Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and John Hagee Share Stage as Biden Arrives in Israel
Rachel Tabachnick
Tue Mar 09, 2010
Yesterday (Monday) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to hundreds of Christian Zionists in Jerusalem at an event organized by John Hagee and Christians United for Israel. Moments after I finished watching the live stream of the two hour extravaganza, I received an e-mail news notice stating that U.S. Middle East Peace Envoy George Mitchell had just announced new Israeli-Palestinian "proximity talks" or indirect talks with the U.S. serving as the intermediary. I had a feeling of deja vu.
In 1998 Netanyahu had traveled to the U.S. to meet with President Bill Clinton concerning peace efforts. However, before meeting with Clinton, Netanyahu spoke to hundreds of Christian Zionists assembled by Jerry Falwell and John Hagee at the Mayflower Hotel. In a blatant snub of Clinton and the peace efforts, John Hagee led the crowd in chants of "not one inch," referring to no withdrawal from the West Bank settlements. With little fanfare and almost no press coverage, Netanyahu and Hagee have pulled the same stunt again. Vice President Joe Biden arrived in Israel yesterday. Links to videos of the event can be accessed at
Max Blumenthal's article, Hagee and Netanyahu's Lovefest on the Eve of Biden's Arrival in Israel. The Hagee/CUFI Jerusalem event also included a speech by the mayor of Jerusalem, Nir Barkat. As pointed out by Netanyahu, both the current and former ambassadors to the U.S., Michael Oren and Daniel Ayalon, were in attendance.
The event included a fifteen minute film of organizations that have received 58 million dollars of donations from Christians United for Israel (CUFI) and John Hagee Ministries, Inc. These include entities in the West Bank such as the John Hagee Sports Building in the settlement of Ariel. Of the four major settlement blocs, Ariel is the one that extends the deepest into the West Bank. It is also the settlement adopted by Hagee, other CUFI leaders, and many church adopt-a-settlement programs.
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http://www.talk2action.org/story/2010/3/9/125255/8552/Front_Page/Israeli_Prime_Minister_Netanyahu_and_John_Hagee_Share_Stage_as_Biden_Arrives_in_Israel