CHRISTIANS UNITED FOR ISRAEL
MEMBERSHIP UPDATE
JULY 30, 2007
EXTENSIVE PRESS COVERAGE OF THE CUFI SUMMIT CONTINUES
Articles in nationally and internationally renowned newspapers,
stories on major television networks, segments on radio stations
across the nation, and pieces on websites read by millions continue
to focus on the second annual Christians United for Israel
Washington-Israel Summit. Three different stories about the Summit
ran as the first story on FoxNews.com’s Politics page on three
different days. The Summit and CUFI’s weekly
Membership updates were mentioned in the Sunday New York Times.
Below are excerpts of the three CUFI articles on FoxNews.com and the
New York Times article.
CHRISTIAN GROUP WARMS U.S. AGAINST
PRESSURING ISRAEL ON PEACE DEAL
“I don't believe Israel should give up any piece of their land. I
think they’ve given up too much of their land,” said Michelle
Stephens, one of 50 million Evangelicals who are said to be “waking
up” to the idea that Israel’s existence is integrally tied to their
own religious outlook. Stephens, 37, traveled with her husband
cross-country to Washington, D.C., last week to join nearly 5,000
like-minded Evangelicals attending a conference called Christians
United for Israel. The inflexibility could come from 2,000 years of
shared ancestry between Christians and Jews, or it could be a
byproduct of CUFI’s indefatigable founder, Pastor John Hagee. Hagee,
head of the 19,000-strong Cornerstone Church in San Antonio, Texas,
started leading Evangelicals toward support for Israel 26 years ago.
Things moved slowly along but after Iranian President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad announced in February 2006 that he wanted to wipe Israel
from the map, Hagee mobilized, bringing together 400 evangelical
leaders from business, media, academia and the ministry to form
CUFI. CUFI's talking points for the U.S. government are steeped in
national security and Zionistic aspirations: Don’t pressure Israel
to give up any more land for peace, don’t divvy up Jerusalem, move
the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, take out Hezbollah,
stop Iran’s nuclear pursuits and don’t cut and run prematurely from
Iraq. (Sharon Kehnemui Liss, FoxNews.Com, July 30, 2007). To read
the entire story please
click
here.
CHRISTIAN GROUP WARMS: IRAN WANTS TO HIT ISRAEL FIRST, U.S. NEXT
Washington was inundated with thousands of Christians last week, but
unlike their usual marches to protest abortion rights and other
social issues, these Christians had something else in mind: U.S.
Middle East policy. In fact, many seemed not to notice the hot,
humid, cloudy weather — a typical July day in Washington — as they
prepared to lobby Congress. They had just been energized by the
preaching of Pastor John Hagee, who delivered an impassioned speech
the night before in support of Israel. While a quiet man of gentle
disposition, Hagee, who leads the 19,000-strong Cornerstone Church
in San Antonio and heads Christians United for Israel, can quickly
whip up the faithful. His words, while rich in biblical citation and
religious imagery, aren't minced. “It is clear that Israel is in the
greatest danger she has faced since six Arab armies tried to
strangle the Jewish state in the birth canal in 1948,” Hagee told
the crowd at the conference's Night to Honor Israel gala. The event
also featured former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu among others. (Sharon Kehnemui
Liss, FoxNews.Com, July 29, 2007) To read the entire story please
click
here.
NIGHT TO HONOR ISRAEL TURNS INTO 26-YEAR PROJECT
Hagee, a portly, grandfatherly type with silver-haired temples and
wire-rimmed glasses, sat quietly on a couch in a hotel
room-turned-interview space last week. He recalled how the 50
million-strong evangelical community has shifted its support toward
protecting the Holy Land. “I went to Israel — first time in 1978 as
a tourist myself, and I came home a biblical Zionist, and I began to
explain to our congregation the biblical responsibility that we have
to be supportive of Israel and as I began to educate them, they
began to see it and that evolved to that original night to honor
Israel in 1981,” he said. Hagee said he formed the idea of a
citywide “Night to Honor Israel” after he heard Israel being
“vilified” in the media for destroying Saddam Hussein's nuclear
reactor in Iraq. Hagee described that night in the Lila Cockwell
Theater as “magical” and “electric.” “The building was packed. There
was enough tension in the room to give a brass doorknob a headache.
We walked out on the stage and we had our television cameras there
because we wanted the world to see what we were doing. We had our
choir there, they sang Hebrew songs, and I assure you it was
southern Hebrew, but it was our best effort,” he said. On the way
home I told my wife, I said, ‘If these anti-Semites think they can
shut us down with threats, we're going to have a night to honor
Israel until they get used to it and until the enemies of Israel
recognize their right to exist,’” he said. “So here we are 26 years
later, we just kept doing a Night to Honor Israel every year.”
