This was preached in the United States. However, America has over 30 Million Latins; a greater population than many Latin countries.
The preacher is giving a standard Evangelical line.
The Palestinians do not exist. They are merely Arabs from somewhere else.
I understand his point. He wants to assert Israel’s right to the land. I agree with that.
However, I am not so sure you can say an invented people do not exit.
America invented itself in 1776. Mexico, Argentina, Chile, and a large section of Latin America invented themselves in 1810. Belgium invented itself in 1830.
Nations invent themselves all the time.
There was a considerable Arab population in the land before 1900. Even Jewish sources admit that. About 500,000 non-Jews.
Natural birth rates could explain most of their increasing numbers up to 1948.
Was there migration in during the Mandate period, as Joan Peters asserts? Yes; but most of the Arabs there were not immigrant stock. Joan Peters was not wrong, but she did exaggerate.
The Palestinian-Christians of Chile certainly feel they are Palestinian. They formed a soccer team in 1920 called the Palestinos – Not the Árabes, or Syrios del Sur (South Syrians). They considered themselves Palestinian as early as 1920.
That does not mean the Palestinians have a greater claim to the land than the Jews. It means only that the line of reasoning of the Preacher has its flaws.
One can say the Jews have a better claim. One cannot say the Palestinians have no claim.
This should amaze you. As the clout of the Palestinian Community in Chile is growing, so also is the clout of the growing Evangelical community, which is very pro-Israel.
While Islam may be converting a few thousand, Evangelicalism is converting millions per year.
This is an Evangelical TV preacher in Chile who wonders if Chavez’s anti-Israel tirade is what caused God to issue a divine judgment against Chavez, causing his death from cancer.
Forgive my poor translation, but I caught the general drift.
Below is the video of Chavez speech that the preacher was referring to. It is from 2010.
Published on YouTube: January 28, 2011
Chavez’s comments were very ugly!
April 14, 2020 – Edited: I had to find a new source for the Chavez video, and had to correct some errors.
The Saudis financed this massive mosque in downtown Buenos Aires that almost no one wanted. Argentina is only about 1% Muslim; and most of those are non-practicing.
Why was this weekly program, El Cálamo y su mensaje, broadcast from the above Saudi-financed mosque, put on Argentine Public TV – a government network – when even the Arab-Argentines (who are overwhelmingly Christian) did not want it? Corruption is suspected.
The overwhelmingly Christian Arab-Argentines were furious that a popular secular Arab show was cancelled to make way for this Saudi-financed Islamic propaganda in the above video.
Note: I translated this.
Latin America, especially the Southern Countries (Chile, Argentina, Uruguay), as well as Brazil, are in many ways mirror images of the United States.
1a) The United States had heavy European immigration. 1b) Chile, Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil (especially South Brazil) had massive European immigration.
2a) America’s immigration was primarily North European, until 1965, though it had some noticeable South European immigration, especially Italians. 2b) South America’s immigration was primarily South European, until recently, though it had some noticeable North European immigration, especially Germans.
3a) America is largely Protestant with a considerable Catholic minority. 3b) South America is largely Catholic with a growing Evangelical minority.
4a) In America, Jews came during in the late 19th century fleeing persecution, and worked their way up to elites. 4b) In South America, Arab Christianss came in during the late 19th century fleeing persecution at the hands of Muslims, and worked their way up to elites.
As South America becomes richer, these Arab-Latins are feeling their oats and starting to assert themselves.
This would be great, except that at the same time, Saudi and Iranian money has come into the continent to propagandize them, and turn them against Israel. Almost every country in South America voted to open embassies with Palestine; and almost all of them voted to recognize Palestine in the United Nations.
These Arabs are elites. The Palestinians in Chile are 3% of the population, but 10% of the Senate. Compare that with American Jews which are 2% of the population and about 13% of the Senate. What we see is that both communities mirror each other in success and clout.
The State Department was hostile to the partition of Israel, but Zionist pressure, and Harry Truman’s religious feelings persuaded him to have America vote to allow Israel in 1947.
Chile’s President was pro-Zionist regarding the partition of Israel, but Palestinian-Chilean pressure persuaded him to have Chile abstain from the partition vote in 1947.
Both communities exercise influence out of proportion to their numbers.
What is troubling is that the vast majority of these Latin-Arabs are descended from ancestors who fled Muslim tyranny. The Shia/Druza and Sunni/Turks started genocidally massacring Christians in the middle of the 19th century until French intervention stopped it. The Lebanese and Syrian Arabs in South America are over 95% Christian, and are descended from these refugees.
The Palestinians in Chile are descended from Palestinians who fled Turkish rule. No Christian wanted to be drafted into a Muslim Army. Over half of them came before Israel was even born. Sixty percent can trace themselves back to an ancestor who arrived before 1930.
So why have these people suddenly found common cause with a quasi-Islamic Palestinian cause? Have they forgotten why their ancestors fled the Mideast in the first place?
The Evangelicals are the only ones fighting this. They should not have to fight this alone.
A large part of this is Israel’s fault. Israel is great at telling people why Israel is good for the Jews. Okay! But Israel does not adequately tell people why Israel is good for Gentiles, even Arab Christians. Israel is not doing enough to get its message out to South American Arabs, who are Latin America’s elites.
Holocaust guilt will not work with Latin Americans. They were not party to the Holocaust. Israel has to explain to Latin American Gentiles why their interests are better served by Israel than by the Arabs in the Mideast.
Argentina and Chile are typical of the problem. Someone has to talk to Israel and the United States to do something. Right now, there is only one group fighting back.
There is a growing Evangelical Movement in South America, which is usually very pro-Israel. Brazil and Chile have enormous and growing Evangelical populations. These should be encouraged. Why is our media ignoring this?
A site about Arabs in Latin America would not be complete without some references to Jews.
Argentina had a massive and influential Jewish community at one point. Though it has dwindled, it is still the sixth largest Jewish community outside of Israel.
This next video is by a shop called the Argentina House in Israel. They sell Argentina, and South American products in Israel. Obviously not all are kosher.
Forgive Translation errors.
But there has to be a large homesick (for South America) constituency of Latinized Jews who would buy these products in Israel.
