Many of the intellectuals associated with Peace Now were strongly proTami Peterson It may seem odd that a movement in the United States whose members are openly anti-Semitic could be proZionist, most recently in the case of Israel's bombardment of Lebanon, but this is precisely what has occurred in Christian fundamentalist movements (also known as "evangelicals") in recent years.
After Ariel Sharon suffered a stroke earlier this year, zealot Pat Robertson claimed that Sharon suffered a stroke as punishment from God for pulling out of Gaza, so much so was his support of the Settlers movement. Why this contradictory view?
Much of the reason for stems from a passage in Genesis which includes the belief that God gave Israel to the Jewish people so it must be defended as a country, so that God can give protection to the US.
A particular subset of Christian evangelicals called the "Christian Zionists" are estimated to number around 20 million in the US and believe that the Middle East will play host to the "Last Days" before Armageddon and the defeat of the anti-Christ-all of which are necessary steps for the return of Jesus Christ to the earth.
In light of this, many oppose any attempt by Bush, or previous US administrations to work out a "roadmap" or even a twostate solution because this would stall the second coming of "the saviour".
Their interpretation of the scripture, according to a report in the Christian Science Monitor, involves the belief that "the modern state of Israel is the fulfillment of God's covenant with Abraham and the center of His action from now to the Second Coming of Christ and final battle of Armageddon, when the Antichrist will be defeated."
But before this can occur, they say, biblical prophecy foretells the return of Jews from other countries; Israel's possession of all the land between the Euphrates and Nile rivers; and the rebuilding of the Jewish temple where a Muslim site, Dome of the Rock, now stands."
Further to all of this, it is the goal of conversion, based on anti-Semitism and prejudice, which is uppermost in the minds of the Christian Zionists. They believe in the "Last Days that the Jews must accept Jesus as their messiah or be damned. Rather than blanket support of Israel, they believe firmly in its prospects for conversion and thus the eradication of Judaism.
In light of these views, it is not difficult to see why this group and others wholeheartedly backed the recent invasion of Lebanon and have seen previous actions of the Israeli state - its creation in 1948 and the war in 1967 which allowed Israel to take control of Jerusalem, Gaza and the West Bank - as positive signs for the return of Jesus Christ.
Christian Zionist groups have given financial aid to the settlers movement, promoted the Zionist message in the US and were courted and supported by followers of the Likud Party in
Shamir, Netanyahu and Sharon have all addressed Christian Zionist conferences and met with evangelical leaders such as Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson.
Perhaps one of the most appalling movements has been the lobbying group "Christians' Israel Public Action Committee (CIPAC)" whose head, Richard Hellman, called on US politicians in 2004 to "to desist from proposing any more plans to
A number of mainly Republican politicians have made statements far to the right of a large proportion of Israeli public opinion which range from denying the "occupied" nature of the Occupied Territories, denying that "Palestinians" exist, and coming up with plans for "transporting" Palestinians out of what they see as Israel's God-given land.
With the recent bombardment of Lebanon, the Christian Zionists were out in full force once again, banging on the pulpits and claiming that end times are near with gleeful jingoism and proclamations of the second coming of the saviour, the saving of the messiahdenying Jews and the defeat of the anti-Christ - which a number have speculated is Osama Bin Laden, Al Qaida or Islam.
Meanwhile, the Israeli government continues to cash "aid" cheques from the very organisations who wish to eradicate Judaism from the face of the earth and believe Jesus Christ will help them to accomplish this task - that is after the Middle East is in ruins. Palestinians. Dozens of antiwar demonstrations took place across the Palestinian towns, villages and refugee camps in the 1967-occupied territories and within the Green Line.
Although Palestinians suffered disproportionately fro the Hizbullah rocket attacks -about one-third of the civilian deaths were Palestinian citizens of Israel - this did not lead them to support the Israeli government and its wall
Many protested at the Israeli government's failure to provide shelters in Arab areas, and at the apparent deliberate decision to site military facilities close to Arab communities.
The increasing confidence of Palestinian citizens of Israel, and the growing militancy of sections of the Israeli Jewish left, suggest the possibility of building a new antioccupation movemenu Israel, not tied - like Peace Now - to the Israeli Labour Party and to Zionist ideology, but Palestinian-led and in direct solidarity with the victims of Israeli aggression.
In order to succeed, such a movemen ww meeo to Jeano from the failures of the bankrupt Israeli "peace" ment; in particular, from its mistaken strategic decision to mobilise mainly around the middle-class Ashkenazi Jewish establishment, rather than Israel's largely Sephardi working-class.