When a large pro-Israel rally was held in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, November 14, one of the speakers was Pastor John Hagee — a far-right Christian nationalist and televangelist known for his anti-gay, anti-Catholic and anti-Muslim remarks.
Hagee, who leads the evangelical group Christians United for Israel, has a complex relationship with Judaism — not unlike many other white evangelicals. On one hand, Hagee considers himself very pro-Israel. On the other hand, the Christian nationalist pastor believes that anyone who isn't a born-again fundamentalist evangelical will be condemned to eternal hell — including Jews.
In a report published on November 15, Mother Jones' David Corn argues that featuring Hagee at the November 14 rally was a terrible idea. And he describes some of the extreme claims that Hagee made during his speech — including a prediction that an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal will be the work of the Antichrist.
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Corn notes that some supporters of the rally didn't want Hagee to be part of the lineup, including Hadar Susskind (who heads Americans For Peace Now) and the liberal Jewish group J Street.
On November 14, J Street tweeted, "A dangerous bigot like Hagee should not be welcomed anywhere in our community. Period."
Susskind tweeted, "Contrary to what I was told, Pastor John Hagee will be speaking at today's rally. I am horrified that he was given this platform. His history of hateful comments should disqualify him from decent company, much less from speaking on stage. He is not welcome and should not speak."
Corn points out that opposition to Hagee's presence at the November 14 rally was "driven by Hagee's previous anti-Catholicism and homophobia," adding, "But there was another reason why Hagee was an odd choice as a speaker: He claims that an inevitable peace accord between Israel and Palestinians will be the work of the anti-Christ — literally."
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The Mother Jones reporter explains, "Hagee, who at the rally led the crowd in a chant of 'Israel, you’re not alone,' has long maintained that he does not accept the notion that by supporting Israel, evangelical Christians can somehow hasten the end of days…. But Hagee is a big believer in End Times Christianity and preaches that, according to the Bible, at some point, the anti-Christ will arrive, Jesus and the dead will rise, the rapture will ensue — lifting the truly faithful into air and toward heaven — and that everyone left behind will witness years of destruction, disasters and absolute misery."
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Read David Corn's full report for Mother Jones at this link.
