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FROM: Clarence H. Wagner, Jr., International Director - Jerusalem
DATE: December 21, 1999

Special Report:  Gallup Poll: Israeli View of Christians Positive

(Jerusalem) A Gallup Poll reveals stunning surprises on Israeli attitudes regarding Christians and Jews.

The eye-opening results of a major nation-wide Israel Gallup Poll were released in December by Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, founder and president of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews at a press conference in Jerusalem on December 21, 1999. IFCJ is a Chicago-based organization which fosters Christian understanding and support for Israel, at a press conference in Jerusalem. Its $6.5 million annual gift is the single largest contribution in recent years to the United Jewish Communities (formerly UJA) and the Jewish Agency for Israel, supporting aliyah (immigration) and other humanitarian programs in Israel and the former Soviet Union.  Almost all of these funds come from evangelical Christians.

Also speaking was Clarence H. Wagner Jr., International Director of Bridges for Peace, who has worked to support Christian-Jewish understanding for the past  22 years, and Johann Lukoff, Director of the International Christian Embassy - Jerusalem.

General trends ascertained by the Gallup Poll, carried out nationwide during the first week of December amongst 479 adults throughout the country, demonstrated:

1) Israeli Jews are generally positive toward Christians and Christian support for their nation.

2) Nonetheless, Israelis have extremely little first-hand familiarity with Christians

3) Israelis are far less threatened by Christian missionary intentions than is often perceived.

Key Gallup Survey Findings:

* 3 out of 4 Israeli Jews cannot identify the date of Christmas. Only 27.2% saw "special significance" in this date.

* At the same time, 44% attach no meaning to December 31st, the eve of the new millennium.

* 2 out of 3 Israelis don't have a single Christian friend and 62% are not even personally acquainted with one Christian.

* Israelis welcome the planned visit of the Pope to their country in the year 2000 by a ratio of 5 to 1.

* 3 out of 4 Israelis are enthusiastic about US Christians visiting the Holy Land. Only 1 in 6 are negative.

* Israelis believe that US Christians feel closer to Israelis than to the Palestinians.

* Israelis feel personally closer to any assimilated American Jew than to an active US Christian supporter of Israel, (although this varies dramatically in category analysis of secular vs. ultra-Orthodox attitudes, younger generation vs. older generation).

* Israelis overwhelmingly welcome American Christian financial contributions to their society.

* Were Jesus to return today, on the eve of the millennium, far more Israelis believe He would be a Christian preacher than a Jewish Rabbi (although 5% say he would probably seek a Knesset seat!)

* The vast majority of Israelis believe that most US Christians are:
A) Friendly & supportive of Israel
B) Not avowed missionaries or anti-Semites
C) Not ignorant about Jews & Israel

* 87% of Israelis have never experienced any Christian missionary efforts.

* More than 9 out of 10 Israelis do not personally know a single Jew who has converted to Christianity.

"Frankly, we were not certain what kind of results to expect from this Millennium Eve opinion survey," explained Rabbi Eckstein, "We had a gut feeling that the people of Israel shared many of our own core perceptions and values, and the Gallup experts have clearly vindicated this belief.

"Most Israelis know very, very little about Christians. What they do know, they appreciate and feel an affinity toward," the Orthodox rabbi continued. "I took special pride that Israelis genuinely welcome with open arms overseas Christian contributions.

Clarence Wagner, giving a reaction to the poll results as a representative of the Christian community, gave the following statement:

I am a representative of  the evangelical Christian community, and the International Director of Bridges for Peace who has live in Jerusalem for the past 23 years.  This community has hundreds of millions of adherents worldwide.

As a community which sees the Bible as our basis of faith and practice, the evangelical community are the most outspoken of  Christian groups on behalf of Israel and the Jewish people worldwide.  We affirm the Abrahamic covenants and Israel's right to live in peace within secure borders.

As such, there are numerous evangelical Christian Zionist groups, such a Bridges for Peace, who sponsor extensive projects in the former Soviet Union and in Israel to assist Israel during this exciting time in her history.

It is this community who contributes most of the funds to Rabbi Eckstein's organization, the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, which helps Jewish people to travel from the CIS to Israel for immigration.

We view this Gallup poll with great interest and have looked forward to this day to see how this poll would reflect Israeli Jewish views towards Christians.

On the one hand, we are pleased that Israelis are enthusiastic about Christian pilgrims coming to the land, that most Israelis believe that Christians are basically friendly and supportive of Israel, that we are not considered avowed missionaries or anti-Semites, that we are not considered ignorant about Jews and Israel, and that Israelis appreciate the financial contributions of Christians to aid new immigrants and Israelis alike.

