Chapter 13: Zionism
The Rothschilds have long been the Establishment’s dominant financial power. They have supported three major goals: world government (League of Nations and UN), revolution (e.g., funding Lenin and Trotsky), and Zionism — the movement to establish the modern state of Israel. Why the last?
My paternal ancestors were Russian Jews. My great-grandfather’s name was Abraham Perlovsky. People who criticize Zionism (as I’m about to do) are frequently accused of being motivated by anti-Semitism. Since I’m half-Jewish myself, I hope it’s clear that such feelings do not impel me. And lest this book be quoted out of context, let me state that I am unequivocally opposed to racism in any form.
A typical Christian view of present-day Israel might run something like: “Israel is a marvelous example of God’s sovereignty. He preserved his chosen people, the Israelites, for all these years, and miraculously restored them to the Holy Land, recreating Israel as a nation.”
The Nature of Zionism
Israel’s flag bears what may legitimately be called a satanic six-pointed star.
Though called “the star of David,” is has no Biblical basis. If desired, Israel could have used a more familiar Jewish image, such as a menorah (the seven-branch candelabrum described in the book of Exodus). Wikipedia said of the Star of David in 2008: “Its usage began in the Middle Ages. Exact origins of the symbol’s relation to Jewish identity are unknown. Several theories were put forward.”
Satan tries to counterfeit the things of God. The Bible says the Antichrist will do signs and wonders, and amaze the world because he was wounded yet lived. That sounds like Christ. It also says he will rule for 3 and 1/2 years — the same amount of time theologians ascribe to Christ’s earthly ministry.
Christianity teaches the Trinity — Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The relationship of Satan to the Antichrist and false prophet (described in the book of Revelation) has been called an unholy trinity — with Satan counterfeiting God the Father, Antichrist a counterfeit Christ, and the false prophet counterfeiting the Holy Spirit.
Contrary to the widely held Christian view, I suggest the modern political state of Israel is not the rebirth of Biblical Israel, but a satanic counterfeit. I stress that I say this in a political context; I do not for a moment deny the sincere faith of many of the professing followers of Judaism now living in Israel.
How did that state begin? Israel received the land from the British, but how did they acquire it? Historically, Britain never had interests in Palestine.
In 1916, when Britain was facing likely defeat in World War I, leading Zionists intimated they could bring America into the war, provided that Britain would secure the Jewish people a national homeland in Palestine. The British government consented, resulting in the Balfour Declaration, named for its purported author, Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour, a 33rd-degree Mason.
Samuel Landman, secretary of the World Zionist Organization, wrote that
the only way (which proved so to be) to induce the American President to come into war was to secure the cooperation of Zionist Jews by promising them Palestine, and thus enlist and mobilize the hitherto unsuspectedly powerful forces of Zionist Jews in America and elsewhere in favour of the Allies on a quid pro quo contract basis. Thus, as will be seen, the Zionists having carried out their part, and greatly helped to bring America in, the Balfour Declaration of 1917 was but the public confirmation of the necessarily secret “gentleman’s” agreement of 1916 ….
Here is the Balfour Declaration’s full text:
November 2nd, 1917.
Dear Lord Rothschild,
I have much pleasure in conveying to you, on behalf of His Majesty’s Government, the following declaration of sympathy with Jewish Zionist aspirations which has been submitted to, and approved by, the Cabinet:
“His Majesty’s Government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in ant other country.”
I should be grateful if you would bring this declaration to the knowledge of the Zionist Federation.
Yours sincerely,
Arthur James Balfour
This declaration was issued to Walter Rothschild, a private banker holding no government position. Furthermore, it pledged that the British would “use their best endeavours” to found a Jewish homeland in Palestine, even though Britain had no position or authority there whatsoever. Although Balfour signed the declaration, its wording evolved from numerous consultations between Zionists and the government. The phrase about “the rights of existing non-Jewish communities” was not in original drafts, but was eventually appended to deter critics.
How did Britain gain control of Palestine to fulfill this pledge? Palestine had been under Ottoman (Turkish) control for 400 years. During World War I, the Ottoman Empire was a German ally; on this pretext, the British invaded Palestine, though it had little strategic significance. The famous film Lawrence of Arabia portrayed the exploits of T. E. Lawrence, the British officer who led the Arabs against the Turks. The Arabs were promised Palestine in return for helping Britain defeat the Ottoman Empire. They did not know that, behind their backs, the Balfour Declaration would secretly pledge the land to the Jews.
One reason many Arabs hate modern Israel: they bled for Palestine, but by broken agreements, much of it was given instead to the Jews, few of whom partook in the combat. T. E. Lawrence was so upset by the betrayal that he refused to accept his war medals, changed his name, and attempted to live in anonymity as an RAF airman.
Even before the Balfour Declaration, the Rothschilds were purchasing Palestinian land for Jewish settlements. French banker James de Rothschild spent about $50 million; today Israel honors him with his portrait on its 500 shekel note.
