Christians United for Israel

Christians United for Israel (CUFI) is a Christian Zionist advocacy organization that promotes the idea that Christians “have a biblical obligation to defend Israel.”[1] It was foundedin 2006 by Christian Right leader John Hagee, the pastor of the Cornerstone Church in San Antonio, Texas. Describing itself as a “national grassroots movement focused on the support of Israel,” CUFI is a coalition of churches, parachurch organizations, ministries, and individuals. David Brog, CUFI’s former executive director, described CUFI members as having “a profound sense of guilt” about “how the Holocaust happened and Christians didn’t do anything about it.”[2]

CUFI holds several key annual events, including its “Night to Honor Israel,” during which the organization expresses “solidarity with the State of Israel and the Jewish people,” and its annual summit in Washington, D.C., which typically features high-profile elected officials.[3] CUFI also publishes a magazine, The Torch, which produces actions alerts to mobilize its millions of members “to contact their members of Congress or the Administration on critical policy issues.” The Torchalso does outreach on university campuses through its “CUFI On Campus” program, which “equips and trains Christian students to become effective pro-Israel advocates.”[4]

CUFI views a Jewish-controlled Israel as a necessary precondition for precipitating the end times. The “ingathering of Jews to Israel” and “the elimination of Rabbinic Judaism” are preconditions “for the 1,000 year reign of Christ.”[5]

Accordingly, CUFI supports Israeli settlements and opposes the two-state solution. “Those who divide [the land of Israel] will have a day in judgment,” Hagee declared in a 2008 CUFI conference.[6]

The group has criticized U.S. efforts to mediate peace between Israel and the Palestinians and has pushed for aggressive U.S. actions in the Middle East—particularly against Iran. According to CUFI’s website, “Bible-believing Christians must speak up and stand up for Israel. We must act to do whatever we can to protect Israel’s 6 million Jews from the second Holocaust. We must get it right this time. Our faith demands it. The times require it. Silence is not an option.”[7]

CUFI’s promotion of militarist U.S. policies and vision of Mideast peace is rooted in CUFI’s belief that Israel plays a key part in the fulfillment of biblical prophecy, which has led many Israel supporters to criticize the group. Rabbi Eric Yoffie, president of the Union for Reform Judaism, argues that this type of ideology threatens the bipartisan support Israel has enjoyed in the United States.[8]“What they mean by support of Israel and we mean by support of Israel are two very different things,” Yoffie said.[9]He has. on other occasions, described CUFI’s John Hagee as someone “who is contemptuous of Muslims, dismissive of gays, possesses a triumphalist theology, and opposes a two-state solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict.”[10]

Explaining his willingness to work with Christian Zionists, neoconservative trailblazer Irving Kristol once said, referring to their beliefs, “It is their theology; but it is our Israel.”[11]

Hagee has been the leader of the group since its inception. David Brog was CUFI’s executive director until he left in 2015. Hagee’s wife, Diana Hagee, and longtime CUFI associate director Shari Dollinger were named co-executive directors in April 2018.[12]

Growing Political Influence

CUFI’s profile in Washington rose quickly after it was established. In August 2006, one reporter noted, “Over the past months, the White House has convened a series of off-the-record meetings about its policies in the Middle East with leaders of Christians United for Israel (CUFI), a newly formed political organization that tells its members that supporting Israel’s expansionist policies is ‘a biblical imperative.’ CUFI’s Washington lobbyist, David Brog, told me that during the meetings, CUFI representatives pressed White House officials to adopt a more confrontational posture toward Iran, refuse aid to the Palestinians and give Israel a free hand as it ramped up its military conflict with Hezbollah.”[13]

In July 2015, CUFI launched a lobbying arm, CUFI Action Fund. Gary Bauer, a CUFI board member and former Republican presidential candidate was appointed as the organization’s director. Describing the lobby’s aims, Bauer said: “You can’t just bomb Washington, D.C. three days per year. You have got to actually occupy territory.”[14]

An early CUFI Action goal was to oppose the Iran deal and persuade members of Congress to vote against it. Bauer stated at the time that CUFI Action will argue that “anybody in either party who votes for this deal is putting their career in public life…over to the not-so-tender mercy of the mullahs of Iran.”[15]

