Middle Eastern Law Students’ Association (MELSA) at Arizona State University will host PETER BEINART (@PeterBeinart) a Professor of Journalism and Political Science at the Newmark School of Journalism at the City University of New York. He is also an Editor at Large of Jewish Currents and writes The Beinart Notebook, a weekly newsletter. He is a frequent op-ed commentator with the New York Times and has been interviewed on major media outlets including MSNBC and The New Republic. His is a progressive Jewish voice calling for co-existence and equality for Jews and Palestinians in Palestine-Israel.

Event Moderators:

DAVID CHAMI, ESQ. – graduated from the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law in 2009. Since then he has been a private practice attorney in Arizona and spends a significant part of his practice dedicated to civil rights. He is Co-Chairman of the board of directors of CAIR-AZ.

RAEES MOHAMED, ESQ. – co-founder of RM Warner, an internet, e-commerce, and corporate law firm. He represents content creators, influencers, and entrepreneurs with their online businesses. He frequently deals with free speech issues on social media. He is an adjunct professor of law at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at A. Raees is a co-chair of CAIR-Arizona State University

Most people say, “If I had been alive in the 1940s and known about the Nazi death camps, I surely would have done something to stop that slaughter.” Sing A Little Louder is a short film portraying how one small church in World War II Germany dealt with the cries of Jewish prisoners, trapped in cattle cars and headed for the death camps. They just – “Sang a little louder.”

Proverbs 24:11-12 states:
"Rescue those who are being taken away to death;
hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter.
If you say, 'Behold, we did not know this,'
does not He who weighs the heart perceive it?
Does not He who keeps watch over your soul know it,
and will He not repay man according to his work?"

Today, we have the slaughter and genocide of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, some of whom are our Brothers and Sisters in Christ! This time, social media and instant communication capture the horrors, even if FOX, CNN, MSNBC, and PBS choose not to. We also see an unholy alliance between the Zionist State of Israel, the US Government, and the Evangelical churches. Ask a Christian this question: "Should we pray for peace and a ceasefire in Gaza...or Send more U.S. bombs to Israel?

Source:
https://www.podbean.com/eau/pb-bpqum-15ad414

Most people say, “If I had been alive in the 1940s and known about the Nazi death camps, I surely would have done something to stop that slaughter.” Sing A Little Louder is a short film portraying how one small church in World War II Germany dealt with the cries of Jewish prisoners, trapped in cattle cars and headed for the death camps. They just – “Sang a little louder.”
Proverbs 24:11-12 states:
"Rescue those who are being taken away to death;
hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter.

If you say, 'Behold, we did not know this,'
does not He who weighs the heart perceive it?
Does not He who keeps watch over your soul know it,
and will He not repay man according to his work?"
Today, we have the slaughter and genocide of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, some of whom are our Brothers and Sisters in Christ! This time, social media and instant communication capture the horrors, even if FOX, CNN, MSNBC, and PBS choose not to. We also see an unholy alliance between the Zionist State of Israel, the US Government, and the Evangelical churches. Ask a Christian this question:

Source:
https://www.podbean.com/eau/pb-z37pf-157f145

Rich Siegel was raised Jewish and was an ardent Zionist growing becoming the president of a student Zionist organization. He moved to Israel in his twenties and worked there for a while. A job offer brought him back to the US and led him to ultimately reject Zionism and become an activist for peace and justice for Palestinians. In 2008, Rich led a We Hpold These Truths' Project Strait Gate vigil in Paramus, NJ assisted by Chuck Carlson, founder of WHTT. We think you will find Rich's journey out of Zionism quite remarkable and inspiring. You can read his article. "On Gaza & Being Jewish" (Here). Also, more about Rich is on our website. (Here)

Rich Siegel was raised Jewish and was an ardent Zionist growing becoming the president of a student Zionist organization. He moved to Israel in his twenties and worked there for a while. A job offer brought him back to the US and led him to ultimately reject Zionism and become an activist for peace and justice for Palestinians. In 2008, Rich led a We Hpold These Truths' Project Strait Gate vigil in Paramus, NJ assisted by Chuck Carlson, founder of WHTT. We think you will find Rich's journey out of Zionism quite remarkable and inspiring. You can read his article. "On Gaza & Being Jewish" (https://whtt.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Eich-Siegel-On-Gaza-and-Being-Jewish.pdf). Also, more about Rich is on our website. (https://whtt.org/?s=rich+siegel)

