By Yakov Prasch
I know Baruch Maoz quite well and I appreciate much he has achieved and I value the personal regard I have for him. Much as I cannot share his hyper-calvinistic and cessationist doctrinal theology however, neither can I share all of his political convictions. We indeed have always agreed on much theologically and politically, but this is a case where I must respectfully disagree with the bulk of his statements.
This website publishing his remarks (http://www.comeandsee.com/) is linked to Musalhala (Salim Munyaner) and Alex Awad (http://www.comeandsee.com/LocalMinistries.php). That in itself is a disgrace. Such individuals turn their backs on the plight of Arab Christians suffering under one Islamic regime after another, sweeping religious freedom from their agenda in order to align themselves with those who are aligned to radical Islamist interests which persecute believers.
Baruch's closing remarks are particularly nonsensical. As one long critical of elements of 'Christian Zionism' who substitute political activism for evangelism, I also know that his blanket description of pro Zionist Evangelicals is neither fair or accurate. Most Evangelical Christians internationally who support Israel, care very much for the welfare and security of Israel; although they also see the prophetic dimension from the scriptures which he seems to ignore.
Many of the economic trends he addresses such as wealth disparity are international phenomena and not limited to Israel, and have causes such as Quantitative Easing in the USA & EU that artificially drive up share prices that investment bankers and hedge fund managers (the top 1%) capitalise on and profit from; which in a global market have ramifications for Israel and have little to do with the policies of the Israeli government. As in the USA, the other factor is the boom of high tech industries which works to the advantage of an elite group of innovators and entrepreneurs but leaves others out in the cold. Yet, the proliferation of such industries in Silicon Valley and Seattle prevented the USA from being overtaken as the leading economy by Asia and the outsourcing of R&D by American and other high tech multi-nationals to Israel has been a saving grace in Israel's economy.
I agree the outrageous concessions and cost of bribing small religious parties to remain in the coalition is ludicrous; but this has been true since the foundation of the state due to the most undemocratic system of democratic government called proportional representation. Mr. Netanyahu did not invent this stupid electoral system, the Labour Party mainly did; he is merely saddled with it and compelled to build a coalition out of this colossal absurdity which is not of his own invention.
I do not like terrorists being released, but Baruch omits the reasons: to achieve the release of abducted Israeli soldiers and desperate, but misguided gestures of good faith hoping to fuel meaningful peace negotiations under international pressure. He also pretends that the cause of Arab difficulty is primarily with Israel when it is with the policies of Hamas and the PA and their own Islamic belligerence. Baruch's view of this is parochial and he does not seem to grasp that it is a diabolically animated vehemence in every nation where Moslems exist including their own, that would exist due to the teachings of fundamentalist Islam even if the State of Israel did not exist. I would rather be an Arab, particularly an Arab Christian - in Israel than being one in Syria, Egypt, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Gaza , Yemen etc.
To suggest that Mr. Netanyahu is to blame for the souring relations with the USA is ridiculous. The Obama administration has pandered to Iran and radical Islamic interests in a range of areas not directly even involving Israel; and the anti Christian and anti Israel policies of Obama are ideologically driven. They are not merely a response to Mr. Netanyahu.
He moreover discounts in his analysis, that the Jews are the indigenous people of the West Bank, and that any second Palestinian state there would only create another Gaza. There is no land for peace with Islam, only land as a closer strategic platform to continue their jihad against Israel's existence.
Finally, I must seriously wonder if Baruch Maoz believes any of the fundamental issues he addresses would drastically improve under a Labour led coalition? They would be harnessed by the the same electoral coalition, strategic, and economic realities. For years I have maintained that the previous temporary coalition governments between the two primary parties failed in what should have been their chief mandate: to constitutionally eliminate proportional representation and marginalize the fringe religious parties like Shas and Agudat Israel from the political process, ending military service exemptions for ultra orthodox yeshiva students and ripping rabbinic halacha from the body of Israeli civil and criminal law. But it was Labour who first cemented itself to the National Religious Party and created this twisted system that so desperately demands reform -it was not Mr. Netanyahu. He is simply stuck with it and the unfortunate political realities of compromise it engenders.
I too am critical of some of the economic policies of the Likud government, and soaring prices in staples and housing are indeed a national dilemma. Israel's consumer price index is staggering. But unlike the hyper inflationary monetization policies of Itzahk Shamir which nearly destroyed Israel's economy, or the failed pre-Yom Kippur war strategic policies of Golda Meir & Moishe Dyan that almost destroyed Israel, on any reasonable scale Mr. Netanyahu is at least a via media (middle road) who has not lost total control of either the troubled economy or the ever precarious strategic scenario as others have done in both major parties.
With his unfortunate and distorted stereotype Baruch Maoz has misrepresented pro Zionist Evangelicals outside of Israel, and his position is not reflective of the majority of believers in Israel. In this regard, he speaks only for himself and no one else.
Jacob Prasch
Moriel Ministries
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