During an off-the-record call with CUFI members in July 2015, the Wall Street Journal’s Bret Stephens, a long-time supporter of right-wing “pro-Israel” advocacy efforts, urged CUFI to warn members of Congress that their vote on the Iran deal would “be like your vote for the Iraq War. This is going to come back to haunt you…And some of you may in fact lose your seats because of your vote for this deal.”[16]

CUFI’s influence among Democrats is naturally limited. Unlike the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), which is committed to shoring up bipartisan support for Israeli policies, CUFI has very little ability to reach Democrats, as its community of “Christian Zionists” leans very heavily Republican. As a result, support for Democratic candidates, no matter how pro-Israel they may be, is not really an option for CUFI. As James Zogby, head of the Arab-American Institute said, “The Republicans are now the party of Israel, and they’re also the party of born again Christians, Israel’s primary American ally.”[17]

As a result, during the years of the Barack Obama administration, CUFI’s influence was limited. After the election of Donald Trump, however, CUFI quickly tried to capitalize on the administration’s radically pro-Likud sentiment by launching a “scorecard” initiative—announced by CUFI Action in a letter to members of Congress—to rank voting records with respect to CUFI’s agenda, including on Iran, moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, and efforts to combat the “Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions” (BDS) movement.[18]

CUFI’s growing influence was noted by observers during the campaign to pass legislation that would cut aid to the Palestinian Authority unless they stopped giving out funds to support families of Palestinians who were killed or imprisoned by Israel for committing “acts of terrorism.” The controversial legislation—known as the Taylor Force Act—was seen by many in Israel and by many pro-Israel forces in the United States, including AIPAC, as potentially dangerous for Israel, as it could undermine the Palestinian Authority and strengthen more radical forces. But CUFI, along with more extreme right wing Jewish groups like the Zionist Organization of America and the Orthodox Union, spearheaded the push for the bill. According to one veteran journalist, “the lead-up to the vote (in Congress) found a pro-Israel community in transition, with evangelical and right-wing activists heading the effort, while mainstream and centrist groups followed behind.”[19]

After Trump’s highly controversial decision to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, one observer wrote, “The Christian Zionists managed, through the positioning of Mike Pence, and fellow believers, in the White House an incredible measure of influence over perhaps the most powerful nation on earth.”[20] CUFI leader John Hagee was asked to speak at the embassy’s opening ceremony.[21]

Summing up CUFI’s widening influence, the editor of the Jewish weekly paper, the Forward wrote, “CUFI has strong personal ties to the White House now that Pence is hovering over Trump’s shoulder. Pence visited Israel with CUFI in 2014 and addressed its annual conference this year. The son of its chief Washington lobbyist is a senior Pence aide.”[22]

Among the Republican Party insiders who have supported CUFI are several current and former congressmen, including Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA), and former House members Newt Gingrich (R-GA)  and Tom DeLay (R-TX). Former Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT), who has spoken at CUFI events, once likened Hagee to a modern-day Moses.[23]

“Israel Collective”

In 2014, CUFI launched the “Israel Collective,” the aim of which is to build “vibrant relationships between American Christians and the people of the Holy Land.” Israel Collective says on its website: “Our goal is to create a community that walks out the teachings of Jesus by asking how we can love Israelis and Palestinians in a way that makes God smile.”[24]

Observers have noted that the Israel Collective is attempting to attract younger evangelicals who do not share the same unabashed “pro-Israel” worldview of CUFI through a “kinder, gentler” approach on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. “Though this rhetoric might be attractive to young people, CUFI’s claims about a loving Israel do not reconcile with the reality on the ground,” wrote one critic.[25]

The initiative was motivated by concerns that increasing numbers of evangelicals are becoming less fervently “pro-Israel.” “The days of taking evangelical support for Israel for granted are over,” wrote CUFI’s David Brog[26] He added: “With every passing month, more evidence is emerging that these anti-Israel Christians are succeeding in reaching beyond the evangelical left and are influencing the mainstream. In particular, they are penetrating the evangelical world at its soft underbelly: the millennial generation.”[27]

Neoconservative Connections

Neoconservatives have frequently joined Christian Right figures and groups in pushing advocacy campaigns. As reporter Jim Lobe explains, the Christian Right’s support for the Israeli state “explains the willingness of Jewish neo-cons to overlook the anti-Semitism of their Christian Right allies, whose own identification with Israel is based on a ‘Christian Zionist’ reading of Biblical scripture that recognizes a God-given right of the Jews to what both religions consider the ‘Holy Land,’ at least until the Apocalypse and the Second Coming of Christ.”[28]