Jerry Golden is a Messianic Jew living in Israel. Look on his website for the article “The Roots of Evil in Jerusalem.” You will see an aerial photograph of the Israeli Supreme Court building, built by the Rothschilds. Notice the Masonic pyramid on its roof. Entering the building, one walks on an inverted cross — Masonic tradition of trampling the cross of Christ. One then comes to a painting (also viewable on the website) of Lord Rothschild and Israeli leaders examining an architect’s model of the building.
What were they after? What is Zionism’s true purpose? I believe the answer is in the Bible’s description of the Antichrist. Jesus said (Matthew 24:15) the End Times would occur “when you see standing in the holy place [God’s temple in Jerusalem] ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of by the prophet Daniel.” 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 says:
Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.
I suggest Zionism is not Godly or Biblical; its goal is to establish Satan’s rule in God’s city, Jerusalem. Modern Israel is a counterfeit.
Here are two principles:
* Satan wants to rule the world (purpose of world government)
* He wants to rule it from a throne in Jerusalem (purpose of Zionism)
Understand those principles, and you can understand most world events. Jerusalem is the Bible’s holiest city: the center of ancient Israel, Solomon built God’s temple there; Jesus was crucified there. Satan wants to reign, as a counterfeit Christ-Messiah, from a rebuilt Jerusalem temple, thumbing his nose at God as if to say, “Look! I rule your Earth, from your own temple in your own city!”
Christian Aid is leading Christian charity and missionary organization. Founded in 1945, it works in about 60 countries, focusing on the world’s poorest. Here is an extensive but informative quote from Bob Finley, Christian Aid’s founder and CEO:
Since the state of Israel proclaimed its existence within a small portion of Palestine in 1948, many events have transpired in that region which have had devastating effects on tens of thousands of evangelical Christians living in 29 Islamic countries from Morocco to Indonesia. Their continued suffering weighs so heavily upon the missionary staff of Christian Aid that we can no longer maintain silence. We must speak up on behalf of our fellow believers whose very lives have been put in jeopardy by the endorsement of Zionism by evangelical Christians in America.
Christian support for Zionist movement began in England a century ago when a few Bible teachers began to interpret certain Old Testament prophecies regarding the ancient Hebrews as being applicable to the present day Jewish people. Apparently those teachers did not know that (according to the Universal Jewish Encyclopedia) the Ashkenazi, or Yiddish, majority of Jewish people originally came from the empire of Khazaria in Southern Russia and are not biologically related to Abraham. So when a few Ashkenazi Zionists began trying to take over parts of Palestine through acts of terrorism about 70 years ago, some Christians started saying it signified the fulfillment of some obscure Old Testament prophecies.
Christians today fail to realize how such statements have had a destructive effect on our fellow believers in many parts of the world, so Christian Aid has begun to call attention to these facts. Since 1940 the Zionists have killed, driven out or displaced over two million of the original residents of Palestine. Their lands, houses and businesses have all been stolen, and most of their personal property as well. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled to refugee camps in surrounding countries over a 20-year period. Yet all the while, unbelievably, some Christians in America were cheering for the Zionists, and proclaiming their atrocities as being blessed of God.
In the eyes of Palestinians and their neighbors, what the Zionists have been doing is the equivalent to what the Nazis did to 600,000 Jews in Germany 60 years before. How, then, could Christians endorse such things? Our thoughtless expressions of approval have been destructive in three ways.
1.) What we have done to our fellow Christians in Islamic Lands
When Americans speak favorably about Zionist aggression in Palestine, we bring needless persecution on multiplied thousands of our fellow believers now living in Islamic countries. Christian citizens of those countries are suspected of being in agreement with what the Americans are saying, though not one in a thousand of them are. When Muslims hear of Baptists in America praising Zionist atrocities, what are to think of the Baptist churches in the countries? Or the Pentecostals? Or Presbyterians? How can we expect them not to retaliate against those who favor killing their fellow Muslims?
2.) What we have done to missionary work among the Muslims.
Fifty years ago millions of Muslims were open to the gospel. There was a great missionary opportunity for reaching them for Christ. Muslims make up the largest segment of unreached peoples on earth, and they were very open until American Christians began to praise Zionist conquests in Palestine. Since most of the violence has been against Muslims, it is to be expected that Muslims in other countries would be sympathetic toward the victims and resentful toward the Christians who support Zionist expansion. This political development has served to cut off millions of Muslims from their previous receptivity to the gospel. For a Muslim to become a Christian today has come to mean that he would have to endorse Zionist atrocities against innocent victims. To them that’s the equivalent of a Jew approving of Hitler. Not one in a million would be willing to accept such a seemingly vile and evil persuasion. So accepting Christ is no longer a reasonable alternative for millions of Muslims. Our missionary opportunity among them has been ruined.
3.) What Zionism has done to our churches.
