Israel Omitted From A Map

It's this one:

Can you guess why?

It's because this is a map, by the Open Doors organisation, showing the 50 countries around the world in which it is hardest to be a Christian. (Article by Katherine Burgess here)

Here's more, in graphic form:

Did you notice what came in at number 36, up two from last year?  Yes, that's right, and as some signatories of the petition (have you signed it yet?) to the Archbishop of Canterbury concerning the demonic St James, Piccadilly wall have taken the trouble to note, the troubles confronting Christians in the Palestinian Territories can be squarely laid at Islam's door, not Israel's.

Church stewards erased this message from their odious wall

 Here's a sample:

The erection of the ‘wall’ installation by a Church beggars belief. It indicates that the people who organised it are more than even wilfully ignorance, they are biased. I will not go into why the fence/wall was erected, that has been explained ad infinitum and the reasons are painfully obvious. I will however comment on the fact that a church is promoting hate against the only country in the Middle East where Christians are free to practice their religion free from fear and intimidation. It the Church felt it necessary to take a political stand against ‘oppression’ why did it not highlight the plight of Christians in the Palestinian Territories, both in the West Bank and in Gaza. Or else it could have highlighted the plight of the Copts in Egypt who are being assaulted, murdered, raped, kidnapped and forcibly converted to Islam. I of course could go on talking about the plight of Christians in Pakistan, Iraq, Nigeria, Indonesia etc, etc, but I believe the point has been made that the Church has chosen to falsely condemn (because it is fashionable?) something designed to prevent death, rather than courageously be amongst the first to condemn the horrific ongoing oppression and murder of Christians in the Islamic world (distinctly unfashionable).

A Christian gentleman in Bethlehem told me that the Christian community were being forced out of Bethlehem by extremist Muslims.

I attend an Anglican parish church every Sunday. I totally support the right of the Jewish state of Israel to defend itself and all its citizens against the neverending genocidal Jihad that is waged by many Muslims, among them many Muslims resident in Judea and Samaria. The security barrier is necessary and saves lives.

I am sickened by the anti-semitic activities of leaders of the Church of England of which this is just another example. There is one country in the Middle East, where the rights of women are respected, where the is freedom of expression, where there is freedom of religion and that is Israel.

Displays as this one, besides showing a remarkable lack of true knowledge about the situation, also show a remarkable lack of pastoral ability and compassion one might expect from a minister. What St James Church has done with this heinous display is a caricature that does not speak truth and that will serve only to create more division, rather than bringing both sides closer to peace. It is not at all difficult to find accurate information about what's happening throughout the entire Middle East, and frankly, I think that St James might better attend to its Christian mission by making some noise about what's being done to Christians in countries like Syria right now. Israel is the only real democracy in the entire Middle East, and its Knesset (parliament) is representative of the diversity of its citizens, including Jews, Christians, and Muslims, amongst others. To accuse Israel of apartheid, to insist that the security fence was not necessary to protect Israeli citizens, when crime statistics clearly show otherwise, is bigotry - and coming from a church, it is institutionalised bigotry. Shame on you!

Freedom of worship in Israel - try going to church in Iran or parts of Iraq. Fundamentalist Islam is a far bigger threat to Christian principles

It concerns me that this Church has such little concern for the need to preserve Israeli life. I hope for a better future for the residents of Bethlehem freed from Islamic Jihad and Hamas terror.

Your display is openly slanted and if you realy cared about Christian communities you would bring to attention the suffering in Nigeria ,Syria Egypt Sudan and the dwindling of numbers under Palestinian controlled areas such as bethelehem fallen from 80 to 20 %. I have also worshipped freely in Israel amongst Arab and Jewish Christians mixed-something I could never do in any Arab country.

If you had presented a balanced view and show the suffering of the Israelis (who consist of Jews, Arabs, Christians, Druze and so many others) as well as what is going on on the Palestinian side I wouldn't have been so against this, but this is pure anti-semtism. Shame on You. You bring disgrace on Christianity. I know several Christian Palestinians who look to Israel is the Keepers of the Peace. Without Israel I am told that they would be treated much worse - especially the women amongst them.

How can a church spread so much hate? The Middle East is full of Christians that have been persecuted and killed surely this Church should be supporting them. Where is the cry for help for the Christians suffering in Syria and Egypt? Israel is the only democratic country.

Israel is the ONLY country in the Middle East that has freedom of religion, Christian, Jewish, Muslim etc. As long as you accept that Jews have a right to exist, then Israel will let you move freely, as would any other civilized country. Israel has the RIGHT to defend it's citizens.

While the Christian community in Israel continues to grow at a remarkable rate, in the Palestinian Authority and in Gaza the number of Christians continues to decline dramatically. In Syria, Egypt and other Arab countries Christians are mercilessly persecuted. Any fair minded person, let alone those who claim to be Christian, must surely recognise that Israel cannot be blamed for the Christian exodus from its neighbouring Arab states. Since the Palestinian Authority was established, the Christian community has diminished rapidly. Shortly after Israel ethnicaly cleansed Gaza of its own people in a 'land-for-peace' agreement in 2005, the manager of the Bible bookshop was brutally murdered and the exodus of Christians began. Israel gave land but in return received not peace but, instead, a deadly, almost continuous rain of missiles on its southern towns. To spend thousands of pounds to erect a mock security barrier, St James' church has done, and to make common cause with anti-Christian stand-up comics in order to demonise the Jewish state is deplorable and nothing short of wilful Jew hatred.