CUFI’s executive board is comprised largely of conservative evangelical leaders—including neoconservative fellow traveler Gary Bauer—who share Hagee’s belief in dispensationalism, a core idea of Christian Zionism that holds that Jews must control certain parts of the biblical “Holy Land” as a precondition for the Second Coming.[29] Bauer, who is the president of the conservative American Values organization andwas one of the founding members of the Project for the New American Century, has also served on the executive boards of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and Emergency Committee for Israel.[30]

Other neoconservative supporters of CUFI have included Elliott Abrams, the controversial State Department figure in the Reagan administration who was convicted (and later pardoned) for his role in the Iran-Contra scandal. Hagee once told Abrams, “Every time there has been a fight like this [between Israel and its neighbors] over the last 50 years, the State Department would send someone over in a jet to call for a cease-fire. The terrorists would rest, rearm, and retaliate. … Appeasement has never helped the Jewish people.” Abrams essentially agreed with him, Hagee said.[31]

CUFI’s Annual Summit

CUFI draws widespread attention during its annual summit in Washington. Its 2014 summit, which took place during the 2014 Israel-Gaza conflict, attracted an array of politicians, media personalities, and conservative figures. On-stage guests included personalities from Fox News, Weekly Standard editor-in-chief Bill Kristol, former CIA director James Woolsey, Elliot Abrams, and Sens. Lindsey Graham and Ted Cruz. “We’ve come to Washington to ask our government to stop demanding for Israel to show restraint,” John Hagee said at the event. “Let Israel finish the job. Let every rocket be dismantled. Let every tunnel be destroyed.”[32] At that summit, Hagee gave a special award to Republican super PAC donor Sheldon Adelson and his wife, Miriam, who are key CUFI allies.[33]

CUFI’s 2015 national summit also attracted a wide array of conservative politicians and members of the Israeli government. Numerous 2016 Republican presidential candidates addressed the event, including Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Tom Cotton (R-AR), and Ted Cruz (R-TX), former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA), former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was also a speaker as was Israeli Ambassador to the United States Ron Dermer.[34]

Huckabee and Santorum both disavowed the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict at the conference, while Bush said Israeli settlement in “areas that are developed” should continue to expand. Cruz similarly stated that the United States should not “try to impose a specific solution on the dispute between Israel and the Palestinians.”[35]

Netanyahu has attended other CUFI summits in the past by way of satellite. Hagee addressed Netanyahu during CUFI’s 2009 annual summit in Washington, D.C., saying, “Israel’s sovereign right to grow and develop the settlements of Israel as you see fit and not yield to the pressure of the United States government.” Netanyahu replied, “Today millions of Christians stand with Israel because they stand for freedom, millions of Christians stand with Israel because they stand for truth, millions of Christians stand for Israel because they want to see genuine peace in the Holy Land.”[36]

CUFI staunchly supported Netanyahu’s controversial March 2015 speech to Congress criticizing the Obama administration’s nuclear negotiations with Iran. Brog said at the time that it was every member of Congress’s “responsibility” to attend the address.[37]

In July 2007, McCain, who received Hagee’s endorsement during the 2008 Republican presidential primary, spoke at the group’s Washington meeting to warn of threats from Iran and dire consequences if the United States withdraws from Iraq. He also used his opportunity with a CUFI audience to publicly affirm his Christian beliefs. According to MSNBC, “The Arizona senator concluded his remarks by commenting on his own faith.… He said that his own personal religious beliefs helped get him through his time in a Vietnamese prison camp, telling a story of a guard who drew a crucifix on the ground for him when he was allowed to go outside on Christmas Day one year.”[38]

McCain’s enchantment with CUFI ultimately proved to be short-lived after a video of John Hagee surfaced in which he suggested the Holocaust was a essentially a fated Biblical event meant to force Jews to settle in Israel. In the 2005 video, Hagee said, “then God sent a hunter. A hunter is someone with a gun and he forces you. Hitler was a hunter.” The publicity and outrage this video garnered resulted in McCain rejecting Hagee’s endorsement of his presidential candidacy.[39]