However, we are saddened that most Israelis do not even know a Christian, and that when asked which Christian group was most friendly towards Jews and Israel, the evangelical community was listed near the bottom of the list.

Annually, the evangelical community contributes tens of millions of dollars to assist new immigrants and Israelis; we make up the largest percentage of Christian pilgrims to the land of Israel; and we sponsor Christian Zionist pro-Israel events in Israel and around the world.

Therefore, these numbers tell us that we need to redouble our efforts to help the average Israeli know that there is a segment of the Christian community who are very much in support of them as a community and a nation.

Given the overt Christian anti-Semitism that has blemished most of the past 2,000 years of Christian history, we believe that it is important that Israelis, and the Jewish community worldwide, realize the great changes in Christianity in their favor.

We look to the new Millennium as an opportunity to strengthen these efforts and ties with Israel and I am calling upon all Christians and Jews to seek avenues for interfaith activities to foster greater understanding and for a stronger alliance.

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WHO ARE WE?
For those who are new to the list, Bridges for Peace is a Christian charitable organization, headquartered in Jerusalem, Israel. Since 1977, we have been working to build Christian-Jewish understanding and support for the people and land of Israel. We do this through twelve different aid projects to help the people of Israel, while disseminating information about Israel and teaching Christians about the Hebraic roots of Christianity. We have national offices in Israel, the U.S., Canada, the U.K., S. Africa, Japan, Brazil, Australia and Puerto Rico.

We also invite you to look at our WEB SITE at: http://www.bridgesforpeace.com

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Date: 31 December 1999, 04:15:47 EST
From  Judean Voice ( jsid@dorsai.org)
Subject: Abortion in Israel


ABORTIONS IN ISRAEL: MORE THAN A MILLION VICTIMS IN 50 YEARS
(by Binyamin Zev Kahane)

This article is dedicated to one of the most shocking, yet relatively undiscussed subjects - abortions in the State of Israel. The organization Efrat, which works with wonderful msirut nefesh to
increase the number of births of Jewish women in Israel asked us to write about the subject of abortions for Parashat Shmot. We are happy to comply. In fact, he who remains quiet concerning the issue of elective abortions becomes a partner to this atrocious mass murder.

As society increasingly depicts elective abortions as an expression of "progress" and "women's rights", the statistics regarding it have become more and more staggering. According to Efrat, more than 1,000,000 children have been killed since the establishment of the state. Yes, a genuine holocaust - and very few care. According to a recent study, 60% of women who gave birth at Hadassah Hospital in Har HaZofim admitted that they underwent an abortion "out of convenience" in the past. When the former Minister of Health, Dr. Sadan took it upon himself to fight against this phenomenon, playing a short film for the members of the Israeli Knesset depicting the abomination of abortions in Israel, and comparing  this legal mass murder to the Holocaust in Europe, the Knesset members jumped out of their skin. What enraged them so? The murder of the fetuses? Of course not! What shocked them was the fact that Dr. Sadan made the comparison of abortion to the Holocaust. He was forced to step down and relinquish his duties.

Perversion of Morality

What is particularly fascinating, though, is the entire leftist, liberal approach to the subject. From their point of view, the more one supports abortion, the more "enlightened" that person is. You may ask: How does mass murder sit so well with humanitarian, enlightened types? It's quite simple! You see, the killing of a fetus is an expression of  "freedom over one's body", feminism, and progressive society! And what about the fetuses right to live? That is not relevant to the modern and progressive types.

While every decent person would agree that child abuse is abhorrent, it suddenly becomes legitimate and even fashionable to kill a child in his mother's womb. Technically speaking, harming a child one second after he leaves his mother's womb is demented, but killing it a second before leaving his mother's womb is "freedom over her body". This gross perversion of morality is the result when morals are dictated by man and not God. Not long ago, it was even reported that in certain gynecological clinics that perform abortions, dogs eat the remains of the baby after it has been grated from its mother's womb.


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The Jerusalem Post Internet Edition
(January 5, 2000)

From the weblink: http://www.jpost.com/Editions/2000/01/05/News/News.1013.html
 

US may offer Israel defense treaty
By David Makovsky

WASHINGTON (January 5) - The Clinton administration is waiting to hear whether Prime Minister Ehud Barak is interested in a US-Israel defense treaty as part of an overall peace package among Israel, Syria, and the Palestinians, according to sources familiar with US thinking.

