the israeli-palestinian conflict has
been the focal point of geopolitical
instability in the Middle East since the
establishment of Israel in 1948 although
the vast majority of the international
community the UN and the United States
publicly support a two-state solution
trying to end this conflict after
decades of negotiation final settlement
has never been reached and tensions
between the Jewish state and the Arab
world continue to fester throughout this
process America has remained firmly
behind Israel as its greatest supporter
in fact Israel receives more US foreign
aid than any other country in the world
now much of this support has been
attributed to a strong wealthy and very
pro-israeli Lobby in America which is
true but you'd think that the majority
of the strength behind this Lobby would
be the Jewish community in the US which
is only partially correct because as it
turns out in terms of sheer numbers the
evangelical Christians from America's
Bible Belt make up the majority of this
lobbies power base so he sent Thomas
Morton to find out why a bunch of
born-again Christians from Texas are so
in love with the nation of Israel
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this may be the most important prophetic
spot in the entire Bible because the
final act of the book of Revelation is
going to begin right here at this place
the Bible teaches that Russia Iran
Ethiopia Libya Turkey and other nations
will come down under a UN flag and they
will invade Israel at this particular
point can you imagine
thousands of Tanks out here in this
valley
rumbling fighting firing can you imagine
jet airplanes screaming overhead the
battle is going to be fierce the
horrific multinational fighting this
preacher is describing is the Battle of
Armageddon which is supposed to happen
right here just as soon as Israel as a
fully Jewish state which is why a bunch
of Christians in Texas have become the
most fervent Zionists on God's green
earth
while most Americans probably think that
the pro-israeli Lobby is largely a
Jewish thing actually the most of its
support comes from right here in the
Bible Belt where evangelical Christians
overwhelmingly believe that Israel has a
right to exist because God said so go to
the phone right now and call that number
and say yes I'm gonna stand with Israel
I'm gonna bless the people of the Bible
I'm gonna bless the Hajj tocb well those
of you in this audience who support the
State of Israel stand to your feet and
give a shout of support while a lot of
Israel's financial support does come
from Jewish wallets that are close to 70
million evangelicals in America versus
less than 14 million Jews worldwide and
given that roughly 80% of these
christians support israel that makes
american christians the largest
pro-israeli voting bloc in the world
about four times the size of the jewish
community on earth there's a lot of
money behind the Christian Zionist
movement this church behind me
cornerstone is one of the biggest
supporters of Israel not just among
Christians but in the world the pastor
here John Hagee has raised an estimated
70 million dollars of the course of his
ministry
pastor Hagee also found in Christians
United for Israel or a CUFI which is the
largest pro-israel lobbying organization
in America even bigger than AIPAC the
organization most people assume
dominates the american israel lobby
because it's the biggest jewish room
what Stacey about CUFI is that a good
deal of their money for Israel is spent
on buildings and organizations in the
Israeli settlements these are massive
Jewish communities built well within
Palestinian territory in violation of
international law the settlements are
run by some of the most fanatical
Zionists who believe the Bible entitles
them to their land and that's eating any
of it back to the Palestinians would be
a violation of God's well there's
nothing wrong with Christians supporting
Israel the way these Christians have
chosen to do so
puts them firmly on one side of the
israeli-palestinian conflict one that's
directly opposed the US government's
official policy and are using their
massive political power and money to
oppose the peace plan John Kerry is
currently trying to push through
that's the two-state solution that would
give the Palestinians the West Bank and
Gaza Strip and the Israelis would get
the rest
hopefully ending all the violence the
evangelicals not only Lobby Washington
and send money to Israel to fight the
two-state solution they also make up
over 40% of American tourists in Israel
every year with popular holyland pogrom
egde tours many of these tours actually
have stops in the Israeli settlements
which are used by the settlers to
solicit donations for their cause we're
incarnation Ramah Israeli settlement
we're about to meet Sandra who deals
with pastor Hagee
in the United States she is not a
Christian she's an Orthodox Jew and
right now she's hosting a bunch of
Christian Australians who are touring
the settlement and hopefully coughing up
the bills to make the settlements more
relatable to their Christian friends
Sondra and her organization used the
Palestinian territories biblical names
of Judea and Samaria people who believe
in the Bible are the moral and spiritual
right of the Jewish people
amen after Sandra's presentation weary
boarded the bus to see the settlement
for ourselves come on guys I want you to
try to punch him in the stomach let's
give it a try
unfortunately our Arab neighbors also
have these kinds of guns you need to be
protected with something like this
how important is Christian support for
specifically for the settlement
Christian support for the Jewish
presence in Judea Samaria is critical
because it's a very large group of
people all over the world and we need to
hear their voices and thank God they are
raising their voices on this issue
louder and louder every day another
Christian holy land tour leader is
