Message from Jeff halper, American Israeli Founder Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions

On April 8, 2009, Jeff Halper wrote from Jerusalem

Everyone loves peace, but not everyone loves peace-makers. The work of people like Stephen Sizer is crucial to peace-making. “Peace” is not merely a goody-goody term that we use on Christmas or Passover. It has to do with hard realities like conflict, injustice and suffering, all of which require not only good will, but an analysis which identifies the causes of the conflict and offers a way out. Hardest of all, peace-making requires self-reflection, self-criticism and the ability to see the viewpoint of the Other, the “enemy,” especially when “your side” is involved. And one more thing is essential to peace-making: an ability to reach out, even to your detractors, so that a common ground of action can be established.

In all these things my fellow peace-maker Stephen excels. Over the years he has shown both courage and good-will, but most important, in my mind, he has provided us with tough analysis, primarily around issues dealing with Christian Zionism, a fundamental obstacle to a just peace in Israel and Palestine, that helps us get to the foundations of the conflict in order to resolve it. One would think Stephen’s work would be appreciated by everyone – Christian Zionists excepted, (although a sizeable number of critical Evangelicals do support his analysis). His seminal book, Christian Zionism, accompanied by films and presentations, provides an authoritative de-bunking of the spurious theology underlying that school’s seemingly “pro-Israeli” positions which make genuine peace-making so difficult.

Why Stephen is attacked and demonized by the organized Jewish community is an absolute mystery to me. After all, Christian Zionism is supremely anti-Semitic: at the End of Days those Jews who do not accept Jesus die. Indeed, the Jews are sacrificed in the battle of Armageddon; witness Pat Robertson’s outrage at Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert when he ended the attack on Lebanon in 2006, an attack that, in the eyes of Robertson and other Christian Zionists, was supposed to trigger Armageddon – no matter what befalls the Jews/Israelis. Jewish demonization of Stephen, rather than of the Christian Zionists, who Jewish and Israeli leaders cynically consider our allies,” demonstrates nothing more than bad faith. It is perfectly acceptable, apparently, to be anti-Semitic if, like Robertson, you are “pro-Israel.” Simply professing a doctrine in which the Jewish people is exterminated and disappears is no crime, in their view, as long as it somehow serves short-term Israeli interests (and Stephen shows that Christian Zionism does not serve Israeli or Jewish interests in any way). Ironically, then, it is the peace-makers – anti-anti-Semites like Stephen and even critical Israeli Jews like me – who are the enemy. If that is the case, then all the protestations of the Jewish community against anti-Semitism are hollow. What they really mean is, be anti-Semitic by all means if you combine that with a pro-Israeli position, but woe be unto those who fight such an anti-Semitic creed as Christian Zionism because by opposing Christian Zionism you are somehow opposing Israel. In attacking Stephen in his criticism of Christian Zionism, Jewish leaders have gone so far as to define “pro-Israeliness” in anti-Semitic terms.

But peace-makers are themselves tough people, willing and able to face down bigotry and bad faith. Indeed, this willingness and ability are what makes us peace-makers. To the organized Jewish community I would only say, as an Israeli Jew: remove your moral and intellectual blinders so as to be able to differentiate your true (if critical) friends from your true enemies.

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My Book Review of Dr. Rev. Stephen Sizer's latest work:

"ZION'S CHRISTIAN SOLDIERS?" sheds much needed light on how Jesus/The Prince of Peace who commanded his followers to forgive ones enemies and love all, has morphed into a militant crusader by many professing Christians in the USA.

Sizer's timely focus on the Holy Land, in particular Jerusalem, The Temple and the FUTURE of the world juxtaposed with the current political climate and neo-con ideology will hopefully wake up many American Christians who have been led astray by the heretical ideology of John Hagee, Hal Lindsay and Tim LaHaye.

The vast majority of American Christians do not even know that since 1948, the indigenous Christian population of the land we call Holy has gone from 20% of the total population to less than 1.3%.

Scholars and researches claim that unless things change asap, there will be no Christian witness in the land where Jesus promised that it is the Peacemakers who are the children of God by 2020.

"It is...irresponsible to suggest that God will bless us materially if we support the largely secular State of Israel, especially when this invariably means ignoring the plight of the indigenous Christian population of Palestine."-page 46, Zion's Christian Soldiers

Sizer's previous book is the perfect companion to his most recent, for "Christian Zionism-Road Map to Armageddon?" details how the cultish escapist theology of Christian Zionism fused with the neo-con political ideology has lead millions of Christians astray and help tip the world on its side heavy with military artillery.

"Zion's Christian Soldiers" utilizes easy to comprehend diagrams and thought provoking end of chapter questions that could bring American Bible Study programs into the 21st Century and infuse them with a much needed breath of fresh air.

Having been to Israel Palestine five times since June 2005, I highly recommend this scholarly yet easy to comprehend work to all Christians-and concerned global citizens- who have the courage to face reality and reclaim the gospel Jesus taught: The Peacemakers are the children of God.

God bless Sizer's work and struggle to provoke all Christians to remember that the Prince of Peace is the fulfillment of the Hebrew scriptures which the fundamentalist militant minded Christian Zionists have replaced with the apartheid state of Israel which USA taxpayers have supported with over 100 Billion dollars so far; well beyond what any other state or nation of the world has ever received in support from America.

"You shall know the truth and the truth will set you free."-John 8:32