The first time I was in Egypt, back in 2005, one of the first issues that I had to personally tackle was the direct influence that Americans, and particularly American Christians, have had in Middle East politics. Particularly in Israel-Palestine, Americans have not only governmentally and militarily supported Israel, but private American citizens have poured millions of dollars over the years into settlement expansion in the West Bank and Gaza.
Particularly these days, as Obama has made settlements a central issue in his negotiations with the Israelis (as well he should), he should perhaps also be more aware of the Americans who are supporting the settlement movement with generous donations. As this NY Times article is discussing: “Tax-Exempt Funds Aid Settlements in the West Bank,” many of these funds are even tax-free in the United States. This conflict of American interests should be of concern to the Obama administration. Though private citizens may have the right to use their money as they wish, the tax-exempt status of the funds makes it part of government policy.
The American donations to Israeli settlements come from a number of sources, with different motivations. Some of the biggest donors are individual American Jews with nationalist reasons for supporting the expansion of Israeli territory. There are also a number of Jewish foundations and organizations who specifically raise funds to send to settlements, such as the One Israel Fund.
The other population donating significant funds to Israeli settlements are American Christians, particularly conservative Protestant churches and organizations. These groups, such as the Christian Friends of Israeli Communities, are sometimes called Christian Zionists. Christian Zionists support Israeli settlement of all the land between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, due to the belief that the Revelations of the Bible will be fulfilled only when the Jews have settled back in the Holy Land.
Some of these Christians are also called Dispensationalists. This term refers to the ‘dispensations’ or times of God’s interaction with humans throughout history and in the future. In a way, these dispensations are signs of the coming of the end of the world. The belief of Dispensationalists include that the Jews remain God’s chosen people, and that the nation of Israel will be restored to the identical Israel of the Bible. Part of this belief is that out of a remnant of the Jews, God will restore Israel, and the Jews will realize that they crucified Jesus, the Messiah. All of this is supposed to lead to the Day of Judgment, when Jesus will rule the world from Jerusalem for one thousand years.
Whether Christian Zionists or Dispensationalists (they are closely related), these American Christian groups have been funneling money to Israeli settlers for decades. This money has made it possible for Israel to control over 40% of the West Bank due to the excuse of protecting settlements. This American support has also made it possible for the political right in Israel to exercise far more clout than their numbers imply – as they are the politicians who insist on continued settlement activity. Obama should closely examine these American dollars and their affect not only on the Palestinians, but on American foreign policy and the peace process. If so many American dollars are flowing untaxed to Israeli settlements – often through extremely conservative religious groups – how can our government truly say that we are demanding a settlement freeze? Settlements are ruining the lives of Palestinians and sabotaging the peace process. Their support should be the first thing that is examined if the U.S. really wants to stop them.
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