"It's not about money, but it makes you wonder
While searching the internet for articles and statistics about the amount of money that the church in the West supports Israel and Palestine with, I also checked some Zionist Christian websites and found out that this group has more on their agenda than simply "supporting Israel." The Beginning of the End, a book written by a Christian Zionist pastor called John Hagee, mentions that Hagee celebrated the murder of a former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin as a fulfillment of a biblical prophecy. Another example is that of a very well known evangelistic pastor Pat Robertson, who declared that God will punish Ariel Sharon for a decision he took to withdraw from the settlements in the Gaza Strip, and dividing the land. During the war on Lebanon, through his program 700 Club, Robertson repeatedly said that the Lebanese people where sheltering a terrorist group, and urged all believers in the world to pray for an Israeli military victory.
In looking back at reasons why the church should support Israel, one of the first reasons is that Christians in the West and specially Zionists want to see God coming as soon as possible. I want to see God Coming soon as well, but it makes me very sad knowing that some people are focusing more on the Rapture than focusing on sharing the Gospel. Another statement from Pastor John Hagee, which is also mentioned as well in his book, states that the majority of the Jews currently living in Israel will be killed in the period of the warfare that follows the " Rapture" when "believing Christians" are bodily transported up to safety heaven. That in my opinion is complete selfishness, when such people encourage the war and see other people getting killed for the sake of their salvation and theology of the end of times; I call them the "anti-peace" and even anti-Christ because Jesus Himself blessed the peace makers, and His message is centered on reconciliation.
As a Palestinian Arab Christian, living in a war zone witnessing, experiencing injustice, pain and suffering, with all this I still want to see Israelis getting saved, and knowing the God I worship. In few occasions, when I introduce myself as Elias from Bethlehem, people come and tell me that they have a heart for Israel, and so after I explain that Bethlehem is in Palestine and I am a Palestinian and that Israel and Palestine are two completely different countries, I carry on by saying that this makes me glad. I encourage people to keep praying for the people of Israel to get to know God, because having a heart for a nation, you pray for them and even try to correct them if you truly love them. As a father loves his son, when the son makes mistakes the father corrects the son, and does not leave him to continue in his way just because he loves him. In the same time I encourage people to pray for the Palestinians, and to stand on the middle by being bridge builders, because if people take sides, they will become part of the problem and not part of the solution.
The economy, including foreign aid, is one of the issues that people have different perspectives about; a good number of Christians in the West supports different sides according to what they believe. Before looking at who supports who and why, I thought it would be helpful to look at some background facts that formed both Israeli and Palestinian economies.
Following the Second World War, the British withdrew from their mandate of Palestine and the UN divided the land of Palestine into Arab and Jewish states. The Arabs rejected this while Jews took the chance by declaring the state of Israel. The Palestinians did not, and continued protesting and fighting for their land. The Israelis defeated the Arabs in a series of wars, including the 1967 Six-Day War in which Israel occupied the rest of the Palestinian territories, the October 1973 War and the Lebanese War 1982-1983. As a result of those wars hundreds of thousands of refugees left their homes and towns escaping to other Arab countries.
On April 1982 Israel and Egypt signed a peace agreement where Israel withdrew from Sinai. In September 1993 Israel and the Palestinian Officials signed a Declaration of Principles known as "Oslo Accords, guiding to a period of Palestinian self-rule. Another peace agreement was signed between Jordan and Israel in 1994, and a withdrawal from parts of South Lebanon which was occupied by Israel took place in May 2000.
From the time the Oslo Accords were signed until the end of 2000, Israel and the Palestinian officials ran a negotiation marathon that supposed to lead to two separate states; Israel and Palestine living next to each other in peace and harmony. For different reasons both sides did not agree, and finally and without any warning a new upraising "Intifada" stopped the process of achieving the two states.
During the Intifada the economies of the both sides were affected directly. The invasion of the West Bank and Gaza again by the Israeli military forces has stopped Palestinian workers from going into Israel to work, closures. Curfews, restrictions on goods and people along with the construction of the separation wall and the decision by the Israeli government to suspend the transfer of clearance revenues collected on behave of the Palestinian Authority has damaged the Palestinian economy. Where as most economists blame the global slowdown, particularly in the high- tech dependent sector for the increase in the Israel case. (According to Business Week, Israel has the most high-tech dependent economy in the world). Although the Israeli economy is much better than the Palestinian economy, it is still experiencing difficulties as a result of occupying the Palestinian territories; Israelis are paying nine billion dollars every year to maintain the settlements and Israeli's military control over the Palestinians. (www.ifamericansknew.com).
With the current political situation the Unemployment Rate in Palestine has increased to 42.4% according to the World Bank, where as in Israel the Unemployment Rate is 8.3% according to the World Fact Book. A recent World Bank study predicts that, if the current situation continues this may be the worst year in the Palestinian economic history. The average Palestinian's personal income will fall by 40% and 67% of the population will fall into poverty.
