“We, the Concerned Clergy of the Western Cape (CCWC), hereby call on the South African community and its governmental leaders to recognise that Israel is a sovereign state and it exists today because the Lord God of Israel has by covenant given her the land.”
So says the Christian leaders group in a media statement that continues: “We declare that Israel in her sovereignty has every right to defend its borders and citizens. This country is so small that it can be likened to the size of the Kruger National Park, yet has miraculously throughout history survived and turned the arid desert into a productive, luscious, innovative nation.
“We therefore cannot stand by and condone the lies propagated by organizations such as the BDS/Africa4Palestine, Media, United Nations and others who despise the Jewish People with false declarations that Israel is an apartheid state. This nation from the beginning has experienced much persecution, being exiled, sold into slavery, the holocaust and the list just continues.
“We, the CCWC, condemn these acts of violence in its strongest terms. In Matthew 25 Jesus talks about the judgment of the nations and says that they will be judged by how they treated his brethren – The Jewish People.
“In the Bible, Genesis 12:3 declares that those who curse Israel will be cursed and those who bless her will be blessed. They are God’s chosen people and we cannot place ourselves in opposition without detriment to ourselves.
“Israel, despite the harsh treatment and isolation aimed at her, has shared her knowledge and innovations with the world and the world has vastly benefitted from their Science, Computing, Defense, Medical, Agricultural technology and many more. They have been at the forefront to assist countries world-wide when disaster struck their Nation. That is what the Bible speaks about them being a blessing to the Nations that blesses them.
“We, the CCWC, believe that there is so much that South Africa can benefit from its relationship with Israel.
“We clearly understand that Israel is not by any means perfect. We continue to pray for the peace of Jerusalem where the Israelis and Palestinians would find a peaceful solution to co-exist together. We also call on the South African government to rather maintain a neutral and unbiased attitude towards the positions of both Israel and the Palestinians.
“We, the CCWC, wish to appeal to the South African Government to seriously reconsider the passing of the Bill to downgrade the Israeli Embassy. We are asking that this does not take place.
“In conclusion, we state that our support and stand with Israel is based on the Bible, therefore when others curse Israel, we will bless Israel, when others try to force Israel to divide its land, we will stand with the God and the people of Israel.”