The US does not want to propose the idea to Israel if it feels it will be turned down, the sources said.

Yet, there is an assessment that President Bill Clinton would support the idea if this would clinch peace deals, win public support in Israel for a referendum, and gain public backing in the US. There is also a belief among sources on Capitol Hill that the idea will also win backing from conservative Republicans, who like the idea of putting relations with Israel on a footing based more on military cooperation rather than foreign aid. A defense treaty requires ratification by two-thirds of the Senate.

The sources said a US-Israel defense treaty would be in keeping with Barak's repeated public commitments that peace with Syrian will bolster, not diminish Israeli security. Since the first Oslo agreement was signed in 1993, Clinton himself has repeatedly publicly pledged to "minimize the risks of peace" to Israel.

Since the Six Day War, US officials have entertained the theoretical possibility of a US-Israel defense treaty as part of a comprehensive peace.

The idea of a US-Israel defense treaty was raised in December 1995 by then prime minister Shimon Peres, who spoke to US officials of the need for a "Clinton plan" as part of a peace with Syria. As envisioned by Peres, such plan would include a US-Israel defense treaty and a regional security pact involving the US, Israel, and those Middle East countries which have made peace.

At the same time, there has been opposition to a defense treaty from elements in the Israeli security establishment. It has been focused on questions of whether such a treaty would constrain Israel's freedom to maneuver militarily, since an Arab retaliation could automatically trigger US intervention. Some also wonder whether such a defense treaty would also constrain Israeli arm sales to countries such as China, which have disturbed Washington.

A leading opponent to such a treaty has been former national security adviser David Ivry, recently appointed ambassador to the US.

With the talks with Syria still going on, it may take considerable time before Barak's views on this highly sensitive subject can be ascertained.

It remains unclear whether a treaty would constrain Israel's maneuverability, defense sources in Washington counter. They point out that factors constraining Israel are based on broader geopolitical forces, unrelated to Israel's contractual responsibilities.

Sources in Washington said enhanced defense cooperation with the US was one of three pillars guiding Defense Ministry Director-General Amos Yaron during his meetings at the Pentagon two weeks ago. Yaron established a working group with Franklin Kramer, US assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs, to discuss Israeli defense needs in the event of a Golan deal.

The two other pillars that Yaron discussed were military redeployment and early warning and mobile strikes against Syria in the event of a surprise attack by Damascus.

State Department spokesman James Rubin denied reports that Yaron brought an appeal for a security package totaling $17 billion. Defense sources insist that Yaron put no price tag on the ideas that he put forward during his Pentagon talks.

Officials did confirm a Ha'aretz report that Yaron did mention the possibility of two new wings of Apache helicopters, Black Hawk helicopters, new Hercules cargo planes, three AWACS planes, tanker aircraft, and a ground station for downloading real-time information from US satellites.

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FROM: Clarence H. Wagner, Jr., International Director - Jerusalem

                  Weekly News Update and Prayer Focus from Israel

                                Week Ending: January 7, 2000


1) IRAN CALLS FOR ISRAEL'S DESTRUCTION
2) FATAH LEADER CALLS FOR VIOLENCE AGAINST ISRAEL IF NECESSARY
3) WEAPONS IN PALESTINIAN CAMPS IN LEBANON FOR USE AGAINST ISRAEL
4) THIS IS "PEACE"?
5) FIVE PERCENT LAND WITHDRAWAL
6) PM BARAK MEETS GOLAN SETTLERS COUNCIL
7) GOLAN COMMITTEE LETTER TO PRIME MINISTER EHUD BARAK
8) JERUSALEM: ON THE BRINK OF PARTITION


1) IRAN CALLS FOR ISRAEL'S DESTRUCTION

Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called on December 31 for the destruction of Israel, saying it was the only way to solve the problems of the Middle East. Khamenei's remarks came as millions of Iranians held rallies across Iran to protest Israel's control over Jerusalem. "The hands of the U.S. are fully stained with the blood of the Palestinians," Khamenei told hundreds of thousands of Iranians in his Friday prayer sermon at Tehran University.  He said there is only one possible solution to unrest in the Middle East, "namely the annihilation and destruction of the Zionist State." (TNT, January 1, 2000)

2) FATAH LEADER CALLS FOR VIOLENCE AGAINST ISRAEL IF NECESSARY

The Fatah organization aligned with Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Yassir Arafat on Monday marked its 35th anniversary with celebrations throughout Judea, Samaria, Gaza and Jerusalem. In an attempt to show that eastern Jerusalem is an integral part of the PA, Orient House (the PA administration building), hosted an event marking the day. Hussam Shahin, the Jerusalem Fatah leader stated that "If Israel does not accept the peace, the armed struggle will continue." (IsraelWire, January 4, 2000)

3) WEAPONS IN PALESTINIAN CAMPS IN LEBANON FOR USE AGAINST ISRAEL

RASHIDIYEH (AFP) - Weapons in Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon are for use in the war of resistance against  Israel, the head of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's  mainstream Fatah faction in Lebanon said on January 2.

