Robertson implies God cursed Sharon after land transfer

By steven g. vegh
The Virginian-Pilot

VIRGINIA BEACH — Christian broadcaster Pat Robertson suggested Thursday that God afflicted Ariel Sharon with a stroke this week in response to the Israeli prime minister’s transfer of land to Palestinians.

“God has enmity against those who 'divide my land,’” Robertson said during “The 700 Club” television show produced by the Christian Broadcasting Network in Virginia Beach.

Sharon, who initiated the return of Gaza to Palestinians, “was dividing God’s land, and I would say woe unto any prime minister of Israel who takes a similar course,” Robertson said.

“God considers this land to be his. You read the Bible and he says, 'This is my land,’ and for any prime minister of Israel, who decides he is going to carve it up and give it away, God says, 'No, this is mine,’” Robertson said. He also said he was saddened by Sharon’s perilous medical condition.

In a statement released later in the day, CBN spokeswoman Angell Watts said Robertson had simply tried to remind viewers of what the Bible said about efforts made to divide the land of Israel.

Meanwhile, The Associated Press reported that Iran’s president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, also suggested that Sharon’s illness was deserved. Ahmadinejad said he looked forward to Sharon’s death.

Robertson’s remarks provoked dismay and criticism among some local Jews, including Rabbi Israel Zoberman of Congregation Beth Chaverim , a Virginia Beach synagogue.

“This is not a time for politics – this is a time to pray,” said Zoberman, who has dual U.S-Israeli citizenship. He grew up in Israel after his parents fled the Holocaust and still has family living in Haifa.

Zoberman said most Israeli Jews would be upset by Robertson’s comments about Sharon, who is widely considered a military hero for his roles in Israel’s 1967 and 1973 wars with Arab nations.

“The common Israeli felt you could trust Sharon. He never lost that aura of being a man who could stand up to the Arabs and guarantee the security of the state,” Zoberman said.

Although Sharon was a fierce opponent of giving up lands Israel won during war, his recent decisions to return some territory to Palestinians was popular with most Israelis, Zoberman said.

An exception would be “the hard-core Israelis, who also have a fundamentalist theology,” he said. “For them, what the prime minister did when he evacuated Israelis from Gaza is tantamount to betraying God.”

The Gaza pullout was one of several controversial decisions by Sharon, said Sandy Brenner , a Norfolk Jew who founded Jews and Christians for Israel, a local interfaith group that advocates for Israel.

“The future will tell if this withdrawal advances or hinders peace and security,” he said in an e-mail. “But I certainly don’t share Robertson’s idea that Sharon’s political decisions are to blame for the sad turn in his health.”

Like many American evangelicals, Robertson has been a passionate defender of Israel and is usually seen by Israel as a staunch ally. Recently, Robertson has been collaborating with Israeli tourism officials in planning a biblically themed tourist attraction in Galilee.

Daniel Ayalon, Israel’s ambassador to the United States, told CNN on Thursday that Robertson’s comments were “outrageous” and not something to expect “from any of our friends.”

“He is a great friend of Israel and a great friend of Prime Minister Sharon himself, so I am very surprised,” Ayalon told the cable news network.

The Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, said Robertson’s remarks were callous. “Pat Robertson has a political agenda for the entire world, and he seems to think God is ready to take out any world leader who stands in the way of that agenda,” Lynn said in a statement.

In August, Robertson suggested on “The 700 Club” that American agents should assassinate Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who has long been at odds with U.S. foreign policy.

Robertson later apologized for those remarks, saying he “spoke in frustration.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Reach Steven G. Vegh at (757) 446-2417 or steven.vegh@pilotonline.com.