After Hamas won the elections in February 2006 the world wide community cut of the aid to the Palestinians by saying they do not want to fund a government that supports terror and does not want to recognize Israel. As a result, the percentage of unemployment and poverty got higher, and those who work for the government, such as doctors, teachers, police men and many others have not gotten their salaries for more than a year now. People in the West Bank and Gaza do not have the money to buy basic needs such as milk and bread for their families, and they started protesting but no body was there to listen to their problems. I heard a story from Gaza, where a man went into a pharmacy covering his face and holding a gun, he asked the pharmacist to give him a bottle of milk for his kid, the pharmacist gave him two bottles of milk, the man took one and replied with tears in his eyes, "I am not a thief, but if I don't do this my son will die", so he took one bottle threw the gun away which apparently was a plastic gun and went out with the milk. People are faced with the challenge, that even if they go and work, they will not be paid. So why bother to work hard and not make any money to feed your family? So teachers, doctors and other workers for the government have stopped going to work; as a result schools shut down and students found themselves in streets and there were no doctors in hospitals. Palestinian civilians were and still are the first victims, not only of the escalation of violence but from withholding of direct financial aid as well.
Should the Palestinian Authority continue to receive foreign aid after Hamas electoral victory? This is a question that a year ago the answer for it was "No", and that is how the donors acted. Now with the new formed National Unity Government, the same question has been asked again. There are different perspectives from different sides. Some support releasing the aid believing that withholding it will only lead to more violence, starvation, humanitarian crisis and rising unemployment. On the other side, by withholding the aid from donors like the USA and the EU will give countries like Iran, Sudan and other anti-American areas to raise support to the Palestinian government led by Hamas. This is exactly what happened, Iran gave millions of dollars for the Hamas government, but of course the money has not gotten through to the Palestinians. Few weeks after that the USA decided to give the President who Is from Fatah and his security forces 87 million dollars, which in my opinion was one of the reasons why Hamas and Fatah clashed.
The first question leads us; if we want to be effective and not taking sides, into another question, should Israel continue receiving aid from the United States and other donors? There are different answers to this question as well. Some say that Israel is continually attacked by terrorists and aid is more important than ever, others supports Israel just because Jews are the chosen people, and in the bible it says blessed those who bless Israel, but it is obvious that aid to Palestine and Israel got different measures. Where most of the aid to Israel goes to build the separation wall, and developing weapons including nuclear weapons, illegal weapons that are used to kill civilians, paying money for soldiers to attack and invade Palestinian cities and protect settlements and settlers who according to the UN should not be in that occupied territory. With all that; donors never stop giving money to Israel even if they know that this money will go towards those cases, where when it comes to the Palestinians, where this money will go to feed a hungry kid, and for cure for the sick, the answer is no, because the government which was elected in a unique democratic process is not recognizing Israel, forgetting that in the same time, Israel is not recognizing the Palestinians right to exist and live as human beings. No matter what the different answers to the question are, in the reality Israel still is getting aid.
The congressional Research Service in a 10/03/03 report, entitled "Israel: U.S Foreign Assistance" states the following:
"Israel is not economically self-sufficient, and relies on foreign assistance and borrowing to maintain its economy. In addition to U.S assistance. It is estimated that Israel receives about $ 1 billion annually through philanthropy, an equal amount through short- and long commercial loan, and around $ 1 billion in Israel Bonds proceeds. Since 1985, the United States has provided $ 3 billion in grants annually to Israel. Since 1976, Israel has been the largest annual recipient of U.S foreign assistance and the largest cumulative recipient since World War ll.
In addition to foreign assistance, the United States has provided Israel with $ 625 million to develop and deploy the Arrow antimissile missile (an ongoing project), $1.3 billion to develop the Lavi aircraft( cancelled), $ 200 million to develop the Merkava tank (operative), $130 million to develop the high energy laser anti-missile system ( ongoing), and other military projects. In FY2000 the United States provided Israel an additional $1.2 billion to fund Wye agreement, and in FY2002 the United States provided $ 200 million in anti-terror assistance. For FY2003, the Administration requested $ 600 million in economy, $ 2.1 billion in military, and $ 60 million in migration resettlement assistance. For FY2004, the Administration requested $480 million in economy, $ 2.16 billion in military, and $ 50 million in migration resettlement assistance. "
10/03/03 Congressional Research Service
It's not about money but it makes you wonder when you compare between the amount of the U.S aid to Israel with the U.S aid to other Middle Eastern countries. The roughly $ 3.3 billion annual aid compares with $ 2 billion for Egypt, $ 225 million for Jordan and $ 35 million for Lebanon. Aid for Palestinian Authority is not earmarked; further more, aid to the PA is strictly controlled by the U.S agency for International Development, and goes for specific projects, mostly civil infrastructure projects such as water and sewers. (www.wrmea.com).
The governmental aid is only one piece of a the puzzle, on the other hand Israel is the chosen nation, and the holy land is the promise land, that's the way millions of Christians around the world and specially in the West believe. "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and whoever curses you I will cure; and all people on earth will be blessed through you." That is what the bible says about Israel and people act on their own perspectives and believes. I still remember four years ago when a lady from the West came to a celebration meeting for Christians in Palestine, and asked to share a word that she believed that God gave her, the pastor gently gave her the microphone and she said: the lord says; that you as Palestinian Christians should be the first ones leaving the land and encouraging others to leave, because this land belongs for the Israelis". For a minute no body said anything and everybody was in silence, the pastor asked her to step down, and she left the place. It is good to remember as well that in another verse in the Bible God says: "blessed be those who maintain justice, who constantly do what is right".
I am not writing this article to judge people's motives, and I am not here to open a record with each one dollar that Israel and the Palestinians receive and why or how they spend it. I am not complaining and playing the rule of the victim, I am not asking for money nor sympathy, I am just wondering when the world will use two measures, one for Israel, and other one for the Palestinians and when the jailer will be seen as the victim and the victim as the jailer.
Elias Issa Halabi
March-2007