Until 50 years ago most Christians accepted events recorded in the book of Joshua as something special for that particular time. We believed that the coming of the Saviour brought a New Covenant under which we no longer resort to violence to advance the kingdom of God. But when the Zionist movement began in Palestine around 1920, some Christians started to disregard New Testament principles. We would say it’s wrong for us to kill our neighbor and steal his property, but if Jewish people did it in Palestine, then it was O.K. First it was thousands, then tens of thousands, and eventually hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who were driven from their homes. All of their property was stolen by the Zionists. Forty percent of the victims were professing Christians, many of whom were born again believers. Yet, to our everlasting shame, many Christians in America have stood on the sidelines and cheered for the murderers. It’s all O.K., we say, because Zionism is a fulfillment of prophecy. It is hard to imagine how any Bible believer with reasonable intelligence could endorse such things, particularly when so many thousands of conscientious Jews the world over have objected strenuously to Zionist aggression in Palestine.
Some of our faithful friends in Christ have told us that if we dare to say anything about the tragedies that have resulted from Christians endorsing Zionist atrocities we may lose some financial support as a result. That doesn’t bother me. My Bible says, “We must obey God rather than men.” (Acts 5:29)
Faithfully yours in Him,
Bob Findley
Chairman and CEO
I disagree with Findley only when he says American evangelicals have “endorsed Zionist atrocities.” I would instead say they endorsed Zionism with conscious knowledge of the atrocities, which the U.S. media suppressed. We will discuss those atrocities momentarily, but let’s first address Finley’s remark: “the Ashkenazi, or Yiddish, majority of Jewish people originally came from the empire of Khazaria in Southern Russia and are not biologically related to Abraham.”
The Khazar Connection
According to the Bible, the Hebrews, who inhabited ancient Israel, were descended from Abraham. Jews today are widely considered their descendants. Arthur Koestler was a Jewish Pulitzer Prize-winning author. In his book The Thirteenth Tribe, he demonstrated that the vast majority — perhaps 90 percent — of those now calling themselves Jews are descended from Khazaria, not the ancient Hebrews.
How can this be? Khazaria was a kingdom just north of the Black and Caspian seas, in what is now southern Russia.
The Khazars were pagans, but in 740 AD the kagan (ruler) of Khazaria converted to entire nation to Judaism. You can look this up in Wikipedia. It wasn’t a matter of personal, individual conversions; Judaism became the state religion. Details on how this happened are sketchy. Quoting Koestler:
At the beginning of the eighth century the world was polarized between the two super-powers representing Christianity and Islam. Their ideological doctrines were welded to power-politics pursued by the classical methods of propaganda, subversion and military conquest. The Khazar Empire represented a Third Force, which had proved equal to either of them, both as a adversary and an ally. But it could only maintain its independence by accepting neither Christianity nor Islam — for either choice would have automatically subordinated it to the authority of the Roman Emperor or the Caliph of Baghdad.
There had been no lack of efforts by either court to convert the Khazars to Christianity or Islam, but all they resulted in was an exchange of diplomatic courtesies, dynastic inter-marriages and shifting military alliances based on mutual self-interest. Relying on its military strength, the Khazar kingdom, with its hinterland of vassal tribes, was determined to preserve its position as the Third Force, leader of the uncommitted nations of the steppes.
At the same time, their intimate contacts with Byzantium [Christianity] and the Caliphate had taught the Khazars that their primitive shamanism was not only barbaric and outdated compared to the great monotheistic creeds, but also unable to confer on the leaders the spiritual and legal authority which the leaders of the two theocratic world powers, the Caliph and the Emperor, enjoyed. Yet the conversion to either creed would have meant submission, the end of independence, and thus would have defeated its purpose. What could have been more logical than to embrace a third creed, which was uncommitted towards either of the two, yet represented the venerable foundation of both?
According to one ancient account, Khazaria’s king received envoys from both Constantinople and the Caliph. As paraphrased by Koestler:
He convokes the discutants separately. He asks the Christian which of the other two religions is nearer the truth, and the Christian answers, “the Jews.” He confronts the Muslim with the same question and gets the same reply. Neutralism has once more carried the day.
Though details are imprecise, it is indisputable that Khazaria converted to Judaism. Rabbis were brought from abroad to teach the people the Judaic religion and traditions. A number of Jews, fleeing persecution elsewhere, immigrated to the kingdom, bringing further influence.
What became of Khazaria? Over centuries, the empire gradually crumbled due to invasions, culminating with the Mongol onslaught in the 1200s. The Khazarians, still calling themselves Jews, fled eastward and settled in Eastern Europe, especially Poland, becoming most of whom we call the modern European Jews. They spoke Yiddish and became ethnically identified as Ashkenazi Jews. Light skinned, they contrast to Sephardic Jews, a minority among Jews today. Sephardim, whom many consider the Israelities’ real descendants, are darker skinned and more resemble Arabs, as one might expect, since true Jews and Arabs both have Abraham as their ancestor.
