The right kind of friend for Israel

The liberal-leftist media in Israel has stooped to a new low in demonizing Glenn Beck before his “Restoring Courage” rallies.

By MICHAEL D. EVANS
Beck Caesarea 311 (photo credit: George Lange)
Beck Caesarea 311
(photo credit: George Lange)
Jerusalem never did like Jeremiah. The prophet was threatened and attacked by his own brothers, was beaten up at the order of a priest in the Temple and was imprisoned by the king – all for delivering the word of God that people did not want to hear.
A modern-day Jeremiah has had to contend with the equivalent. The liberal-leftist media in Israel has stooped to a new low in demonizing Glenn Beck before his “Restoring Courage” rallies in Caesarea and Jerusalem. Their false statements abounded, such as those concerning his relationship with his former Fox network.
The simple truth is that he is launching his own network, GBTV, with the assistance of a number of Fox execs who left with him. In fact, Fox and Beck’s production company, Mercury Radio Arts, have announced plans to produce joint TV projects that will be shown on Fox News.
Israelis may not be too familiar with Beck, but they should know that a Gallup poll last year found that more Americans admired him than admired the pope. The same poll found Beck more admired than Billy Graham, Bill Gates, Bill Clinton and George H. W. Bush. Beck did come in a close second behind Nelson Mandela.
Another specious charge by the liberal-Left media cabal was that Senator Joe Lieberman decided not to participate in “Restoring Courage” due to so-called ideological reasons. In fact, a family crisis made it impossible for the senator to attend.
This kind of low-grade reporting just shows how Israel has been living in the media stone age for far too long. Instead of repeating Abba Eban’s quip about the Palestinians never missing an opportunity to miss an opportunity, Israel’s information apparatus should wake up to the fact that it is the one missing one opportunity after another.
If the Palestinians had not been able to display their narrative all the way up to next month’s General Assembly, in the absence of Israel’s narrative, you wouldn’t need a Glenn Beck to come here and lead a rally to restore anything.
No Christian has ever risked more of his reputation and resources, or put his life on the line to the degree that Glenn Beck has for Israel. How dumb can the liberal-Left media be? Beck is seen and heard on more than 2,000 TV and radio stations and via 16 satellites.
The main event of “Restoring Courage” took place on Wednesday night. It was a worldwide media event viewed by more than 1,000 viewing parties in more than 60 countries. These include the UK, Belgium, Brazil, China, France, Hungary, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam. Expressions of support have come in from across the US political spectrum, including Lieberman, publisher Mort Zuckerman and Texas Governor Rick Perry.
Thanks to Beck, you can be sure that this worldwide audience got a rare glimpse at the beauty of Israel. Aside from restoring courage, events like this are what both religious and secular Israelis pray for: golden opportunities to promote tourism, to encourage the world to buy Israeli products, and see the kind and loving nation that actually lives here, unlike the image that anti-Semites like to promote.
You might wonder who is pulling the strings when such a man as Glenn Beck is so persecuted. Perhaps his own Via Dolorosa is connected to another street – J Street.
As a speaker at two “Restoring Courage” events, I had something to say from the evangelical point of view. But it was a Jewish speaker, Rabbi Shlomo Riskin of Efrat, who simply and eloquently described Beck as “a deeply patriotic American, a true friend of Israel.”
He expressed what I would like to think are the true feelings of Israelis. “We are not alone,” Riskin said. “We are profoundly grateful for your courage to love us and stand with us.”
The Left-liberal media like to point out how Beck is often overcome with emotion to the point of weeping. Well, even though Jeremiah was called the “weeping prophet” because of his lamentations, he also gave Israel a positive message, in Jeremiah 29:11: “For I know the plans that I have for you… declares the Lord,” plans for your welfare and not for disaster, to give you a future and hope.
The writer is a New York Times bestselling author and has served for decades as a key liaison between millions of evangelical Christians and Israel.