Teh One Who Knocks
05-24-2011, 11:26 PM
Saul Relative - Yahoo! Opinion Writer
COMMENTARY | Sarah Palin never seems far away from saying things that invoke biblical allusion or god's name. She has sometimes been known to be as blunt when sharing her religious beliefs as she is about most other issues, like when she spoke with Fox News' Jeanine Pirro on Saturday, telling her that President Barack Obama was on the wrong side of history -- and god -- with his policy positioning on Israel, a position he announced during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Washington.
"Anyone who studies history," Palin told Fox News, "studies the Old Testament, studies geography understands that Israel now is surrounded by enemies at all times. It should be now that America takes a stand in defending our friends in Israel."
What Palin, a prospective Republican presidential candidate, was doing, besides currying favor among the evangelical Christians that believe Israel's security is pivotal in End-Times prophecy and attempting to make President Obama into an individual who is thwarting god's will, was an attempt to place the United States in the role of ally and protector of the state of Israel in the context of her religious beliefs. Although her exact beliefs about religion are unknown, Palin has been associated with the Christian Pentecostal movement, a faction of Christianity that holds with the belief that all things move toward a second coming of the messiah (Jesus Christ) and the fulfillment of god's promise to the nation of Israel that their land will be returned to them (known as "dispensationalism").
Palin simply is calling for Americans -- she later in the interview suggests Americans "rise up" and stand with Israel -- to be on the side of Israel and god. For emphasis she says that Obama wants Israel to "negotiate with terrorists" (a direct slap at Hamas, a group recognized by the U. S. as a terrorist organization, which is included in the Palestinian Authority, a democratically elected body that is the key Palestinian negotiating entity in the troubled Middle East peace talks), further casting Obama in the role of a treacherous diplomat.
But Palin conflates history with Old Testament prophecy. The two are not the same. Prophecy and prophetic fulfillment can become history, but they just as easily might well remain unfulfilled prophecies. In Palin's words, history has displayed that the Old Testament, geography, history, and the troubled situation with Israel's neighbors are all indicative of prophetic fulfillment. When the truth of the matter is that the current strife between the state of Israel and Palestinians is a culmination of several wars between Israel and her Muslim neighbors and the gradual and sometimes forced displacement of Palestinians from the region since the turn of the 20th century and the formation of the Israeli state. In short, Palin ignores history and the fact that biblical prophecy may not be occurring at all.
Using Netanyahu's refutation of Obama's stance as a platform, Palin suggests that the U. S. should remain supportive of her long-time ally in the Middle East. This also casts Obama as being opposed to Israel's best interests or as a non-supporter, which is a blatant misrepresentation of Obama's position on Israel and the negotiations, which actually sides with historical precedent.
In the end, religious beliefs and interpretations of Old Testament prophecies are not substitutes for the reality of a very demanding and troublesome situation, no matter how convinced an individual might be. Long accused of having little foreign policy experience and knowledge, Sarah Palin's latest insinuation into another debate over a contentious issue, one that has plagued numerous administrations -- not to mention being a continuous threat to world peace -- over time, only shows her ignorance of the actual situation, its history, and truly emphasizes her lack of expertise in the matters of diplomatic statesmanship.
COMMENTARY | Sarah Palin never seems far away from saying things that invoke biblical allusion or god's name. She has sometimes been known to be as blunt when sharing her religious beliefs as she is about most other issues, like when she spoke with Fox News' Jeanine Pirro on Saturday, telling her that President Barack Obama was on the wrong side of history -- and god -- with his policy positioning on Israel, a position he announced during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Washington.
"Anyone who studies history," Palin told Fox News, "studies the Old Testament, studies geography understands that Israel now is surrounded by enemies at all times. It should be now that America takes a stand in defending our friends in Israel."
What Palin, a prospective Republican presidential candidate, was doing, besides currying favor among the evangelical Christians that believe Israel's security is pivotal in End-Times prophecy and attempting to make President Obama into an individual who is thwarting god's will, was an attempt to place the United States in the role of ally and protector of the state of Israel in the context of her religious beliefs. Although her exact beliefs about religion are unknown, Palin has been associated with the Christian Pentecostal movement, a faction of Christianity that holds with the belief that all things move toward a second coming of the messiah (Jesus Christ) and the fulfillment of god's promise to the nation of Israel that their land will be returned to them (known as "dispensationalism").
Palin simply is calling for Americans -- she later in the interview suggests Americans "rise up" and stand with Israel -- to be on the side of Israel and god. For emphasis she says that Obama wants Israel to "negotiate with terrorists" (a direct slap at Hamas, a group recognized by the U. S. as a terrorist organization, which is included in the Palestinian Authority, a democratically elected body that is the key Palestinian negotiating entity in the troubled Middle East peace talks), further casting Obama in the role of a treacherous diplomat.
But Palin conflates history with Old Testament prophecy. The two are not the same. Prophecy and prophetic fulfillment can become history, but they just as easily might well remain unfulfilled prophecies. In Palin's words, history has displayed that the Old Testament, geography, history, and the troubled situation with Israel's neighbors are all indicative of prophetic fulfillment. When the truth of the matter is that the current strife between the state of Israel and Palestinians is a culmination of several wars between Israel and her Muslim neighbors and the gradual and sometimes forced displacement of Palestinians from the region since the turn of the 20th century and the formation of the Israeli state. In short, Palin ignores history and the fact that biblical prophecy may not be occurring at all.
Using Netanyahu's refutation of Obama's stance as a platform, Palin suggests that the U. S. should remain supportive of her long-time ally in the Middle East. This also casts Obama as being opposed to Israel's best interests or as a non-supporter, which is a blatant misrepresentation of Obama's position on Israel and the negotiations, which actually sides with historical precedent.
In the end, religious beliefs and interpretations of Old Testament prophecies are not substitutes for the reality of a very demanding and troublesome situation, no matter how convinced an individual might be. Long accused of having little foreign policy experience and knowledge, Sarah Palin's latest insinuation into another debate over a contentious issue, one that has plagued numerous administrations -- not to mention being a continuous threat to world peace -- over time, only shows her ignorance of the actual situation, its history, and truly emphasizes her lack of expertise in the matters of diplomatic statesmanship.