"... all options for the conflict with Israel will remain open as long  as Israeli settlers remain...Jerusalem is despoiled, and 60 per cent of our scattered people cannot return to their homes in
Palestine," Sultan Abul Aynain told a rally marking the 35th anniversary of  Fatah's first operation against Israel.

Senior Palestinian Liberation Organization official, Farouq Qaddumi, said in a visit to Beirut in December that the  Palestinians' "light arms" would be handed over to Lebanon at the end of peace negotiations.  "We gave up our heavy weapons to the Lebanese state in 1991 but the light arms will stay in the camps until the peace talks (with Israel) end," he said. (by Waleed M. Sadi, Jordan Times, January 3, 2000)

4) THIS IS "PEACE"?

Hizb'Allah terrorists warned Israel December 31, that they would usher in the New Year with more suicide attacks against Israeli soldiers in south Lebanon. In a scathing speech to a rally of more than 1,000 supporters, Hizb'Allah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah said peace deals between Arabs and Israel would not bring stability to the Middle East or legitimacy to the Jewish state. "There is no solution to the conflict in this region except with the disappearance of Israel,'' he told the crowd. ". . . And on this last day of the century, I promise Israel that it will see more suicide attacks, for we will write our history with blood," Nasrallah declared. (TNS, January 1, 2000)

5) FIVE PERCENT LAND WITHDRAWAL

The five percent land withdrawal of Israel from Judea and Samaria, originally scheduled for November 15, 1999, began on January 5. An agreement was signed in a modest ceremony in Tel Aviv the previous evening, giving the green light for the implementation of the withdrawal and the turning over of more land to the Palestinian Authority. Included in the package are six abandoned IDF positions, one in Judea near Tekoa (near Bethlehem) and the remaining five in Samaria. The withdrawal also includes nature reserve lands in the Judean Desert. Two percent of the withdrawal includes areas currently designated area "B", under Israeli security and PA civil control. These areas will become area "A", under total PA control. Three percent of the package is areas currently area "C", under total Israeli control, to become area "B." (IsraelWire, January 5, 2000)

6) PM BARAK MEETS GOLAN SETTLERS COUNCIL

Prime Minister Ehud Barak met with the Golan Heights Settlers Council on January 2, before leaving for the Virginia summit. The Prime Ministet said that he has no illusions of the reality
in which we live in the Middle East and that the true guarantee for the State of Israel's continued existence are not signed agreements, but defense, strategic and economic power supported by the global power of the United States and the internal strength of Israeli society.

Therefore, the Prime Minister said that he would only sign an agreement that strengthens Israel's security and bring a safer future for our children. (Communicated by Prime Minister's Media Advisor, January 2, 2000)

7) GOLAN COMMITTEE LETTER TO PRIME MINISTER EHUD BARAK

The Golan Residents Committee advised Prime Minister Ehud Barak that they would petition the Supreme Court if Barak commits to concessions on the Golan.

Eli Malka, Chairman of the Committee, Golan Regional Council Chairman  Yehudah Wolman and Kazrin Local Council Chairman Sammy Bar Lev sent a  letter to Prime Minister Ehud Barak, along with copies to President Clinton and the Attorney General, in which they reminded him that he does not have the authority, under the law to make any commitment to relinquish any territory in the Golan Heights. According to the Law of Authority and Justice of 5759, the Government of Israel is forbidden to relinquish via any way sovereign Israeli territory that is subject to the laws, jurisprudence and authority of the State of Israel, without a decision accepted by a majority of 61 Members of Knesset and the carrying out of a national referendum.

The law prohibits such a concession via convention or agreement or any other way including commitments regarding the future or conditional commitments.