In 2017, Vice President Mike Pence delivered the keynote address to CUFI’s annual summit in Washington, D.C. As one observer noted, “Ultimately, Pence’s appearance before CUFI signals a new era of Christian Zionist influence in the White House with the potential to leave a lasting mark on U.S. policy toward Israel.”[40]

Islamophobia

CUFI Chairman John Hagee has a long history of making Islamophobic statements. In a 2006 interview with National Public Radio’s Terry Gross, Hagee said, “Well Islam in general – those who live by the Quran have a scriptural mandate to kill Christians and Jews.”[41]

In another instance, Hagee told his congregation, “Since the terrorist attack on the Twin Towers in New York and the Pentagon, on September the 11th, American politicians have tripped over themselves to state that the vast majority of Muslims living in the United States are just ordinary people who love America and are loyal to America. Is that true? Is that really true?”[42]

One of the themes of the 2007 CUFI conference (whose attendees included Santorum, Delay, Lieberman, and Gingrich) was the threat of Islam and—parroting the language of fear promoted by neoconservative writers like David Horowitz and Daniel Pipes—”Islamofascism.”[43] “The lure of a sympathetic crowd and the chance to trade pieties with the most popular televangelists in the nation attracted Sen. Joe Lieberman and ex-senator Rick Santorum,” the American Conservative reported. “Each preached to the converted: Islamic-fascism is the most dangerous threat facing the United States, and Israel is the frontline.”[44]

One conference attendee, sharing her experience at the conference, wrote in a letter to the Concord Monitor that she learned there are “eight known terrorist groups in the United States ready to strike.” The most “eloquent and striking speech,” according to the letter writer, was made by Newt Gingrich, who claimed to worry every day because “Iran has sworn to wipe Israel off the map with a nuclear or biological attack; after that, the U.S.”[45]

Allied Groups

Supporters in the hawkish pro-Israel community have included the Zionist Organization for America (ZOA), which gave Hagee its ZOA Service Award and Israel Award (reportedly presented to him by former UN ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick).[46]

One Jerusalem, a Likud-aligned advocacy group that is closely affiliated with Israeli right-wing figures like Natan Sharansky, has also promoted CUFI and Hagee. In January 2007, One Jerusalem hosted a conference call with Hagee, whom the group termed “an honest, sincere, and genuine friend of Israel and the Jewish people. His support should be embraced and appreciated.”[47]

According to One Jerusalem, during the call, Hagee said CUFI had three main functions: “To provide a rapid response team of tens of millions of Christians to contact Washington, on a moment’s notice, on issues pertaining to Israel; to organize an annual Washington Summit that would bring thousands of Christians to Capitol Hill with the sole purpose of advocating for Israel; to host a Night to Honor Israel in every major U.S. City.”[48]

SOURCES

[1]Christians United for Israel, “Pastors’ Briefing Events,” http://www.cufi.org/site/PageServer?pagename=events_pastors_luncheons_landing.

[2]David Weigel, “Inside the Most Insanely Pro-Israel Meeting You Could Ever Attend,” Slate, 2014, http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2014/07/christians_united_for_israel_the_most_insanely_pro_israel_conference_of.html.

[3]“About Cufi,” Christians United for Israel, http://www.cufi.org/site/PageServer?pagename=about_AboutCUFI.

[4]  “About Cufi,” Christians United for Israel, http://www.cufi.org/site/PageServer?pagename=about_AboutCUFI.

[5]Bruce Wilson and Rachel Tabachnick, “An Open Letter to Eli Wiesel,” Talk to Action, 2009, http://www.talk2action.org/story/2009/10/24/131516/27.

[6]Ali Gharib, “Going Undercover at Mad Pastor Hagee’s Christians United for Israel Summit,” AlterNet, 2008, http://www.alternet.org/story/92860/going_undercover_at_mad_pastor_hagee’s_christians_united_for_israel_summit.

[7]“Pastors’ Briefing Events,” Christians United for Israel, http://www.cufi.org/site/PageServer?pagename=events_pastors_luncheons_landing.

[8]Ali Abunimah, “Islamophobia, Zionism and the Norway Massacre,” Al Jazeera English, 2011, http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2011/08/2011829164395822.html.

