Whose side is God on?

George Bush’s latest trip to the Middle East did not do much to improve the situation in that troubled part of the world. The primary purpose of the trip was to participate in the 60th anniversary celebration of the founding of Israel. For Palestinians, this is the 60th anniversary of the “Nakba” or Catastrophe in which hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled or were expelled from their homes in Israel/Palestine.

In his speech to the Israeli Knesset, George Bush lavished praise on the state of Israel while making no mention of its effect on Palestinians, even though Palestinian Israeli citizens whose families were affected were sitting in the audience. The message of this speech, that the US is not an honest broker in the peace process, was not lost on the Arab world. The cool reception that President Bush received in the Arab world testified to the fact that the message got through.

Another message of the speech was to introduce God into a conflict that is largely over issues like land and water. Throughout his speech the President related Biblical promises to the modern state of Israel. He said the founding of the State of Israel “was the redemption of an ancient promise given to Abraham and Moses and David – a homeland for the chosen people Eretz Yisrael.”

He made the connection to the founding of the US saying that the founders saw the US as “a new promised land” and quoted William Bradford stepping off the Mayflower saying “Come let us declare in Zion the word of God”.

This connection is not a new one. Americans have long seen themselves as God’s chosen people, blessed by God. This imagery manifests itself particularly in music and prayers during national holidays such as the 4th of July or Memorial Day. (Does God really bless America and not Iran, Iraq or North Korea?)

One of the reasons for the close relationship between America and Israel is that Americans see this parallel between the founding of America and the founding of Israel. Both countries have a story of a courageous persecuted people, with the help of God, carving a strong nation from a harsh land populated by savage heathens.

Rather than bringing the Divine into the equation, George Bush might have been better to listen to the words of assassinated Israeli Prime Minister Itzak Rabin, “If the conflict were to be theologized, there would never be peace. For to theological conflict, there are no compromises, and therefore no solutions.”