Some genetic studies have validated this distinction between Ashkenazi and Sephardic. For example, in 2003 the New York Times reported:
A team of scientists studying the ancestry of Jewish communities has found an unusual genetic signature that occurs in more than half the Levites of Ashkenazi descent. The signature is thought to have originated in Central Asia, not the Near East, which is the ancestral home of Jews. The finding raises the question of how the signature became so widespread among the Levites, an ancient caste of hereditary Jewish priests.
The genetic signature occurs on the male or Y chromosome and comes from a few men, or perhaps a single ancestor, who lived 1,000 years ago, just as the Ashkenazim were beginning to be established in Europe. Ashkenazim, from whom most American Jews descend, are one of the two main branches of Jews, the other being the Sephardim, whose ancestors were expelled from Spain.
The new report, published in the current issue of the American Journal of Human Genetics, was prepared by population geneticists in Israel, the United States and England, who have been studying the genetics of Jewish communities for the last sox years. They say that 52 percent of Levites of Ashkenazi origin have a particular genetic signature that originated in Central Asia, although it is also found less frequently in the Middle East. The ancestor who introduced it into the Ashkenazi Levites could perhaps have been from the Khazars, a Turkic tribe whose king converted to Judaism in the eighth or ninth century, the researchers suggest.
However, there are also genetic studies suggesting that Ashkenazim trace their ancestry to the Middle East, not Asia. A website that quotes many scientific journal articles, on both sides of the debate, is here. Perhaps a factor in the contradictory findings is that Jews lived among the Khazars, probably leading to some genetic mixing.
Before proceeding, let me make it clear: No one calling themselves Jewish should ever be doubted as to whether they are a “true Jew.” Aside from the fact that proving or disproving someone’s ancient lineage would be difficult if not impossible, this book has not the remotest intention of raising such personal questions.
However, the confluence of Khazaria and Zionism may have significant historical and Biblical implications. The prophetic book of Revelation says:
I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. (Rev. 2:9)
I will make those who are the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars — I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you. (Rev. 3:9)
Some Bible expositors relate these verses to comments made by Paul, the Jewish Apostle, who spoke of Jews who were circumcised in the flesh, but not in heart — i.e., Jews ethnically, but not spiritually.
In Romans 2:28 he said:
A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the spirit, not by the written code.
However, could Revelation have literally referred to people claiming to be Jews who are not? From a Biblical perspective, who were the Khazars?
In The Thirteenth Tribe, Koestler notes: “A Georgian chronicle, echoing an ancient tradition, identifies them with the hosts of Gog and Magog.”
Ibn Fadlan, a 10th century Arab traveler, wrote: “Some are of the opinion that Gog and Magog are the Khazars.”
The ninth century Westphalian monk Christian Druthmar recorded: “There exist people under the sky in regions where no Christians can be found, whose name is Gog and Magog; among them is one, called the Gazari [Khazars], who are circumcised and observe Judaism in its entirety.”
Josephus, the famed first century Jewish historian, wrote: “Magog founded those that from him were named Magogites, but who by the Greeks are called Scythians.” Webster’s New World Dictionary defines “Scythia” as “Ancient region centered about the north coast of the Black Sea” (i.e., Khazaria).
Biblically, Gog and Magog figure prominently in two books — Revelation and Ezekiel. Revelation 20:7-8 states that, in the final days, they will surround Jerusalem:
When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the Earth — Gog and Magog — to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sands of the seashore. They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God’s people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them.
According to Ezekiel 39:1-2, ancient Gog and Magog were north of Israel:
“Son of Man, prophesy again Gog say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against you, O Gog, chief Prince of Meshech and Tubal. I will turn you around and drag you along. I will bring you from the far north and send you against the mountains of Israel.'”
Over recent decades, pop theologians like Hal Lindsey interpreted Gog and Magog as the Soviet Union. After all, it was north of Israel, had state-mandated atheism, and, as a weapons supplier to Arab countries, was Israel’s purported enemy. What more logical nation to fulfill Biblical prophecies? Would it not produce the Antichrist, invade Israel, and ultimately be vanquished by God? With the Soviet Union’s fall, many Christians began doubting this theory, but most remain convinced that Biblical Israel has been restored, while speculation continues on Gog and Magog’s identity.
I’ll make a controversial suggestion: the prophecy of Revelation 20:7-8 has already been fulfilled. Satan, freed from his prison, went out to deceive the nations, through the very means and events this book has been describing. And Israel’s invasion has already occurred, under the noses of theologians awaiting it. Gog and Magog are the Khazarians’ descendants, whom Zionism gathered from around the Earth to occupy Israel.
I realize this raises many questions. Very intelligent objections, based on Scripture, can be made against my suggestion. We will address some of those later (especially in Appendix IV), but for now let’s put them on hold to keep our narrative moving.