Source:
https://www.podbean.com/eau/pb-jzzt9-155351e

Israel's genocidal war on the Palestinians in Gaza has renewed support among Christian Zionist churches. They are holding special events to support Israel. Evangelical churches that are not overtly Christian Zionist from the pulpit are unwilling to hold prayer sessions for peace and a ceasefire in Gaza. They might be accused of supporting Hamas and upset those Christian Zionists/Super Patriots in their congregation who might be offended and cut their tithes or leave. Chris, Craig, and Tom from We Hold These Truths discuss and show examples of this phenomenon like Franklin Graham's meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu in Israel to pledge his undying support. Never mind the killing of innocent women and children in Gaza.

Israel's genocidal war on the Palestinians in Gaza has renewed support among Christian Zionist churches. They are holding special events to support Israel. Evangelical churches that are not overtly Christian Zionist from the pulpit are unwilling to hold prayer sessions for peace and a ceasefire in Gaza. They might be accused of supporting Hamas and upset those Christian Zionists/Super Patriots in their congregation who might be offended and cut their tithes or leave. Chris, Craig, and Tom from We Hold These Truths discuss and show examples of this phenomenon like Franklin Graham's meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu in Israel to pledge his undying support. Never mind the killing of innocent women and children in Gaza.

Source:
https://www.podbean.com/eau/pb-zb38z-154a835

Regis Tremblay of Dateline News & Conversations interviewed Tom Compton of We Hold These Truths on Christian Zionism. With over 23,000 Palestinians murdered in Gaza at this point, the situation is becoming a human catastrophe there while American churches are silent, for the most part, in calling for peace and a cease-fire in Gaza. Learn why this is so in this interview.

Tom met Regis in 2013 when he hosted a film showing of Regis' remarkable documentary, The Ghosts of Jeju in Phoenix, AZ. Regis describes his film: "This is my award-winning, blockbuster film about the people of Jeju Island, S. Korea who had been protesting the construction of a large naval base in the village of Gangjeong to accommodate Obama's "pivot to Asia." Now completed, it has destroyed this pristine, UNESCO-protected environment as well as the livelihoods of the farmers and fishermen who have lived there for 500 years. What I discovered was shocking! The US Government of Korea which occupied S. Korea at the end of WWII, feared a peasant uprising against this occupation and rose up against it in massive protests. Fearing a "communist" uprising, the US military organized, trained, armed, and commanded a militia of Koreans and ordered a crackdown on these unarmed peasants. From 1946-47, as many as 50,000 peasants were massacred in what was essentially a free-fire zone on the entire island.

Regis Tremblay of Dateline News & Conversations ( https://rumble.com/user/tremregi ) interviewed Tom Compton of We Hold These Truths on Christian Zionism. With over 23,000 Palestinians murdered in Gaza at this point, the situation is becoming a human catastrophe there while American churches are silent, for the most part, in calling for peace and a cease-fire in Gaza. Learn why this is so in this interview.

Tom met Regis in 2013 when he hosted a film showing of Regis' remarkable documentary, "The Ghosts of Jeju" ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gg_-AkS52Z8 ) in Phoenix, AZ. Regis describes his film: "This is my award-winning, blockbuster film about the people of Jeju Island, S. Korea who had been protesting the construction of a large naval base in the village of Gangjeong to accommodate Obama's "pivot to Asia." Now completed, it has destroyed this pristine, UNESCO-protected environment as well as the livelihoods of the farmers and fishermen who have lived there for 500 years. What I discovered was shocking! The US Government of Korea which occupied S. Korea at the end of WWII, feared a peasant uprising against this occupation and rose up against it in massive protests. Fearing a "communist" uprising, the US military organized, trained, armed, and commanded a militia of Koreans and ordered a crackdown on these unarmed peasants. From 1946-47, as many as 50,000 peasants were massacred in what was essentially a free-fire zone on the entire island.

Source:
https://www.podbean.com/eau/pb-inbah-1541459

Palestinian Pastor Munther Ishaq of the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church in Bethlehem was interviewed by Katie Hallper and Aaron Matte of the Useful Idiots on January 4, 2024, and revealed how Palestinian Christians are being ignored for the most part by Christians in the US.  Pastor Munther's video "Look for Jesus Under the Rubble in Gaza" went viral and exposed people to the reality of what is going on with the genocide in Gaza. In this interview, Pastor Munther reveals that the conflict is not about religion as the Israeli government and the mainstream media tell us. The irony of this interview is that the interviewers are Jewish with a genuine heart for peace and justice for the Palestinians. Any Christian who watches this and is not affected by this must have a heart of stone. What will you do with this information? Tell other people or hide it under a bushel?