evangelical pastor Irvin Baxter who's in
time ministries takes its flock to
Israel twice a year the focus of their
tours is actually the real reason
evangelicals overwhelmingly want the
Jews to control all of Israel which is
the actual end times as an Armageddon
because according to their
interpretation of the Bible Jewish
controlled the Holy Land will lead
directly to the second coming of Christ
the word Armageddon is actually two
words har Megiddo or hill of Megiddo you
are standing on the hill of Megiddo
right now the final act of the book of
Revelation is going to begin right here
at this place and when it is was about
to be defeated the Bible tells us that
Jesus Christ Himself will intervene it
says it this way the Lord Himself will
descend from heaven with a shout with
the voice of the Archangel with the
Trump of God he is going to defeat the
Antichrist he's going to defeat the
false prophet both of them will be cast
alive into the lake of fire at that time
Satan is going to be bound for the next
1,000 years and we are going to crown
Jesus Christ as king of kings
and Lord of lords real quickly I will
take time for a few questions well sure
we'll still be there or not
in addition to Armageddon pastor
Baxter's in times tour hits all the
other local attractions associated with
the apocalypse including the most
contested piece of real estate on the
planet Jerusalem which houses some of
the most sacred sites for Jews Muslims
and Christians alike it's also where
Jesus lands at the grand finale of the
end times which doesn't pan out so great
for the Jews of Israel will die if
Zechariah 13 I think maybe verse 7 8 9
right in that area that few thirds will
by one-third will be brought through the
fire and that one-third will then turn
to Messiah and Mass when it comes back
and the scripture says that they will
run out to him and when they bow to
worship Him
Zechariah 13 6s they're going to notice
he's got wounds in his feet dude she's
almost son we've been so stubborn we've
been so proud we've been so blind could
you ever forgive us and 2,000 years of
blindnesses don't compete enough the
Jewish mind and those of us have been a
part of the rapture and come with Jesus
here 200 cuz the Christians have been
raptured out all who are born again yeah
all have been rapture when Jesus comes
we'll be caught up to meet
yeah and then we will come with them in
the battle Bacchus and so we're gonna be
watching this whole panoramic thing
unfold as the Jewish people turn to
their Messiah we're gonna be converting
fueled by the hundreds of thousands
during this time well the two-thirds of
Jews who died are definitely getting the
worst of times into the stick it's a
little less clear how the rest of the
world fares in the pastor's end of days
scenario in America get on the right
side of Armageddon by supporting Israel
Americans can let their legislators know
support Israel right now under the
present Obama administration there seems
to be a drift somewhat away from Israel
at least a determination to force Israel
to do what America thinks they should do
the only way for Israel to endure and
thrive as a Jewish and democratic state
is through the realization of an
independent and viable Palestine the
Jewish people should say look this is
our promised land
the Bible says we should not give it up
so we're not giving it up you have to
respect our religion
aside from potentially derail and
otherwise pretty solid peace plan
Christian support for the Israeli
settlements further makes life a pain in
the ass for the Palestinians living
nearby which is exactly what's happening
at Beit Jala a Palestinian village on
the outskirts of Bethlehem where Jesus
was born
happier Abu Aid is also Christian as
well as an official in the Palestinian
Liberation Organization we met him at a
weekly outdoor mass put on by the
Catholic Church as a form of protest
against Israeli encroachment two years
ago and they strike the court decided to
build the wall here where we are so
basically all this valley but you see
here it's going to be on this really
side of the wall for example he's one of
the 58 land owners that are going to
lose their land here it's in our 58
Palestinian Christian families yeah
they're going to lose their land here
and you're not talking about you know
immigrants that came here now you're
talking about the indigenous population
of this land we are standing now over a
territory that no one in the world not
even the u.s. recognizes as part of
Israel I know a lot of Evangelicals it's
really big in America right now to
support Israel because they say you know
well the Bible says Israel belongs to
the Jews and a lot of them also believe
that once the Jews take over all of
Israel then they get to hover on the
garden I don't I've read the Bible and I
never saw that the Bible says that God
is a real estate agent those Christian
Zionist organizations they are not
giving money actually to the State of
Israel they are giving money to the most
ideological settlers and of course I
don't think that's a very Christian act
if I were a Palestine Christian I
wouldn't involve myself in this conflict
I'd stay out of it and say look I know
what's coming
I'm gonna serve Jesus Christ when he
gets here he'll straighten all this out
while Baxter's advice for Christians on
the ground is basically just a bunker
down and get ready for the inevitable
key Anna's fellow Christian Zionists in
America are working full tilt to make
the end of day as a reality and are
using the voting strength that their
followers to try and get Washington on
their side
and in a political conflict that's
already been hijacked by religious
zealots on both the Palestinian and
Israeli side adding millions of doomsday
ready American evangelicals to the table
is like pouring gas on the fire in the
most flammable region in the world
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