Israel in the International Arena
Many assume that Jews worldwide support Zionism and modern Israel. This is not the case. For example, Neturei Karta is an organization of Orthodox, Torah-believing Jews resolutely opposed to them. In the New York Times it declared:
For from being a cause of celebration, the birth of the Zionist state is to be deplored, a state which we know to be conceived in atheism, based on materialism, nurtured by antisemitism, led by Marxism, ruled by chauvinism, trusting in militarism.
We typically view Israel as the underdog of the Middle East. Here’s the tiny country, surrounded by hostile states, that somehow survives. But Israel is no more an underdog than six men, armed with submachine guns, would be if they invaded a wedding banquet. New Jersey’s Star-Ledger reported in 2002:
Israel can field 19 divisions of ground troops; the United States boasts 13 divisions worldwide. Israel’s Air Force, which flies souped-up U.S. F-15 and F-16 fighters, can generate 3,000 sorties, or combat missions, per day. “We have created an 800-pound gorilla,” says Kenneth Browser, a military consultant in Washington, assessing decades of US military aid to Israel.
Due to its involvement in Middle East wars, U.S. military strength has increased since the above enumerations, but the comparison remains apt. Israel has about 4,000 tanks and 400 combat aircraft. When did you last hear of Palestinians piloting tanks or war planes? The U.S. media consistently play up stories of suicide bombers crossing into Israel, but never mention that the unarmed Palestinians have few other means of fighting back against Israel’s state-of-the-art weapons, funded by American taxpayers. Since 1976, Israel has been the single largest recipient of U.S. military aid, currently about $3 billion annually.
The United States went to war with Iraq over weapons of mass destruction (WNDs) that were never found. Now there’s talk of war with Iran over mere potential WMDs (based on Iran’s enrichment of plutonium). President Bush cited Iraq and Iran for violating UN regulations and refusing UN weapons inspections. But Israel has hundreds of nuclear weapons and refuses to let the UN inspect them. The American government looks the other way.
That’s OK, Jim, because Arabs are bad guys and our terrorist enemies, whereas Israelis are good guys and our peace-loving friends.
That’s how the media have stereotyped them. I submit that the reality is different.
Why do many Arabs hate Israelis? First, as we discussed, the Arabs fought for the land during World War I, only to discover that Britain had secretly promised it to the Zionists.
When Israel was officially created in 1948, the UN set strict boundaries on its territory. But it has since occupied the Gaza Strip and West Bank.
It acquired this territory by force. For documentation of this, and of the countless atrocities and massacres committed against the Palestinians, I urge readers to consult The Encyclopedia of the Palestinian Problem, written by Palestinian Christian Issa Nakhleh.
It is available online.
But the Arabs won’t recognize Israel’s right to exist!
Israel gained recognition when she signed the Oslo Accords; in return she agreed to withdraw from the occupied territories. As du Berrier notes:
It appears to have dawned on no one that Jordan, Egypt, Morocco and Syria, who wanted to destroy Israel when the nation was founded, agreed in Oslo to recognize Israel’s right to exist. Other Moslem states were ready to follow. All Israel had to do to make acceptance general and peace permanent was to cease colonizing and pull her settlements out of the Golan Heights, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
But when Benjamin Netanyahu became prime minister, he discarded the Oslo Accords, re-igniting Arab hostility toward Israel.
The United States has repeatedly demanded that Iraq and Iran comply with UN resolutions. President Bush cited UN Security Council Resolution 1441 as his legal justification for the Iraq War. On October 31, 2002, he decided in a speech: “America will be making only one determination: is Iraq meeting the terms of the Security Council resolution or not?” Before the UN General Assembly he asked: “Are Security Council resolutions to be honored and enforced, or cast aside without consequence?”
Yet ironically, while the US has frequently condemned Israel for violating agreements, the United States has vetoed those resolutions more than forty times, consistently as the only nation siding with Israel. For a summary of these vetoes, see here. This flagrant double standard, together with the billions in military aid we’ve given Israel, should help Americans understand the hostility some Arabs feel toward us.
If we Americans heard on country had invaded another, seizing its land, we’d oppose it. In 1991 we supposedly went to war to save Kuwait from Iraq. Yet Israeli invasions and conquests hardly bother anybody in America — especially Christians. Why?
Jim, the Israelis are God’s chosen people — Abraham’s seed. In the Old Testament, God promised them this land. Who are we to defy God?
The old Covenant was superseded by the new one under Christ; furthermore, most of these people are apparently not descendants of Abraham, but of the Khazars, and therefore no conceivable claim to the land.
But the Bible sometimes mentions people converting to Judaism. If the Khazars converted…
So let me get this straight. An Irishmen goes to Palestine. He finds an Arab’s house and vineyard attractive. So he says, “I hereby convert to Judaism. Give me your house and your land, or I’ll blow your head off with God’s blessing.”