The authors of the letter warned the Prime Minister that a commitment to relinquish territory in the territory of the Golan is not legal and does not hold.  If there will be such a commitment, the
three announced, they will appeal to the Supreme Court. For additional details contact Avi Zeira, Golan@golan.org.il (IMRA, January 2, 2000)

8) JERUSALEM: ON THE BRINK OF PARTITION

Hamis Abdullah lives in one of the suburbs of Beit Hanina within the municipal boundaries of Jerusalem. Two years ago he saw workers from the municipality installing a sidewalk next to his house. Kabir Othman, from another Jerusalem village, Beit Safafa, noticed around the same time that someone was replacing a leaking sewage pipe next to the village's grocery store. In Jabel Mukaber, in southeast Jerusalem, the residents watched wide-eyed as another intriguing event unfolded: fancy sidewalks, with purple-scarlet tiles, appeared almost overnight in their village. But the illusion that these Jerusalem residents, who for 30 years had been almost totally neglected by the Israeli authorities, were now getting a bit of attention quickly faded.

In some ostensibly inexplicable way, the rise of Ehud Barak to power brought about a freeze in budgets that were earmarked to reduce, if only by a little, the vast, decades-long disparities in
infrastructure between the city's eastern and western sections. Reports in the past few days have reinforced the feeling among the Arabs of East Jerusalem that the almost total stoppage of investments in basic infrastructure work in their neighborhoods is not accidental. Whoever agrees to talk with the Palestinian Authority, officially or unofficially, about granting it civilian control in neighborhoods of East Jerusalem - which would be essentially the same as the situation in Area B (Israeli security and Palestinian civilian control) - is effectively talking about partitioning the city, if not today, then tomorrow.

Does anyone delude himself that granting civilian powers in East Jerusalem neighborhoods - whether under the name of "boroughs" or "decentralization" or any other name - will end there? Look at Abu Dis, just east of Jerusalem and part of Area B. Abu Dis is the formal model that Prime Minister Ehud Barak's peace teams want to apply in Arab neighborhoods of Jerusalem, too.

The only trouble is that in Abu Dis, where the Palestinians have been granted only "civil" powers, all the PA's security mechanisms are already operating, and there is nothing that really differentiates it from Area A (full Palestinian control). From Abu Dis, the Palestinian security units extend their arms into Jerusalem, long before anyone has permitted them to operate in the city.

Just last month, the PA's security units arrested three clerics in the city: Sabri Abu Diab from the mosque at Ras al Amud; Issam Amira from the mosque at Beit Safafa; and a third cleric from Hizma. Their "crime" was that they had criticized Yasser Arafat. Israel under Barak, who pledged never to let Jerusalem be divided, continues to allow a government within a government to function in the city. In almost every sphere, there are government authorities in East Jerusalem that parallel those of Israel. The Palestinian security forces operate even on the Temple Mount, the heart of the conflict. The PA's man there is Issam Abu Libada, who is registered as a guard, but in practice acts, together with a few of his colleagues, as an additional governmental authority at the site. When the Israeli police want to bring about internal quiet on the Temple Mount and prevent disturbances, their representatives meet with personnel of the Waqf (Muslim religious trust) in the presence of Abu Libada and his men.

The recent reports about new Israeli proposals, which amount to the city's partition, have one goal: to prepare Israeli public opinion for the compromise that is expected not only on the Golan Heights but in Jerusalem as well. This is being talked about almost openly in the offices of those who are directing the negotiations. The bait is an improvement of the demographic balance, the removal from the city's boundaries of a large Palestinian population and the annexation to the city of Jewish suburbs such as Ma'aleh Adumim and Pisgat Ze'ev. But the practical import is different: instead of fighting against parallel governmental systems that are already operating in East Jerusalem, Israel is planning to institutionalize them partially or fully. Instead of continuing to invest in basic infrastructure works in East Jerusalem, Israel is accepting the great infrastructure lack there. Instead of removing the Palestinian security units from the city, they are becoming a legitimate partner even in Israel's capital. Barak, like his predecessor Benjamin Netanyahu, continues to swear allegiance to the city's integrity instead of telling the public the truth: that now is the last minute to try to reunite it. ( By Nadav Shragai, Ha'aretz, translated by IMRA, January 2, 2000)


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WHO ARE WE?

For those who are new to the list, Bridges for Peace is a Christian charitable organization, headquartered in Jerusalem, Israel. Since 1977, we have been working to build Christian-Jewish understanding and support for the people and land of Israel. We do this through twelve different aid projects to help the people of Israel, while disseminating information about Israel and teaching Christians about the Hebraic roots of Christianity. We have national offices in Israel, the U.S., Canada, the U.K., S. Africa, Japan, Brazil, Australia and our Spanish World office located in Puerto Rico.

We also invite you to look at our WEB SITE at: http://www.bridgesforpeace.com

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