Christian Zionism: Israel's Deputy Tourism Minister personally welcomes GAFCON delegates to Jerusalem

From Religious Intelligence. Sadly, it seems many of the homophobes also do not oppose the occupation of Gaza and the West Bank.

By: George Conger.

JERUSALEM: “Christians and Jews must unite against a common foe” the Deputy Tourism Minister of Israel, Rafi Ben-Hur told pilgrims from the Global Anglican Future Conference in Jerusalem.
Israel Minister welcomes Gafcon 'pilgrims' to Jerusalem

Speaking to over 1,200 Anglicans on the southern steps of the Temple on Mount Zion, Rafi Ben-Hur thanked Archbishop Peter Akinola for bringing the Gafcon conference to Jerusalem, and called the gathering a sign of solidarity between the Jewish state and the Anglican world.

“It is time for Jews and Christians to be blood together,” Ben-Hur told the gathering, with many African bishops shouting “Amen” and “Hallelujah” in response. “We have enemies across the world” and must stand together, he said.

While Gafcon has an exclusively Anglican focus, it is likely to have political-diplomatic consequences, as Israel has fêted the Nigerian leader and visiting Anglicans. “Go out, tell the world about Israel,” Ben-Hur said, and be “ambassadors of Israel.”

The African bishops have responded in kind, and have expressed their appreciation for Israel’s hospitality.

The Israeli charm offensive follows a diplomatic flap with Jordan that saw the Archbishop Akinola denied entry at the border crossing from Israel. Travelling on a diplomatic passport, Archbishop Akinola passed through Jordanian customs and immigration with other participants travelling to the Marriot Jordan Valley Hotel near Amman for the Gafcon pre-conference.

Bishops from Pakistan, the Sudan and pilgrims from other Muslim-majority countries unable to travel freely to Israel were scheduled to meet with the conference organizers and US Bishop Robert Duncan from June 18-21.

However, after he had had his passport stamped, a Jordanian official called the Archbishop back and asked him to step into his office. Even though his entry had been pre-approved, the immigration officer demanded to know the purpose of his trip, the Archbishop’s mother’s name, the date and place of his seminary training, and other personal questions.

When he questioned the need for these questions, the official stated he would have to confer with his superiors and left the archbishop to wait. After three hours had passed, Archbishop Akinola told the other delegates he would return to Jerusalem. The other delegates decided to return with him to Jerusalem. The Jordanian embassy in Washington did not respond to requests for an explanation for the Archbishop’s ban, but referred to an article in the English-language Jordan Times which said the Archbishop had not been banned but had freely chosen not to enter Jordan.

While the incident had been “humiliating” and “embarrassing,” Archbishop Akinola said he would not press the matter with the governments. The Jordanian decision to harass him was inexplicable as “all the things that needed to have been done were done,” by way of visas and government approvals.

Speculation amongst the Nigerian delegation as to the cause of the snub varied, but the result had been a cooling of sympathies amongst all the Africans for the Jordanians and an embrace of Israel. Fears Gafcon would wade into political waters has kept the Bishop in Jerusalem at arms length.

While Bishop Suheil Dawani shares the theological views of the majority of the conference, a combination of regional and Anglican political pressures has placed him among the critics of the gathering.

In his address to the pilgrims on the Temple Mount, Ben-Hur urged Gafcon to return to Jerusalem. “God brought Anglicans to Israel” he said, and hoped they would return soon --- a hope shared by several conference organizers who have spoken of holding another conference in the next few years. However, a conference spokesman noted that it was premature to speculate on a return engagement at this time.