Christian Friends of Israeli Communities

"Christian Friends"

There has been considerable recent controversy about Jewish "partnering" with evengelical Christian groups "supportive of Israel".

I just received this e-mailed video, from a group called "Christian Friends of Israeli Communities". The communities in question, referred to in the video as "Biblical Israel", are in "Judaea" and "Samaria"--that is, settler communities in some of the most contested areas of the occupied territories of the West Bank. And the settlers of these communities are violent resisters to Israeli law and policy, not to speak of international law.

Contributions to these communities are difficult, if not impossible, to reconcile with making peace with Palestinians on the "two state" model. They are, of course, fully consistent with speeding the Christian evangelical concept of final days, the final war of Gog and Magog to be played out on the fields of Megiddo.

All things considered, I am in no hurry for Armageddon, and prefer a pre-millenarial concept of peace.

In 1993 and again in 1995, Israel transferred significant territory to the Palestinian Authority, in accordance with the Oslo Accords. Israel entered into this so-called peace process in the hopes that territorial withdrawal would ultimately bring peace and prosperity to an area that has known so much killing and bloodshed. Many political and religious leaders, however, warned that the withdrawals ran counter to God’s plan for the Jewish nation and would only weaken Israel in future confrontations with her enemies.

Christian Friends of Israeli Communities (CFOIC Heartland) was established in 1995, in response to the Oslo Process, the devastating series of agreements that ceded land to the Arabs in the heart of Biblical Israel. For more than a decade, CFOIC Heartland has stood steadfastly with those Jews who are at greatest risk in Israel—those whose very homes are threatened with destruction, those who face terrorism on a daily basis, those whose core values and daily lives are based on Biblical principles. Since August 2005, CFOIC Heartland has been the Christian vehicle for support of the refugees from Gush Katif, those Jews who were forced from their homes in the Gaza Strip.

Christians from around the world have stood up for Israel and become valuable friends and supporters of the pioneers of Biblical Israel. Through CFOIC Heartland, churches, ministries, and individuals have visited the communities and linked with them directly through the adopt-a-settlement program. Thousands of Christians have provided financial support for community projects and have made a real difference in the ability of these communities to cope.

(Posting subject to some spell checking...)