Glenn Beck, you're always welcome here

Beck believes in telling truth to the world about the Jewish homeland and in doing so has emerged as one of its staunchest supporters.

By DANNY DANON
Glenn Beck, alongside MK Danny Danon. (photo credit: Marc Israel Sellem)
Glenn Beck, alongside MK Danny Danon.
(photo credit: Marc Israel Sellem)
WHOEVER SUPPORTS ISRAEL, REGARDLESS OF their race or religion, I will embrace them. As Menachem Begin once said, “If anyone reaches out, I take that hand for the sake of Israel.”
And clearly, Glenn Beck is an unwavering supporter of Israel.RELATED:Should Israel welcome Glenn Beck’s support?
US media personality Beck has taken an active role in garnering support for the Jewish state. He participates in holiday ceremonies, has close personal relations with many rabbis, publicly advocates for Israel, and is politically and socially mindful of the ongoing challenges our country faces.
Recently speaking at a Jewish event, Beck reiterated his reasons for being a staunch supporter of the State of Israel: “Israel must have our support, and I’m not talking about military support; I’m saying they must have our support as a people. They have a right to survive and to be free from extermination, and the people who want to vaporize them. They have a right to defend themselves.
Israel has a right to hold on to the land taken as a buffer zone between them and the people who want to kill them. That’s the support they deserve, the support they have earned and the support that is required.”
So why would a conservative evangelical radio and television commentator be such an avid supporter of Israel? For starters, Beck recognizes that Israel is the only country in the Middle East that shares America’s democratic and social values. The longstanding alliance between Israel and the United States holds a special place in Beck’s heart and mind. The US and Israel share common enemies, and Beck praises Israel for being at the front lines against those enemies. He knows that the regimes of our adversaries, along with other radical religious and political leaders in the region, are seeking to destroy Israel and the West.
Hatred for the Jews, he argues, is always coupled with loathing for capitalism and the Western world. He stands up to these threats and warns the enemies of Israel and the Jewish people that times have changed, and Jews would not be alone in any confrontation. His strong desire to demonstrate solidarity with Israel is commendable.
Beck also argues that despite the constant provocations and attacks, Israel has shown overwhelming restraint.
And he admires our social mores. He admires how in Israel, contrary to most other Middle Eastern countries, women are treated equally and people are not stoned for their sexual orientation.
Beck’s pro-Israel stance stems from his realization that the “hatred of the past is returning.” He is astounded by the continued anti-Israel and anti-Semitic rhetoric that takes precedence in Western discourse, specifically US-Israel relations. He is perplexed by the scary reality that when you hear hundreds of thousands of people in many countries chanting “Kill the Jews,” nothing is done about it. He even goes so far as to say that if the insidious trends in global anti-Semitism culminate in a second genocide, “then count me as a Jew, and come for me first.”
Recognizing this new wave of anti-Semitism, Beck has become one of its leading opponents.
If that is not undying support for Israel, I don’t know what is.
Knowing that Israel is America’s true ally, Beck and other conservative Christian Americans have emerged as the Jewish homeland’s staunchest supporters. They have been at the forefront against the demand for Israeli land concessions and harshly criticize President Barack Obama’s Arab appeasement policies. While many people have accepted Obama’s reference to the 1967 lines, evangelicals have refused to concede an inch.
Beck believes in telling the truth. The truth about what is really happening here in Israel. He was, for example, the only one in the media to dedicate appropriate time and context to the massacre at Itamar.
No other political commentators have been this candid in their support of Israel. Beck’s radio and television programs have provided an accurate and realistic picture of the ongoing political, social, and demographic struggles Israel faces on a daily basis. His symbolic gestures of solidarity should be embraced by all Jews, rather than criticized by the ignorant among us.

Danny Danon is a Member of Knesset from the Likud, the major party in the government coalition.