Who's Goliath Now? By Harmony Grant

Who's Goliath Now?

By Harmony Grant

Al-Jazeerah, December 21, 2006

At the video store last night, I noticed not one but two Holocaust flicks on the new release shelves. I guess we can never be reminded too often that Israel is a tiny David on a big battlefield, facing the constant persecution of mighty Goliaths.

This is more appearance than reality.

While Iran is in the hot seat for developing the nuclear power Israel has had since the sixties, Israel is developing robots as a simpler, cheaper way of killing Arabs who resist their military occupation. (It is, by the way, international law that natives of a militarily occupied land have the right to resist by any means possible. Haven’t heard that lately, have you?)

About the robots: Israel is working on flying assassins the size of hornets, which could be programmed to chase, photograph, and kill their targets. They could, for instance, pursue a Palestinian rebel through sinuous alleyways, snap a picture, and neatly end his life. Israel is also working on “super gloves” to give bionic strength to the hands of Israeli soldiers. (Reuters, “Israel developing anti-militant “bionic hornet,” Nov. 17, 2006)

“It’s illogical to send a plane worth $100 million against a suicidal terrorist,” Deputy Prime Minister Shimon Peres told Yedioth Ahronoth, “So we are building futuristic weapons.”

Yup, it’s illogical all right. Meanwhile, Peres thinks it’s perfectly rational to portray Israel, with nuclear and nanotechnology and the USA’s lapdog loyalty, as a victim.

Evangelicals completely believe this. Israel-firster televangelist John Hagee has been comparing Ahmadinejad to the Egyptian pharaoh who kept the Israelites in bondage.

When 5,000 evangelicals gathered last month for a “Night to Honor Israel” at Hagee’s San Antonio megachurch, Ahmadinejad was the topic of conversation. Resounding applause greeted Hagee when he said, “Pharaoh threatened Israel and he ended up fish food.” (NY Times, David Kirkpatrick, “For Evangelicals, Supporting Israel is God’s Foreign Policy,” Nov. 14, 2006)

When Israel was invading Lebanon in August, James Dobson compared it to “the Biblical skirmish between little David and mighty Goliath.” He said, “There sits little Israel with its five million beleaguered Jews, surrounded by five hundred million Muslims whose leaders are determined to drive it into the sea.” (Kirkpatrick)

I respect Dobson and appreciate much of his work—but this is simply not true. The Washington Times describes the Israeli Defense Forces as a “near-mirror” to US military.

“Its air force is led by F-15 and F-16 fighters, armed with U.S.-designed missiles and precision-guided munitions,” reports Rowan Scarborough (WA Times, “Military power Challenged,” August 10, 2006). “Israel receives $1.8 billion annually in military aid, which is used to buy U.S. equipment. The IDF active force numbers about 170,000 on an annual budget of $34 billion…The army is built around six divisions and nearly 1,700 main battle tanks. The air force maintains 400 combat aircraft. The naval fleet features three submarines able to fire cruise missiles, and 66 coastal boats with guns and ground-attack missiles.”

Israel justifies her military superiority as vital to her survival, and American Christians agree. They believe they’re blessing God’s chosen people and helping fulfill His plan of the ages by empowering the Jews to recover their Promised Land.

But they should read their own Scriptures more closely. In his prophetic visions, the prophet Ezekiel foresaw “tiny Israel” someday in total military dominion of the world. He saw Israel as “a land of unwalled villages” (38:11) where Jews live “in safety in their land with no one to make them afraid” (39:26).

But, he warns, this is not through the blessing of God. Ezekiel says Israel enjoys her power in defiance of God, in “unfaithfulness,” (39:26) and “uncleanness (39:24). For this reason, God is angry and grieved, “hiding His face” (39:24) from Israel.

From her position of power, Scripture says, Israel will subjugate the nations, including the very Christians who empowered her rise (See, “Israel: On the Way to Empire in the Mideast”).

Already Israel has achieved incredible military and political power. Does she have to resort to a slingshot and a prayer? Hardly. She can lob an arsenal of nukes, not stones, at her enemies.

Indeed, the sons of David have become the Philistine monster, while Palestinians try to resist with little more than rocks. During the 1988 Gaza rebellion, Israeli prime minister Yitzak Rabin ordered soldiers to break the arms and legs of Palestinian youths resisting Israeli occupation. What was the pretext for such cruelty? Rabin said Israeli troops could no longer endure being pelted with stones.

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Harmony Grant is a staff writer for the National Prayer Network, a Christian/conservative watchdog group.

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Earth, a planet hungry for peace

Apartheid Wall


The Israeli Land-Grab Apartheid Wall built inside the Palestinian territories, here separating Abu Dis from occupied East Jerusalem. (IPC, 7/4/04).

The Israeli apartheid (security) wall around Palestinian population centers in the West Bank, like a Python. (Alquds,10/25/03).

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