Radical cleric John Hagee played a role in sabotaging Biden's peace effort in Israel
It turns out that there is a definite Christian Right connection to the amazing diplomatic snub that Benjamin Netanyahu's Israeli government gave to Joe Biden. Netanyahu had attended an event the day before Biden's scheduled arrival organized (formally, anyway) by the Rev. John Hagee, radical American cleric and Christian Zionist who really, really wants to see a war with Iran. These two articles report on the event, including video:
Netanyahu and Pastor Hagee’s Lovefest on Eve of Biden’s Arrival in Israel by Max Blumenthal 03.09.10
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and John Hagee Share Stage as Biden Arrives in Israel by Rachel Tabachnick Talk to Action 03/09/10
The video of Netanyahu at the event show him making an historically accurate and important point: Christian Zionism preceded Jewish Zionism.
Akiva Eldar describes the lack of evident seriousness in Biden's mission in U.S. gave Israel green light for East Jerusalem construction Haaretz 03/12/10:
In a sense, the uproar actually helped him: To wipe the spit off his face, Biden had to say it was only rain. Therefore, he lauded Netanyahu's assertion that actual construction in Ramat Shlomo would begin only in another several years.Tags: christian+zionism, john hagee
Thus Israel essentially received an American green light for approving even more building plans in East Jerusalem.
Biden might not know it, but the Palestinians certainly remember that this is exactly how East Jerusalem's Har Homa neighborhood began: Then, too, Netanyahu persuaded the White House that construction would begin only in another several years. ...
And just in case anyone failed to realize how impartial a mediator the U.S. is, Biden said in his Tel Aviv speech that the U.S. has "no better friend" than Israel.
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