Danny Danon, deputy speaker of the Israeli Knesset, has led Christian political leaders such as Sarah Palin and Mike Huckabee around Israel. On Monday he hosted TV and radio personality Glenn Beck at the Israeli Parliament.
Beck, a strong supporter of Israel, was warmly received by Israeli lawmakers.
“Glenn Beck is a powerful advocate for Israel with a very large and influential audience, and we are proud to have the opportunity to host him in the Knesset,” Danon explains. “With Israel’s enemies continuing to call for its destruction, it has become more important than ever to rally our friends in the United States and around the world to combat this wave of terrorism. Lasting peace in the Middle East is our long-term goal, but our Arab neighbors must first recognize Israel’s right to exist.”
Although the controversial Beck was there to advise the Knesset Immigration, Absorption and Diaspora Affairs Committee on ways to partner with friends of Israel in the United States to defend the country’s right to exist, a Time.com blog reported that Beck offered more reassurance than advice, “emphasizing that Israel is doing well in what was the very first country to recognize it after independence.”
“If we didn’t have someone like Glenn Beck … we would have had to invent someone like him,” Danon said as he introduced the former Fox News personality. “We need more people like you who are not afraid to speak out for the people of Israel. … I think by working together, Jews and Christians alike, that is a way to overcome the tasks and obstacles.”
Addressing Members of the Knesset from six different parties, the conservative pundit discussed Israel’s portrayal in the media.
“The media as we know it—politics as we know it—is over. It is going to change, and my message to you today is to think out of the box,” Beck said near the beginning of his speech. “The way to think out of the box is to tell the truth. Whether you are in the media or in politics, you’re in business, it doesn’t matter. Just tell the truth.
“Israelis may like to hear and see that you’re not alone,” he said. “There are millions of people [who support Israel] that you don’t see, because the media doesn’t want to tell their story, either.”
Beck will return to Israel for his Aug. 24 rally, Restoring Courage, which he mentioned in his address to the Parliament. According to The Jerusalem Post, he confirmed that 70 political representatives from around the world and four American presidential candidates will attend, and said 700 “remote viewing parties” have been planned.
“I ask you to join me. I also ask you to take this message globally, to take this to every corner of the earth,” Beck’s website says of the rally. “If you have family living overseas, this is not an America solution. This is a people of faith solution. This is a people all over the world solution. I ask you to help get this word out.”