[9]Hana Levi Julian, “The Fight for Jerusalem Begins,” 2008, Arutz Sheva, http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/125815#.VDQzwfldW1c.

[10]Ali Abunimah, “Islamophobia, Zionism and the Norway Massacre,” Al Jazeera English, 2011, http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2011/08/2011829164395822.html.

[11]Jim Lobe, “What is neo-conservative anyway?” Asia Times, 2003, http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Front_Page/EH13Aa01.html.

[12]News Brief, “Jewish woman, founder’s wife to helm Christians United for Israel,” Jewish Telegraphic Agency, April 18, 2018, https://www.jta.org/2018/04/18/news-opinion/united-states/jewish-woman-founders-wife-helm-christians-united-israel

[13]Max Blumenthal, “Birth Pangs of a New Christian Zionism,” The Nation, August 8, 2006, http://www.thenation.com/article/birth-pangs-new-christian-zionism.

[14]Edwin Black, “Christian Zionist group launches lobbying fund to oppose Iran pact,” Jewish Telegraphic Agency, July 17, 2015, http://www.jta.org/2015/07/17/news-opinion/politics/christian-zionist-group-launches-partisan-lobbying-fund-to-oppose-iran-pact.

[15]Bill Berkowitz, “Christian Zionists Gearing Up for Obamacare-esque Town Halls to Smash Iran Nuclear Deal,” Truthout, August 4, 2015, http://www.truth-out.org/buzzflash/commentary/christian-zionists-gearing-up-for-obamacare-esque-town-halls-to-smash-iran-nuclear-deal.

[16]Glenn Greenwald, “Listen to WSJ’s Bret Stephens Secretly Plot With ‘Pro-Israel’ Evangelical Group Against Iran Deal,” The Intercept, July 30, 2015, https://firstlook.org/theintercept/2015/07/30/listen-wsjs-bret-stephens-secretely-plot-pro-israel-evangelicals-killing-iran-deal/.

[17]Mark Perry, “The Democratic Party’s Israel Problem,” American Conservative, May 7, 2018, http://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/the-democratic-partys-israel-problem/

[18]Paul Miller, “CUFI public policy arm: The new sheriff in town,” The Hill, February 15, 2017, http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/foreign-policy/319637-cufi-public-policy-arm-the-new-sheriff-in-town

[19]Natan Guttman, “Evangelicals, Right-wingers, Prove Dominance Over AIPAC In Senate Vote,” August 7, 2017, https://forward.com/news/national/379115/evangelicals-right-wingers-prove-dominance-over-aipac-in-senate-vote/

[20]Morgan Strong, “How Christian Zionists got their man into the White House,” Middle East Eye, January 2, 2018, http://www.middleeasteye.net/essays/battle-armageddon-776157873

[21]Sam Stein, “McCain Backer Hagee Said Hitler Was Fulfilling God’s Will (AUDIO),” Huffington Post, May 29, 2008, https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/05/21/mccain-backer-hagee-said_n_102892.html

[22]Jane Eisner, “Trump Has Handed The Israel Lobby To Evangelicals. That’s Terrifying,” Forward, January 15, 2018, https://forward.com/opinion/392156/trump-has-handed-the-israel-lobby-to-evangelicals-thats-terrifying/

[23]Max Blumenthal, “Rapture Ready: The Unauthorized Christians United for Israel Tour,” The Huffington Post, 2007, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/max-blumenthal/rapture-ready-the-unautho_b_57826.html.

[24]Israel Collective, “About Us,” http://www.israelcollective.org/about/.

[25]Ryan Rodrick Beiler, “To evangelicals, Zionism an increasingly tough sell,” Electronic Intifada, March 19, 2015, https://electronicintifada.net/content/evangelicals-zionism-increasingly-tough-sell/14357.

[26]David Brog, “Evangelical Christians see Israel in a new light,” Jews for Justice for Palestinians, Spring 2014, http://jfjfp.com/?p=64667.

[27]David Brog, “Evangelical Christians see Israel in a new light,” Jews for Justice for Palestinians, Spring 2014, http://jfjfp.com/?p=64667.

[28]Jim Lobe, “What is neo-conservative anyway?” Asia Times, 2003, http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Front_Page/EH13Aa01.html.

