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TONIGHT'S SUBJECT: At first they may seem like strange bedfellows. But increasingly, the Christian Right in the U.S. has become Israel's staunchest ally, raising money, and more importantly, throwing their considerable political weight behind the Sharon government. But what happens when theology meets politics?

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A friend in need is a friend indeed. Do the motives of the friend really matter? Over the last couple of years, what has come to be called the Christian Right has become more and more active in supporting the Sharon government in its war with the Palestinians. And their political clout with the Bush administration is considerable. They are opposed to giving the Palestinians any land, taking a much harder line than many Americans. The reason? Prophecy. Many believe that what is playing out now in the Middle East is all part of the process leading towards the Second Coming. The existence of the state of Israel is crucial to that process, and many believe that Israel must cover all of the land, including the occupied territories, in order for this process to move forward. So they send money, take trips to Israel, meet regularly with Israeli officials, including Sharon, and at the same time, seem to be breaking what was a strong alliance between American Jews and the Democratic Party. That would certainly change the political landscape in this country as well.

Now Israel needs friends right now, facing serious criticism from much of the world over its tactics in the current conflict. And so both sides are sort of glossing over a theological issue. According to the prophecies that many Christians believe, as part of the Second Coming, Jews will have the opportunity to either convert to Christianity, or perish. In other words, they will disappear as a people, or religion, one way or the other. You might think that this would be a problem between the two, but it doesn't appear to be. Now my father, as I think all fathers do, taught me that you should never talk to people about two things. Politics. And religion. Tonight we're going to do both. And I have to admit that as I write this, I am trying to be very careful in how I phrase all this. Talking, or writing about politics and religion is a very easy way to offend people. As hard as we try not to, I'm sure we will in some way. Unfortunately, I think that's probably unavoidable, but it's also certainly unintentional.

So tonight Don Dahler will report on this relationship between evangelical Christians and Israel, and Ted will interview Gary Bauer, former presidential candidate and one of the leaders of the so-called "Christian Right." It's a complicated, and fascinating story, and I hope you'll join us.

Tuesday, November 26, 2002

Leroy Sievers and the Nightline Staff
Nightline Offices
Washington, D.C.

Chat with "Nightline" guests and find articles, transcripts and video excerpts on our Web site at:
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