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Pastor Munther Ishaq beside his Christ in the rubble Nativity scene.

This video was made 14 years ago when We Hold These Truths held a vigil at the Christians United For Israel (CUFI) "Night to Honor Israel" event in Phoenix, AZ. Back then attendees interviewed told us they supported the wars to protect Israel. Nothing has changed since then, Zionised Christians still believe that wars are necessary to protect Israel. After the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas on Israel when they broke out of the world's largest open-air prison the rhetoric has now changed to "We must eradicate the evil Hamas". Of course, there is no concern by Israeli supporters about the now over 19,000 Palestinians that have been killed by Israel's vindictive siege on Gaza. About 70% of the victims are innocent women and children. To prove their continued support for Israel, Cornerstone Church led by John Hagee held a "Night to Honor Israel" [ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=571u5PEVb84 ] event described in the article "A San Antonio Megachurch Plays an Outsized Role in Supporting Israel's War Efforts" [ https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/san-antonio-megachurch-supporting-israel-war-efforts/ ]in the Texas Monthly.

Source:
https://www.podbean.com/eau/pb-pcc78-1523b48

This is quite a remarkable story, With the support of the Fresno mayor, Israeli activists were allowed to raise the Israeli flag in Eaton Park. Palestinian activists took up the challenge with help  from a Fresno City Councilman were allowed to raise the Palestinian flag as reported from GVWIRE:  Fresno City Council Members Clash Over Palestinian Flag Raising at City Park

This video was made 14 years ago when We Hold These Truths held a vigil at the Christians United For Israel (CUFI) "Night to Honor Israel" event in Phoenix, AZ. Back then attendees interviewed told us they supported the wars to protect Israel. Nothing has changed since then, Zionised Christians still believe that wars are necessary to protect Israel. After the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas on Israel when they broke out of the world's largest open-air prison the rhetoric has now changed to "We must eradicate the evil Hamas". Of course, there is no concern by Israeli supporters about the now over 19,000 Palestinians that have been killed by Israel's vindictive siege on Gaza. About 70% of the victims are innocent women and children. To prove their continued support for Israel, Cornerstone Church led by John Hagee held a "Night to Honor Israel" ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=571u5PEVb84 ) event described in the article "A San Antonio Megachurch Plays an Outsized Role in Supporting Israel's War Efforts" in the Texas Monthly ( https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/san-antonio-megachurch-supporting-israel-war-efforts/ ).

Source:
https://www.podbean.com/eau/pb-ev2mh-151b62d

Israeli journalist, Yuval Abraham. who writes for +972 and was interviewed by Owen Jones, explains that Israel's IDF now defines "Collateral Damage" as allowing 200 civilian deaths to attack one Hama target. Previously it was allegedly 5 civilians per Hamas target. Yuval's article, "'A mass assassination factory’: Inside Israel’s calculated bombing of Gaza" explains the permissive airstrikes on non-military targets and the use of an artificial intelligence system that has enabled the Israeli army to carry out its deadliest war on Gaza.

Civilian deaths in Gaza far outweigh Hamas fighters deaths.

Source:
https://www.podbean.com/eau/pb-bqwss-15262d7

Around the world, Christians will celebrate the birth of Jesus in 2023 pretty much as they have in the past. But in Bethlehem, there will be no community Christmas celebrations. Munther Ishaq, pastor of a Lutheran church in Bethlehem, Palestine explains: "Christmas is the solidarity of God with those who are oppressed, with those who are suffering. and if Jesus is to be born again this time, this year, He will be born in Gaza under the rubble in solidarity with the people of Gaza."