(Sharon Kehnemui Liss, FoxNews.Com, July 27, 2007) To read the
entire story please
click
here.
CHRISTIANS UNITED FOR ISRAEL IN THE NEW YORK TIMES
“Christians United for Israel is opposed to America pressuring
Israel to give up more land to anyone for any reason. What has the
policy of appeasement ever produced for Israel that was beneficial?”
Mr. Hagee said. “God gave to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob a covenant in
the Book of Genesis for the land of Israel that is eternal and
unbreakable, and that covenant is still intact.” Christians United
for Israel held a conference with 4,500 attendees in Washington this
month, and Mr. Hagee sends e-mail action alerts on Israel every
Monday to 55,000 pastors and leaders. (Laurie Goodstein, The New
York Times, July 29, 2007). To read the entire story please
click here.
MESSAGE FROM DAVID BROG, CUFI’S EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Last Friday, a group of over 30 evangelical Christians wrote a
letter to President Bush to "correct a serious misperception among
some people ... that all American evangelicals are opposed to a
two-state solution and the creation of a new Palestinian state."
They made reference to the "cycle of violence" in the region and the
fact that "Israelis and Palestinians must both accept each other's
right to exist."
It's no coincidence that this letter was sent barely a week after
our second annual Washington, DC summit. As we grow, those who
disagree with us, however few they may be, will be shouting at the
top of their lungs in an effort to equal the sound of 4,500
Christians gathered in the DC Convention Center cheering our cause.
They will not succeed.
This letter raises many questions. But the biggest question is this
-- where have these people been for the past decade? Don't they
realize that Israel not only accepted the Palestinian right to
exist, but repeatedly sought to give the Palestinians land on which
to build their state? At meetings in Camp David in 2000, Prime
Minister Ehud Barak offered the Palestinians 100% of Gaza, over 90%
of the West Bank, and sufficient land from Israel's Negev Desert to
compensate for every inch of the West Bank that would not be
returned. He also offered them control of the Muslim areas of
Jerusalem. What was the Palestinian response to this unprecedented
offer? Celebration? A counter offer? No -- sadly, the Palestinians
chose this juncture to start the second intifada with a spree
of bus bombings and killings.
In 2005, Israel actually did pull out of the Gaza Strip and left it
to Palestinian rule. What did the Palestinians do? Did they take
over the Israeli greenhouses left behind and begin to build their
economy? Did they take this opportunity to demonstrate that they
wanted to live side-by-side with Israel? No -- sadly, Hamas
terrorists took over the Gaza Strip and now use it as a base from
which to launch rocket attacks against Israel.
The letter's use of the term "cycle of violence" is particularly
troubling. There is a fundamental difference between terrorists on
the one hand and Israeli and American soldiers on the other. The
goal of terrorists is to kill as many civilians as possible, and
when they succeed in doing so they celebrate. Israeli and American
soldiers seek to stop the terrorists from killing innocent
civilians. When our soldiers kill civilians, however few, it is a
tragic error. As both of our nations continue to fight terrorists
around the world, we must never permit the morally callous equation
of these opposite roles.
We all want peace. No one wants peace more than the Israelis who
live on the front lines. But wishes don't always come true. To
survive in this world, love is important. So is understanding. And
so is realism. Sadly, given this track record, only a dreamer or a
foe would press Israel for further concession at this juncture. I
pray that those who signed this letter are the former.
Pastor Hagee immediately drafted and is circulating a letter to
President Bush which will demonstrate the widespread support for
CUFI's position that America not pressure Israel for further
concessions at this time.
Beyond this, our best response is to continue our work. Let us
continue to build and to grow. Let us demonstrate with results that
we have the momentum and that we represent the future.
ADVERTISE IN THE SECOND EDITION OF THE CUFI
MAGAZINE
Christians United for Israel would like to offer you the opportunity
to advertise in the second edition of The Torch. To view our rate
card please
click here. Please note that our rates are extremely
competitive.
As the inaugural
edition of The Torch was distributed to 200,000 Evangelical
households across the United States and Canada, and the second
edition will also be distributed to 200,000 households, with
approximately 95% of the recipients receiving The Torch for the
first time. Christians United for Israel will send only one free
copy per household. Therefore, the second edition of The Torch will
reach 190,000 new households. These 190,000 households are comprised
of Christians United for Israel members who did not receive the
inaugural edition, households on the John Hagee Ministries and
Cornerstone Church mailing lists, and households on other church
mailing lists. The 10,000 repeat households are Torch subscribers,
Christians United for Israel leadership, or significant donors to
Christians United for Israel.
The deadline for advertising is
September 1, 2007. If you are interested, please contact Shari
Dollinger at Shari@CUFI.org
or at (404) 875-9064.