But Jim, I’ve been on trips to the Holy Land. Israel is so nice to us Christians!
Sure — and largely for political motives. Christians constitute a powerful voting bloc. The Jerusalem Post observed in 1983:
The real Zionists in the U.S. are not the American Jews but the Christian evangelicals since these Christians feel that we are coming closer to a critical period in history and they want the Jews to fulfill prophecies and thus hasten the Second Coming of the Messiah. The evangelicals affect 20 million people a day in America. They are a great asset and must be used as such.
Jack Bernstein, an American Jew who lived in Israel, wrote:
Tourism is one of Israel’s main sources of income. The largest group of visitors are American Jews. But, there are also many American Christians who want to visit the holy shrines and to see the land of “God’s Chosen People.” These Christians come away very impressed and filled with religious fervor.
While in Israel, Jews and Gentiles alike are carefully watched to that they do not stray and happen to see the sordid side of Israel — the true Israel. Like the Soviet Russia and other communist countries, visitors to Israel are taken on carefully planned guided tours. They are shown the religious sites, the universities, the lush orchards, the technical accomplishments, the arts, and to stir sympathy, they are taken to visit to Holocaust Museum.
But, kept from the eyes of the tourists are the ghettos, the prisons where political prisoners, mostly Arabs and Srphardic Jews, are subjected to the most inhumane forms of torture. The tourists do not see the widespread cime activities and the corruption and cooperation between organized crime bosses and government and police officials. The tourists so not learn of the true inner workings of Israel’s Marxist/Fascist government; nor do they see Israel’s racism.
I met one American tourist who couldn’t help telling me about the wonderful religious feeling she had from being in Israel — the Holy Land. I remarked to her, “Just try giving a Bible to a local Jew and you will see how much religion and religious freedom there is in Israel. If seen by the police, you will be arrested.”
Palestinian scholar Sami Hadawi, former director of the Institute of Palestine Studies in Beirut, commented:
For succor they [the Israelis] turned their attention to evangelical Christians and found support among some who were willing to sell their soul to the devil for thirty peices of silver. Dangling fame and the dollar before their eyes with free trips to the Holy Land, the honor of being photographed with Israeli leaders as well as adequate financial means to maintain a comfortable way of life for themselves, the misguided and corrupt among them have turned Christianity into a lucrative business …. and conduct tours of the Holy Land under the guise of visiting holy sites but the real purpose behind these is to influence Christians in favor of Israel.
Friendship Israel offers America is pragmatic. The history of Israeli tactics reveals it is more enemy than ally.
The False Friend
After World War II, the British continued governing Palestine, with their administrative, military and police headquarters in Jerusalem’s King David Hotel. Zionists wanted Britain to exit Palestine so they could proclaim Israel a nation. In 1946, members of Irgun, an Israeli terrorist group, entered the King David dressed as Arabs. They brought in explosives, concealed in milk cans, and blew up the hotel, leaving 91 dead and many others mutilated. This was one of numerous Zionist terrorist acts against the British, who got the message and departed.
The USS Liberty was an American reconnaissance ship, unarmed except for four 50-caliber machine guns, serving with the U.S. 6th fleet in the Mediterranean. During the 1967 Six Day War between Israel and her Arab neighbors, it was stationed in international waters off the Egyptian coast. Israel’s air force and navy attempted to sink the Liberty. First their unmarked planes (bearing no Israeli insignia) hammered the ship with rockets, cannons, and napalm. They especially targeted the Liberty’s communication antennas; after destroying these, they sent in torpedo boats to finish the job. Five torpedoes were launched; one struck the ship, which had taken evasive action. In the meantime, Liberty crew members patched together some communications equipment, and got off a message to the 6th fleet that they were under attack. The aircraft carrier Saratoga replied that warplanes were on the way. The Israelis, apparently having overheard the communications, ceased attacking and fled. However, unknown to both the Liberty and her assailants, U.S. warplanes were not on their way. Defense Secretary Robert McNamara had ordered Rear Admiral Geis, commander of the task force which included the Saratoga, to recall them. As John E. Borne relates in The USS Liberty: Dissenting History vs. Official History:
The first rescue flight was canceled on direct orders by radio from Secretary of Defense McNamara, who ordered a 90-minute delay before any further flights. When the second flight took off at 1550 (having waited 90 minutes as ordered) Geis notified McNamara, who again ordered the recall of the flights. Any officer who doubts the wisdom of an order he has received has the prerogative to ask that the order be confirmed by a yet-higher officer, and Geis availed himself of that right. Since he was questioning the order of the Secretary of Defense, the only man superior to the Secretary was the President. President Johnson himself came on the radio and ordered Geis to recall the flights because “we are not going to embarrass an ally.”
The attack left 34 Americans dead and 173 wounded. The Israelis announced that they had misidentified the Liberty as an Egyptian transport ship, El-Quseir. This was implausible. The planes made many passes over approximately twice the size of El-Quseir; its markings were in English, not Arabic; and it flew an American flag. When that flag was shot down, the crew raised a huge ceremonial American flag.