Source:
https://www.podbean.com/eau/pb-9m6z6-1508687

In this heart-wrenching report by AlJazeera, "Why does Israel target Palestinian hospitals? Psyops, say analysts" there is a 2-minute video "Gaza war: 31 premature babies evacuated from al-Shifa as Israel seizes hospital". Although the large evangelical church I attend does not preach Christian Zionist dogma from the pulpit, there is a Christian Zionist undertow within the congregation that might begrudge showing any compassion towards the Palestinians. Here's the letter that I sent to the pastor to challenge him to pray for peace and a ceasefire in Gaza.
"Pastor, your sermon on Sunday was good however I was greatly saddened by your preamble prayer. You did not pray for peace and a ceasefire in the Israel/Palestine conflict. My friend at her evangelical church said their pastor prayed for peace in Israel this past Sunday. The "war" has escalated and the death toll in Gaza continues to rise with more than 5,000 innocent Palestinian children being killed. Israel's latest atrocity is the siege on the Al Shifa hospital where 39 premature babies were forced to be evacuated to a southern hospital in Gaza. I beseech you to watch this 2-minute video report at the bottom of the AlJazeera report on this tragedy. Eight of the babies could not be transported because they died. I pray that this will motivate you and the elders to call for a churchwide prayer meeting to pray for peace and a cease-fire to this conflict that is spiraling out of control.

Our leaders in Washington do not want a ceasefire. But we as followers of Christ are called by Jesus to be peacemakers. I would guess that there is a sizeable number of members at our church who may, because of their eschatological beliefs requiring them to protect Israel no matter what it does, not want a ceasefire or prayer meeting.  Recall one of our members who was baptized at our church told me that all the Palestinians should be killed. If the genocide continues, his wis..

In this heart-wrenching report by AlJazeera, "Why does Israel target Palestinian hospitals? Psyops, say analysts" ( https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2023/11/20/why-does-israel-target-palestinian-hospitals-psyops-say-analysts ) there is a 2-minute video "Gaza war: 31 premature babies evacuated from al-Shifa as Israel seizes hospital". Although the large evangelical church I attend does not preach Christian Zionist dogma from the pulpit, there is a Christian Zionist undertow within the congregation that might begrudge showing any compassion towards the Palestinians. Here's the letter that I sent to the pastor to challenge him to pray for peace and a ceasefire in Gaza.

"Pastor, your sermon on Sunday was good however I was greatly saddened by your preamble prayer. You did not pray for peace and a ceasefire in the Israel/Palestine conflict. My friend at her evangelical church said their pastor prayed for peace in Israel this past Sunday. The "war" has escalated and the death toll in Gaza continues to rise with more than 5,000 innocent Palestinian children being killed. Israel's latest atrocity is the siege on the Al Shifa hospital where 39 premature babies were forced to be evacuated to a southern hospital in Gaza. I beseech you to watch this 2-minute video report at the bottom of the AlJazeera report on this tragedy. Eight of the babies could not be transported because they died. I pray that this will motivate you and the elders to call for a churchwide prayer meeting to pray for peace and a cease-fire to this conflict that is spiraling out of control.

Our leaders in Washington do not want a ceasefire. But we as followers of Christ are called by Jesus to be peacemakers. I would guess that there is a sizeable number of members at our church who may, because of their eschatological beliefs requiring them to protect Israel no matter what it does, not want a ceasefire or prayer meeting. Recall one of our members who was baptized at our church told me that all the Palestinians should be killed. If the genocide continues, his wish may come true. I pray that our church will stand for peace and the protection of innocent lives.
Peace & Blessings,
Tom Compton

Jeremy Nell on his TNT internet radio show, Jerm Warfare ( https://jermwarfare.com/ ) interviews Tom Compton of We Hold These Truths about the theology of Christian Zionism and how it relates to Israel's current punitive war on Gaza. At the time of the interview over 11,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed by Israel. Over 4,000 of those killed were children.

Jeremy Nell is an award-winning political cartoonist from South Africa, whose work has been featured in numerous publications, in various languages, around the world since 2005. His website Jerm Warfare and podcasts, discuss counter-narrative ideas, and have featured some of the greatest minds in the world, such as Robert Kennedy, David Icke, Victor Davis Hanson, Peter McCullough, John McAfee, and Scott Adams.

Source:
https://www.podbean.com/eau/pb-qv556-14e693a

The October 7, 2023 attack inside Israel has resulted in an unprecedented and genocidal reaction by Israel that eclipses their four previous assaults on Gaza. Over 7,000 Palestinians have been killed. Almost half were children. This video by Stop World Control was made after the Hamas attack and is quite revealing. It's entitled "The Mystery of Israel."

