Stop the Distortion of Religion for Political Aims! During an October 11 Christian Coalition Conference, several prominent leaders made comments that abused and distorted Christianity in order to garner support for illegal Israeli action toward the Palestinian people.

Not only did the guest speaker Benny Elon, an official of the right wing Israeli party Molodet, advocate the "transfer" of the Palestinian people justifying this with scripture from the Old Testament, Pat Robertson made several objectionable remarks:

"The Palestinian Authority, right now, in my opinion are (sic) a group of mafia-like thugs, who have been imported from Tunisia, and really, Palestine has been occupied by Yasser Arafat and his thugs." Robertson also voiced his view that Arafat had "killed or deported the vast majority of the Christian population in Bethlehem" and that "(t)he Palestinians are Arabs who moved there a few decades ago."

At a time when the US government is calling on government officials in other countries to sever ties with religious extremists who abuse religion for narrow political agendas, US government officials should distance themselves from extremist leaders who use inflammatory religious rhetoric.

The comments made during this conference are part of a larger strategy by some members of the evangelical community to distort and abuse Christianity to support illegal Israeli actions--this must be stopped!

Contact the White House Office of Faith Based and Community Initiatives at 202-456-6708 to oppose the provision of $500,000 to Pat Robertson's organization, Operation Blessing, as part of the administration's support for faith-based initiatives.

MTV Documentary - West Bank Palestinians needed for documentary

I'm researching a potential program MTV would like to produce about young people living in Israel and Palestine right now. We're seeking English-speaking Palestinians in their late teens to early twenties who live on the West Bank of Palestine and are willing to let a camera crew spend some time with them so that our audiences can get a glimpse of what life is like there. From your group's website I know you have an understanding of the plight of the Palestinians, and I'm hoping you also have contacts with young people living there who might be a good fit for this documentary.

If you might be able to help us locate potential subjects please send me an email - or let me know a number and time to give you a call.

Contact: Rachel

Email: westbank@mtvstaff.com