Admiral Thomas H. Moorer, former Chief of Naval Operations and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, stated:
Despite claims by Israeli intelligence that they confused the Liberty with a small Egyptian transport, the Liberty was conspicuously different from any vessel in the Egyptian navy. It was the most sophisticated intelligence ship in the world in 1967. With its massive radio antennae, including a large satellite dish, it looked like a large lobster and was one of the most easily identifiable ships afloat.
Nevertheless, the United States government rubber-stamped Israel’s explanation. As Liberty survivor Richard Sturman relates:
Disgracefully, before awarding the Congressional Medal of Honor to our Commanding Officer for his heroic deeds our government first asked the government of the State of Israel if they had any objections. The Medal of Honor was then presented in Washington, D.C. Naval Shipyard by the Secretary of the Navy. Hours later, then-President Lyndon Johnson awarded similar Medals of Honor at the White House with all the pomp and circumstance accorded to recipient of our country’s highest award for valor. Furthermore, Captain McGonagle is the only recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor in the United States history who has not been accorded White House recognition. So not to embarrass the State of Israel for their attacking the USS Liberty, there is no mention in Captain McGonagle’s Medal of Honor Citation or in any Citation awarded the USS Liberty and her crew as to the identity of our attackers. A practice unheard of in American military awards.
Also unprecedented for an attack of this magnitude: Congress never investigated the incident. The Navy’s investigation was limited to one week. The following is excerpted from the 2004 declaration of Ward Boston, Jr., chief council to the Navel Court of Inquiry; for the full text see here.
Declaration of Ward Boston, Jr., Captain, JAGC, USN (Ret.)
I, Ward Boston, Jr, do declare that the following statement is true and complete:
For more than 30 years, I have remained silent on the topic of USS Liberty. I am a military man and when orders come in from the Secretary of Defense and President of the United States, I follow them.
However, recent attempts to rewrite history compel me to share the truth.
In June of 1967, while serving as a Captain in the Judge Advocate General Corps, Department of the Navy, I was assigned as a senior legal council for the Navy’s Court of Inquiry into the brutal attack on USS Liberty, which had occurred on June 8th.
The late Admiral Isaac C. Kidd, president of the Court, and I were given only one week to gather evidence for the Navy’s official investigation into the attack, despite the fact that we both had estimated that a proper Court of Inquiry into an attack of this magnitude would take at least six months to conduct…
Despite the short amount of time we were given, we gathered a vest amount of evidence, including hours of heartbreaking testimony from the young survivors.
The evidence was clear. Both Admiral Kidd and I believed with certainty that this attack, which killed 34 American sailors and injured 172 others, was a deliberate effort to sink an American ship and murder its entire crew. Each evening, after hearing testimony all day, we often spoke our private thoughts concerning what we had seen and heard. I recall Admiral Kidd repeatedly referring to the Israeli forces responsible for the attack as “murderous bastards.” It was our shared belief, based on the documentary evidence and testimony we received first hand, that the Israeli attack was planned and deliberate, and could not possibly have been an accident.
I am certain that the Israeli pilots that undertook the attack, as well as their superiors, who had ordered the attack, were well aware that the ship was American.
I saw the flag, which had visibly identified the ship as American, riddled with bullet holes, and heard testimony that made it clear that the that the Israelis intended there be no survivors.
Not only did the Israelis attack the ship with napalm, gunfire, and missiles, Israeli torpedo boats machine-gunned there lifeboats that had been launched in an attempt by the crew to save the most seriously wounded — a war crime….
I know from personal conversations I had with Admiral Kidd that President Lyndon Johnson and Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara ordered him to conclude that the attack was a case of mistaken identity despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
Admiral Kidd told me, after returning from Washington, D.C. that he had been ordered to sit down with two civilians from either the White House or the Defense Department, and rewrite portions of the court’s findings.
Admiral Kidd also told me that he had been ordered to put the lid on everything having to do with the attack on USS Liberty. We were never to speak of it and we were to caution everyone else involved that they could never speak of it again.
Air Force intelligence analyst Steven Forslund stated in a formal declaration:
On the day of the attack on the Liberty, I read yellow teletype sheets that spewed from the machines in front of me all day. We obtained our input from a variety of sources including the NSA [National Security Agency]. The teletypes were raw translations of Israeli air-to-air and air-to-ground communications between jet aircraft and their ground controller. I read page after page of these transcripts that day as it went on and on. The transcripts made specific reference to the efforts to direct the jets to the target which was identified as American numerous times by the ground controller. Upon arrival, the aircraft specifically identified the target and mentioned the American flag we was flying. There were frequent operational transmissions from the pilots to the ground base describing the strafing runs. The ground control began asking about the status of the target and whether it was sinking. They stressed that the target must be sunk and leave no trace.