Palestinians carry a dead child, found under the rubble of a destroyed house after Israeli air strikes on Gaza City, 24 October 2023 (AP)

Source:
https://www.podbean.com/eau/pb-ct3nj-14f3ee8

Chuck Carlson was interviewed by Mark Glen on The Liberty Hour program way back in 2009. What he said then about Christian Zionism and the Christian right is still true today. We found this interview treasure hidden in an archive and we think it needs to see the light of day again. Especially so, in light of the genocidal attack on Gaza by Israel as retribution for Hamas breaking out of the world's largest open-air prison on October 7, 2023, and attacking Israel. The killing of innocent civilians whether they are Israelis or Palestinians is deplorable. For 16 years before this attack by Hamas, Israel had attacked Gaza numerous times while killing thousands of women and children.

Chuck Carlson with a Palestinian woman from Gaza at an Occupy AIPAC rally in Washington, DC in 2012.

When Communism fell in the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, the US needed another enemy. The obvious choice was Islam as evidenced by all the US wars on Muslim countries in the past 3 decades. One American group that supports these wars on Islamic countries is the Christian Zionists because their theology leads them to fervently believe that God gave the modern state of Israel to today's Jews. We Hold These Truths representatives have been invited to speak at numerous mosques about our Christian ministry that challenges Christian Zionism, a form of Neo-Christianity that is less than 150 years old. Christian Zionists hold fast to the belief that the modern state of Israel is a fulfillment of biblical prophecy. In 2012, Tom Compton of We Hold These Truths was invited to make a presentation at the Al-Mahdi Islamic Center in Tempe, Arizona for their International Day of Al Quds (Jerusalem) program. An audio recording was made of the PowerPoint presentation. In this video version, the original audio recording was used using additional photos and videos to bring the challenges being made to Christian Zionism, up to date. For background on the subject, watch our award-winning documentary, "Christian Zionism: The Tragedy & The Turning, Part I" ( https://www.bitchute.com/video/OSEq6mFRrqu3/ ) exposes Christian Zionism's false theology. We are encouraged to see that there is a very gradual turning away from Christian Zionism and a greater awareness of this Un-Christ-like theology. 28 minutes.

The October 7, 2023 attack inside Israel has resulted in an unprecedented and genocidal reaction by Israel that eclipses their four previous assaults on Gaza. Over 7,000 Palestinians have been killed. Almost half were children. This video by Stop World Control ( https://stopworldcontrol.com/ ) was made after the Hamas attack and is quite revealing. It's entitled "The Mystery of Israel."

Normally vigils by We Hold These Truths, conducted in front of Christian Zionist churches or events, are ignored by the media. In the case of a vigil in Fresno, CA conducted by David Jacobs, Pastor Jim Franklin of the Cornerstone Church in downtown Fresno was so upset by the presence of WHTT and our controversial signs like Blessed Are The Peacemakers, Choose Life Not War and Who Would Jesus Bomb? (a new version of this is: Who Would Jesus Drone?, a corollary to the well-known WWJD? (What Would Jesus Do?), that he called out the media. Mr. Franklin has a local talk show and must have some clout because one of the local stations, KFSN (channel 30), an ABC affiliate showed up and did an excellent and fair job of reporting our vigil. It's only just over a minute but packs a punch. Pastor Jim Franklin has hosted a number of events for John Hagee and CUFI (Christians United For Israel) at his church that bears the same name as John Hagee's home church, Cornerstone Church, in San Antonio, TX. Jim Franklin is a board member of CUFI.

Source:
https://www.podbean.com/eau/pb-mzm4e-14d2603

The world seems to be backing Israel without question on the recent violence committed against them by Hamas forces that broke out of Gaza (the world's largest open-air prison) and attacked. Sadly, there were civilian casualties on both sides. Such actions are as horrific as were the three previous Israeli, collective punishment "wars" in Gaza that targeted civilians. Violence only begets more violence. Our beltway pundits and the mainstream media have called the attack by Hamas "Unprovoked". This would indicate that Israel has not provoked Palestinians in the past. The documentary People and the Land: The Story of A People Under Occupation was made in 1997 and funded by PBS but was prevented from airing on public TV. This documentary delves into the history of the conflict and is a valuable reminder that the Zionists have been provoking Palestinians for over 75 years.

Tom Compton of We Hold These Truths joins a rally in Tempe, AZ to support Palestine. What are the issues Americans should ask about the conflict in a flood of propaganda from our government, the mainstream media, and the Israeli lobby?