Submitted by David Aarons, Jul 8, 2007 06:33

I am a tour guide in Israel and I have witnessed over the past 8 years how our groups of unsuspecting Methodist pilgrims are hoodwinked while they are here into hearing anti Israel lectures in the guise of humaniatarian concerns for the Palestinians however the lectureres always include a good dose of delitgitmization of the State of Israel's right ot exist far beyond their concern for the Palestinians It is done very cleverly they induce the People to have concern for the "Liiving Stones" : the dwindling Chrisitan community hear (dwindling because of their Moslem "brothers " intolerance and not because of Israel .) and in the guise of a Biblical lecture at the hotels such as "What Would Jesus Do ?" these are held at all the hotels where these groups stay sponsered by the Bishops Councill of the United Methodist Church Many local Christian "leaders " jump on this Israel bashing bangwagon for monetary gain i.e the Bethlehem Bible College and Rev ALex Awad deemed by the U.s gov as a security risk and Rev Ateek of the notorious Anti Israel Sabeel Org.Unfortunately the local Christian leadership here is deeply involved in continuing the medievil teachings of anti Semitism to their children and financial and other scandals plague this leadership on a regular basis i.e th e outsted Bishop of the Anglican Church Bishop Ria Abu Asal at St Georges by his own church for nepotism and the Greek Orthodox Patriach for anti semitic remarks made to Arafat" We share your revulsion of the people who killed our Lord ":as well as property sales scandals These revelations are totally unknown to the average Christian pilgrim who is sujected to these one sided lectures The lectures also include a great deal of anti American sentiment as well not to mention a totally disregard for the safety of Israels civilian population which the Suicide Bomber Security Wall now provides They all say it must come down in these lectures.A private conversation with the average Palestinian Christian wiould reveal that the overwhelming majority of the laymen disagree with their leaders and wish to live under Israeli rule and not a Palestinan Moslem stateThe Methodist Church and other mainline Protesant churches seem to have been hijacked somwhere by 1960's anarchists how sad .The traditonal friendship between mainline Protestant Christians and the Jewish homeland is being seriously eroded Where once they were greteted in thestreets here by waves to their tour buses hey are now greeted by suspician . How very very sadDavid Aarons Tour guide Jerusalem Israel

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