Air Force intelligence analyst James Ronald Gotcher, also on duty that day, has testified:
We received a CRITIC message, informing us that USS Liberty was under attack by Israeli aircraft. Shortly thereafter, we began receiving rough translations of the Israeli air to air and air to ground communications…. It was clear from the explicit statements made by both the aircraft crews and the controllers that the aircraft were flying a planned mission to find and sink USS Liberty. My understanding of what I read led me to conclude that the Israeli pilots were making every effort possible to sink USS Liberty and were very frustrated by their inability to do so. Approximately ten days to two weeks later, we received an internal NSA report, summarizing the Agency’s findings. The report stated in, in no uncertain terms, that the attack was planned in advance and deliberately executed. The mission was to sink USS Liberty. A few days after the report arrived, another message came through directing the document control officer to gather and destroy all copies of both the rough and final intercept transmissions, as well as the subsequently issued report. After the destruction of these documents, I saw nothing further on the subject.
Navy communications technician Harold Cobbs has testified:
I arrived in Morocco, July of 1967. I was young and new to the NSG world. While performing my duties on base, I was a witness to the collection and order to destroy ALL traffic regarding the attack on the USS Liberty. Not wanting to believe what I had just seen and heard, I made the comment to comm officer, Lieutenant Rogers, “That’s just not right!” Upon making the above comment I received a severe lecture regarding the following of direct orders.
The Liberty’s survivors maintain a website, which I urge you to visit.
Now the paramount question: Why attack the Liberty? This was to be another Maine, another Lusitania, Pearl Harbor, Tonkin Gulf. The plan was to sink the Liberty with no survivors. That’s why the Israelis even machine-gunned the inflatable lifeboats. They flew in unmarked planes because, if successful, the attack would have been blamed on the Arabs. The intention was probably to then bring the U.S. into the Six Day War on Israel’s side, guaranteeing victory.
In 1986, U.S. soldiers were frequenting a Berlin discotheque called La Belle. One night a bomb tore through it, killing two American servicemen and wounding over 50 others. U.S. intelligence then intercepted radio messages, originating in Libya, that congratulated alleged perpetrators of the crime. The incident outraged many Americans. I myself called the White House opinion line and said, “How long will the United States tolerate this kind of thing?” President Reagan sent bombers which struck Libya. The adopted daughter of Libyan leader Muammar al-Gaddafi was killed in those raids.
Victor Ostrovsky in a former agent of the Mossad, Israel’s intelligence service. In his book The Other Side of Deception, Ostrovsky revealed that the Mossad originated the radio signals from Libya, completely deceiving U.S. intelligence:
A Trojan was a special communication device that could be planted by naval commendos deep inside enemy territory. The device would act as a relay station for misleading transmissions made by the disinformation unit in the Mossad, called LAP [LohAma Psicologit — psychological warfare], and intended to be received by American and British listening stations. Originating from an IDF navy ship out at sea, the prerecorded digital transmissions could be picked up only by the Trojan. The device would then rebroadcast the transmission on another frequency, one used for official business in the enemy country, at which point the transmission would finally be picked up by American ears in Britain.
The listeners would have no doubt they had intercepted a genuine communication, hence the name Trojan, reminiscent of the mythical Trojan horse. Further, the content of the messages, once deciphered, would confirm information from other intelligence sources, namely the Mossad. The only catch was that the Trojan itself would have to be located as close as possible to the normal origin of such transmissions, because of the sophisticated methods of triangulation the Americans and others would use to verify the source.
After detailing how the Mossad succeeded in planting a Trojan in a Tripoli apartment in 1986, Ostrovsky describes the results:
By the end of the March, the Americans were already intercepting messages broadcast by the Trojan, which was only activated during heavy communication traffic hours. Using the Trojan, the Mossad tried to make it appear that a long series of terrorist orders were being transmitted to various Libyan embassies around the world …. As the Mossad had hoped, the transmissions were deciphered by the Americans and construed as ample proof that the Libyans were active sponsors of terrorism. What’s more, the Americans pointed out, Mossad reports confirmed it ….
Heads of the Mossad were counting on the Americans promise to retaliate with vengeance against any country that could be proven to support terrorism. The Trojan gave the Americans the proof they needed.
The Mossad also plugged into the equation Qadhafi’s lunatic image and momentous declarations, which were really only meant for internal consumption….
Ultimately, the Americans fell for the Mossad ploy head over heels, dragging the British and the Germans somewhat reluctantly in with them. Operation Trojan was one of the Mossad’s greatest successes. It brought about the air strike on Libya that President Reagan had promised ….
In the 1946 King David Hotel bombing, the 1967 Liberty incident, and the 1986 Libyan Trojan operation, we see a clear pattern to Israeli strategy: deceive America and Britain into thinking Arabs had attacked them. And the worst was yet to come.
Perloff Books 