NEWS FLASH CONCERNING ISRAEL AND THE MIDDLE EAST
PA PRIME MINISTER: RESISTANCE AGAINST ISRAEL IS LEGITIMATE
Palestinians have a legitimate right to resist the Israeli
"occupation", even if the term "resistance" does not appear in the
new Palestinian Authority platform, PA Prime Minister Salaam Fayad
said during a press conference in Cairo on Monday. Fayad, who is
representing the Palestinian Authority during an Arab League
conference in Egypt, explained that the term "resistance" was
excluded from the platform because it was too often associated with
"armed struggle." On Friday, Fayad's government published its
platform, which does not include any reference to the "mukawama" (a
term generally associated with armed struggle) against Israel.
Instead, the government reiterated its commitment to PA Chairman
Mahmoud Abbas's call for a "popular resistance against the Israeli
occupation." The new manifesto stated that any peace agreement with
Israel must be designed along the pre-1967 borders and that
Jerusalem should be the capital of both Israel and any future
Palestinian state. (Khaled Abu Toameh, The Jerusalem Post, July 30,
2007)
JERUSALEM WARY OF US ARMS SALE TO SAUDIS
Despite the significant increase in US military aid to Israel,
defense officials warned Sunday that the sale of satellite-guided
missiles to Saudi Arabia had the potential to constitute a strategic
threat to the state of Israel. According to the proposed arms deal,
Saudi Arabia will receive thousands of Joint Direct Attack Munition
(JDAM) - a low-cost guidance kit that converts existing unguided
free-fall bombs into accurately guided "smart" weapons. The package
also proposes a 25 percent increase in US military aid to Israel,
from an annual $2.4 billion to $3b. a year. Senior defense officials
praised the decision to increase military aid but said that the JDAM
sale to Saudi Arabia was still enough to destabilize the strategic
military balance in the Middle East. The advanced weapon, these
officials said, would grant Saudi Arabia the capability to
accurately fire missiles at strategic sites and installations in
southern Israel. (Yaakov Katz, The Jerusalem Post, July 30, 2007)
HOUSE MEMBERS SAY THEY WILL TRY TO BLOCK ARMS SALES TO SAUDIS
The Bush administration's plan to sell $20 billion in advanced
weaponry to Saudi Arabia and five other Persian Gulf countries is
running into congressional opposition and criticism from human
rights and arms control groups. Members of Congress vowed yesterday
to oppose any deal to Saudi Arabia on grounds that the kingdom has
been unhelpful in Iraq and unreliable at fighting terrorism. King
Abdullah has called the U.S. military presence in Iraq an
"illegitimate occupation," and the Saudis have been either unable or
unwilling to stop suicide bombers who have ended up in Iraq,
congressional sources say. The administration plans to sell advanced
satellite-guided bombs, fighter aircraft upgrades and new naval
vessels to six Gulf Cooperation Council countries, including Kuwait,
the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman, U.S. officials
say. Reps. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) and Robert Wexler (D-Fla.) said
yesterday that they will introduce a joint resolution of disapproval
to block the deals when Congress is formally notified. (Robin
Wright, The Washington Post, July 29, 2007)
74% OF ISRAELIS OPPOSE ANOTHER UNILATERAL PULLBACK
A Ma'ariv TNS opinion poll conducted on the second anniversary of
the disengagement from the Gaza Strip and Northern Samaria shows
that 59 percent of Israelis now think the unilateral pullout was a
mistake, while 29% still believe it was a good idea. The numbers are
interesting since they are basically a mirror image of the polls
from two years ago. Back then, close to two-thirds of the population
was in favor and about 30% against. This means that nearly a third
of the Israeli public - who two years ago were all for dragging more
than 8,000 Jews out of their homes and handing over the territory to
Hamas and Islamic Jihad, giving them much more convenient launching
pads for their Kassams, and getting nothing in return - now think
they were wrong. This week's poll shows that right now only 18% are
in favor of more unilateral pullbacks, while 74% are against. (Anshel
Pfeffer, The Jerusalem Post, July 27, 2007)
WOMAN LIGHTLY INJURED IN QASSAM ATTACK ON SDEROT
Two Qassam rockets fired by Palestinians in Gaza slammed into a home
and a warehouse in Sderot Thursday evening. A woman sustained light
shrapnel injuries, while a number of other residents suffered from
shock. A total of six rockets landed in Israeli territory throughout
the day, as did a few mortar shells, which landed near the border
fence with Gaza and near the community of Native Ha’asara, located
just north of the Strip. Also on Wednesday, the parents’
associations of Sderot told Prime Minister Ehud Olmert that they had
decided not to open the upcoming school year. The parents are
demanding that the authorities to respect the High Court’s ruling
regarding the city’s fortification and present plans and a timetable
for its implementation. (Shmulik Hadad, Ynet News, July 27, 2007)
May the God of Israel Bless You,
David Brog
Executive Director
Christians United for Israel
©2007 Christians United For Israel |