[29]Neela Banerjee, “For McCain, Little Talk of a Controversial Endorsement,” The New York Times, 2008, http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/08/us/politics/08hagee.html?pagewanted=print.

[30]“Gary Bauer,” Right Web, 2012, http://www.rightweb.irc-online.org/profile/bauer_gary.

[31]David Kirckpatrick, “For Evangelicals, Supporting Israel is ‘God’s Foreign Policy’,” The New York Times, 2006, http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/14/washington/14israel.html?pagewanted=all.

[32]David Weigel, “Inside the Most Insanely Pro-Israel Meeting You Could Ever Attend,” Slate, 2014, http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2014/07/christians_united_for_israel_the_most_insanely_pro_israel_conference_of.html.

[33]David Weigel, “Inside the Most Insanely Pro-Israel Meeting You Could Ever Attend,” Slate, 2014, http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2014/07/christians_united_for_israel_the_most_insanely_pro_israel_conference_of.html.

[34]Jennifer Rubin, “Get ready for the pro-Israel NRA,” The Washington Post, July 12, 2015, https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/wp/2015/07/12/get-ready-for-the-pro-israel-nra/?postshare=8571436722924177.

[35]BCNN, “At Christians United for Israel Summit, Republican Presidential Candidates Show Support for Israel; Huckabee Urges John Kerry to ‘Get Off Your Crutches, Quit Iran Talks, Hug Netanyahu,’” July 13, 2015, https://bcnn1wp.wordpress.com/2015/07/13/at-christians-united-for-israel-summit-republican-presidential-candidates-show-support-for-israel-huckabee-urges-john-kerry-to-get-off-your-crutches-quit-iran-talks-hug-netanyahu/.

[36]M.J. Rosenberg, “Playing the Jesus Card,” Foreign Policy, 2009, http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2009/07/24/playing_the_jesus_card.

[37]Michael Gryboski, “’Shame’ Be on Lawmakers Who Skip Netanyahu’s Speech, Says Christians United for Israel; Obama, Kerry Refuse to Meet With Israeli PM,” CP Politics, February 5, 2015, http://www.christianpost.com/news/shame-be-on-lawmakers-who-skip-netanyahus-speech-says-christians-united-for-israel-obama-kerry-refuse-to-meet-with-israeli-pm-133587/.

[38]Andrew Merten, “McCain on Iraq, Iran, and his faith,” 2007, NBC News, http://firstread.nbcnews.com/_news/2007/07/17/4431293-mccain-on-iraq-iran-and-his-faith?lite.

[39]“Why Did Elie Wiesel Speak at CUFI?” Loonwatch, 2009, http://www.loonwatch.com/2009/10/why-did-eli-wiesel-speak-at-cufi/.

[40]Dan Hummel, “What you need to know about Mike Pence’s speech to Christians United for Israel,” Washington Post, July 17, 2017, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/made-by-history/wp/2017/07/17/what-you-need-to-know-about-mike-pences-speech-to-christians-united-for-israel/?utm_term=.bb053974d443

[41]Ali Gharib, “Going Undercover at Mad Pastor Hagee’s Christians United for Israel Summit,” AlterNet, 2008, http://www.alternet.org/story/92860/going_undercover_at_mad_pastor_hagee’s_christians_united_for_israel_summit.

[42]Ali Abunimah, “Islamophobia, Zionism and the Norway Massacre,” Al Jazeera English, 2011, http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2011/08/2011829164395822.html.

[43]Max Blumenthal, “Rapture Ready: The Unauthorized Christians United for Israel Tour,” The Huffington Post, 2007, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/max-blumenthal/rapture-ready-the-unautho_b_57826.html.

[44]Michael Brendan Dougherty, “Zealous for Zion,” The American Conservative, 2007, http://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/zealous-for-zion/.

[45]Barbara Elms, “Perilous Times,” Concord Monitor, September 15, 2007.

[46]“Pastor John Hagee,” http://www.cufi.org/site/PageServer?pagename=about_pastor_john_hagee.

[47]“Bloggers Conference Call with Pastor John Hagee,” One Jerusalm, 2007, http://onej.org/blog/archives/2007/01/audio_exclusive_12.asp.

[48]“Bloggers Conference Call with Pastor John Hagee,” One Jerusalm, 2007, http://onej.org/blog/archives/2007/01/audio_exclusive_12.asp.