as
an
additional governmental authority at the site. When the Israeli
police
want to bring about internal quiet on the Temple Mount and
prevent
disturbances, their representatives meet with personnel of the
Waqf
(Muslim religious trust) in the presence of Abu Libada and his
men.
The recent
reports about new Israeli proposals, which amount
to the city's partition, have one goal: to prepare Israeli public
opinion
for the compromise that is expected not only on the Golan Heights
but
in Jerusalem as well. This is being talked about almost openly in
the
offices of those who are directing the negotiations. The bait is
an
improvement of the demographic balance, the removal from the
city's
boundaries of a large Palestinian population and the annexation
to the
city of Jewish suburbs such as Ma'aleh Adumim and Pisgat Ze'ev.
But
the practical import is different: instead of fighting against
parallel governmental systems that are already operating in East
Jerusalem, Israel is planning to institutionalize them partially
or
fully. Instead of continuing to invest in basic infrastructure
works
in East Jerusalem, Israel is accepting the great infrastructure
lack
there. Instead of removing the Palestinian security units from
the
city, they are becoming a legitimate partner even in Israel's
capital.
Barak, like his predecessor Benjamin Netanyahu, continues to
swear
allegiance to the city's integrity instead of telling the public
the
truth: that now is the last minute to try to reunite it. ( By
Nadav
Shragai, Ha'aretz, translated by IMRA, January 2, 2000)
-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
WHO ARE WE?
For those who are new to the list,
Bridges for Peace is a Christian
charitable organization, headquartered in Jerusalem, Israel.
Since
1977, we have been working to build Christian-Jewish
understanding and
support for the people and land of Israel. We do this through
twelve
different aid projects to help the people of Israel, while
disseminating information about Israel and teaching Christians
about
the Hebraic roots of Christianity. We have national offices in
Israel,
the U.S., Canada, the U.K., S. Africa, Japan, Brazil, Australia
and
our Spanish World office located in Puerto Rico.
We also invite you to look
at our WEB SITE at:
http://www.bridgesforpeace.com
**********************************************************************