I am a Christian and have lived in Israel and amongst the Palestinian Arabs. In Israel, the prospect of bombing was a daily reality. When I lived amongst the Palestinian Arabs, no Jew ever entered the area and committed acts of terror, Not all Palestinians are terrorists,and certainly no Christian ones were ever involved, but the wall is merely a security barrier. Yes, it causes some disruption, but it does save lives, both the lives of the would be terrorists and of the would be victims. Do the vicar, staff and congregation of St James Piccadilly support murder?

Israel is a country that practices tolerance (unlike most of its neighbors in the Middle East. The Christians that live in Gaza and the PA unfortunately aren't treated well by their Islamic occupiers. That's an issue that should be addressed toward Hezbollah.

Isaiah 5:20 'Woe to those who call evil good and good evil'. This hate fest in central London certainly fulfilled the word of God pronounced by Isaiah. St James' has ignored the truth of Islam's oppression of Christian people throughout the Middle East, including Bethlehem, and chosen to vilify the only democracy in the region.

How Hypocritacal can the Church of England Get. I work as a Volunteer for a Food Bank, and i see so much hardship and poverty in this country caused by this Goverments policies, that £30, 000 woulld have gone along way to helping families in crisis at Christmas . Instead of being spent on perpatuteting the Biggest , Racist and Fascist lie ever told. on January the 27th this country will be holding a Holocaust Memorial Day to remember the victims of Genocide. Will they be condeming Syria, Iran,Iraq,Gaza,Palestine,Egypt, Lebanon, Libya for the slaughter of Jews and Christians or their own citizens that is going on at the moment between the different factions of Islam. Are they going to build mock Refugee camps to show the Suffering of South Sudan and the Syrians. What would be of interest if the likes of Lucy Winkett took her head out of the sand and faced up to the truth and thatis thast she and hundreds of othewr Church Leaders have fallen for the biggest con trick of all time by a group of murdering terroists who are perpatrating all of the suffering and genocide in the middle East at this time. The Truth is that Israel is the only Democratic Country in the Middle East and is also a countrey that is giving refuge to Christian and Jewish Refugee`s as well as treating a lot of Syrian Men ,Women and Children wounded in the conflict in Syria. As i said at the beginning how Hypocritical can the Church of England get, it makes me ashamed to actually be a Christian when you see the LIES that the Church of Englanfd are peddling out , it makes me wonder what version of the BVible they atre using

St James would do more good if they concentrated their efforts on helping christian communities in the Islamic world. They desperately need all the help yhey can get

All over the Middle-East - with the exception of Israel - and in predominantly Muslim countries. Christians are being persecuted. Churches are being burned down; congregants are being massacred. (How many people do you have to murder before it becomes a massacre?) And how does St James Church in Piccadilly - and other Christian groups and individuals - respond to this? With condemnation of these countries? With calls for sanctions against them? No. They ignorantly parrot Palestinian propaganda and vilify Israel, the only country in the region where Christians and members of other religions can worship freely in peace and security. They provide moral and financial support to the very people who are persecuting their co-religionists. Why? Is supporting those who openly call for the destruction of Israel and the death of all Jews worldwide more important than saving Christian lives?

Look to the Palestinians to see why christians are being hounded out of Bethlehem.

What Sussex Friends of Israel wanted to write

No Christians are in danger from Israel. Look towards the ones who have no respect for human life and consider Christians as Infidels. Why defend the very people who would burn your Church without remorse. The safety of the Christian Church in Israel is assured by the Israelis. Once they "get rid of the Jews" it will be the Christians next. Israel has every right to defend itself and its citizens including Christians and others against terrorism..

This church never gave Israel a chance to explain why there is a security barrier. Yesterday Israelis were injured when Palestinian threw grenades at them at a Jewish holy shrine in Bethlehem.

The visitor to Bethlehem Unwrapped was invited to believe that all the problems of Bethlehem’s Christians today stem from Israel’s security fence. There was absolutely no mention of the fact that the reason why the Christian population of Bethlehem has declined so rapidly in recent years is not because of this but because the Christians are being gradually forced out from their historic homeland by extreme Islamist Palestinians

One of the most ignorant hateful acts by a Church in recent history. You should be ashamed of this disgrace. In Bethlehem in 1940s, 85% were Christian. Today after years of PLO, Fatah, PA persecution it is closer to 20%. Many have moved into other parts of Israel. Israel is the ONLY country in the ME where Christians are safe and their numbers have grown. You have acted contrary to truth and the interests of Christians. Shame.

The Bethlehem Unwrapped event has caused me much pain, for my brother and sister Believers who are being persecuted in Bethlehem, but not mentioned; for the people and nation of Israel, the birthplace of My Messiah, a Jew and for the Church of England who have ignored God's Word and cursed His chosen people.

We have been living in Israel for several months of the year for the last 7 years and regularly see the kind of negative propaganda generated by people who do not respect the truth. We know Christians who have left Bethlehem and some who would if they could because of the treatment they receive from their Islamist neighbors. Christians have an obligation to get their facts right as far as they possibly can, especially when mounting a campaign that actually harms the minority Christians as well as the way Israelis are portrayed. Blind hatred is a poor master

At Prez Clinton's urging, Acting PM Shimon Peres handed Bethlehem over to the PA/PLO in December 1995. Once the PA/PLO took over, the Christian population there felt harassed and started leaving in larger numbers than before. One local Bethlehem Christian woman complained to a Jewish Israeli from Efrat (whom I knew) that Israel had handed her people over to Arafat and the PLO

The hypocrisy of all anti-Israel Christians is rank. Israel saves Christian lives and in return receives this sort of abuse, abuse that builds to become a threat to innocent Israeli civilians. How anyone can reconcile this with Christian ethics is beyond me.  (This comment is by the admirable Professor Denis MacEoin, the distinguished British scholar who has also written, inter alia, this fine piece about St James's nauseating stunt)