Think-Progress has an article about Pope Francis' visit to the Middle East.
"Stiff persecution at the hands of both Jews and Muslims"? Is there any comparison between the thriving Christian community in Israel and the dwindling Christian communities in every single Arab nation?At the conclusion of Pope Francis’ already surprise-ridden trip through the Holy Land last week, the first Argentinian pope turned heads by spontaneously inviting Presidents Shimon Peres of Israel and Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority to visit him for a joint “prayer summit” at the Vatican. Both leaders accepted his offer, and a date was set for a meeting at the pontiff’s apartment on June 6.The bold move by Francis — who has virtually no formal diplomatic training — rekindled hopes of reinvigorating Middle East peace talks that collapsed less than a month ago. Yet while the announcement of the summit was welcomed by many world leaders, several commentators were quick to point out that the pope’s primary goal in holding the prayer service is probably to help establish enough good will to help protect the Middle East’s Christian minority. After all, Christians, who make up 5 percent of the population in the Middle East, continue to face stiff persecution at the hands of both Jews and Muslims in the region, and Francis told members of the press last November, “We will not resign ourselves to imagining a Middle East without Christians.”
Apparently not. The author seems to believe that Israel is worse. Because his link doesn't go to any article about Arab persecution of Christians and mass Christian flight from Lebanon, Egypt, Iraq and elsewhere. It links to PCUSA's article about "price tag" attacks in Israel!
The Presbyterian Church USA is rabidly anti-Israel and its members who write articles like that are often openly antisemitic:
For example, at an opening program of the IPMN-PCUSA annual conference, the Rev. Craig Hunter said "greed and injustice is a cancer at the very core of Zionism." In a 2010 letter to church delegates, the IPMN-PCUSA falsely accused the Jewish community of intimidating Presbyterians by sending a letter-bomb to the church’s headquarters and setting fire to a church. IPMN-PCUSA tweeted an article proclaiming “Jewish power + Jewish hubris = moral catastrophe of epic proportions.” IPMN-PCUSA also has supported virulently anti-Israel resolutions including those equating Israel with Apartheid and has been a vocal supporter of the anti-Israel boycott, divestment, and sanction movement.While "price tag" attacks against churches in Israel are reprehensible, they areis hardly causing a mass exodus of Christians from Israel and they have been denounced by all Israeli leaders of every major political party. I think that Coptic Christians in Egypt would be thrilled if the worst thing to happen to them would be occasional offensive graffiti on their churches. To highlight that instead of mentioning the actual life-threatening incidents against Christians under every Arab regime is more than just an oversight. It is deliberate anti-Israel incitement, albeit low key.
The IPMN-PCUSA Facebook page includes a cartoon of President Obama wearing weighty Jewish star earrings to suggest Jewish control of the American leaders, a common theme on the site. The IPMN-PCUSA has posted articles that accuse Jews of controlling Hollywood, the media, and American politics - and blaming Israel for the American housing and economic crisis. IPMN-PCUSA's communications chair also posted her opposition to a two-state solution and the existence of a Jewish state, something which she terms "anachronistic.” The same IPMN leader, Noushin Framke, clicked "like" on the Obama cartoon with the Jewish stars and another post that Hamas should keep Israeli Gilad Shalit hostage until Palestinians are granted a right of return.
The article is idiotic on many levels, not least being a complete ignorance of the role of Israel's president, but this little link betrays a much deeper problem with many "progressive" writers.
(h/t Ronald)